Philosophy

The veracity of Judaism is always being challenged in every age, in every culture. So what is Judaism s response?

 

First published in 1836, The Nineteen Letters a written correspondence between a Rabbi and a student in doubt as to the meaning and value of his Jewish identity - remains as relevant today as when it first appeared.

In upholding the tenets of Judaism, the author tackles the issues of assimilation, secularism, modernity, reform, and the difference between a self-centered world-view vs. a God-centered world-view.

 

Grounded in history and tradition, and spanning the theological, philosophical, and the practical, the author shows how a life steeped in adherence to Divine commands leads to an uplifting experience of profound meaning and personal fulfillment.

 

This enduring classic now includes an in-depth, contemporary commentary, and the result is an inspiring guide to a renewed appreciation of Judaism: both a brilliant portrayal of the Torah s timeless teachings and a unique presentation of its relevance in our own day and age 

On one side, the brutal defeat of a two thousand year old civilization, whose complete moral structures collapsed. On the other side, the resurrection of a people, set apart for more than 3,000 years in order to introduce to humanity the eternal message of the prophets. But between the anxiety of a damaged civilization and the hope of a young nation returning to the supernatural heritage of its roots, the choice can seem uncertain still. Abraham Livni draws from the traditional sources of Jewish thought and analyzes the reasons for the failure of a civilization who had attempted to strip the ancient people of Israel of their Land, of their Bible and of their identity. He allows us to discover in the history of the Jewish people the backbone of the complete human adventure, witnessing History, prototype, carrier of the only hope of salvation for the modern world. Abraham Livni was 20 years old when he discovered the horror of the Holocaust. He then searched to solve the mystery of anti-Semitic hate. A long intellectual and spiritual quest drove him to Judaism and to settle in Jerusalem in the 1960s.Published in 1984 and re-edited several times since, the Return of Israel and The Hope of the World has overwhelmed thousands of readers, Jews and non-Jews alike in the Francophone world. At a time where the State of Israel arouses powerful controversies, it remains a burning issue. The book was translated into Hebrew and is creating a real stir in Israel; it has also been translated into Spanish and Russian.

Ibn Ezra's Long-Overlooked Philosophical Masterpiece

Poet, mathematician, and Bible commentator, Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (1092-1167) emerged as a major Jewish philosopher with the publication of Sefer Yesod Mora Ve-Sod Torah (Treatise on the Foundation of Awe and the Secret of the Torah). One of the first books of philosophy written in Hebrew, the Yesod Mora expanded its reach to regions where Arabic was an unfamiliar tongue. Ibn Ezra's influence can be detected in Maimonides 'Guide for the Perplexed, Nahmanides' writings, and even in the Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi's Tanya. Highlights include: • An explanation of why the Bible and Talmud cannot be understood without the study of grammar, logic, philosophy, and science; • An analysis of when traditional rabbinic interpretations must be accepted, and when we are permitted to draw our own conclusions; • The classification of the Torah's commandments and a study of the reasons for the commandments (ta'amei ha-mitzvot); • How one can connect to God by achieving deveikut (communion) with the Almighty.This edition of Yesod Mora is based on a version originally published in 1995, with additional notes and critical analysis. Theoriginal Hebrew text has been supplied as well. Editor, interpreter, and translator H. Norman Strickman is Rabbi emeritus of the Marine Park Jewish Center in Brooklyn and is a Professor emeritus of Jewish Studies at Touro College in New York City. He earned his ordination from Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin of Yeshiva University.

Is "holiness" a synonym for Godliness, one of God's attributes, or does it have independent existence? What does it mean to say that both God and man are holy? What is the proper understanding of "Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy"?

In Judaism, the word kodesh, the Hebrew word for "holy," appears hundreds of times in the Bible (Tanakh) and the Talmud. It appears in ancient Near Eastern contexts, is used throughout the Middle Ages. It has been analyzed by non-Jewish figures like Plato, Immanuel Kant, and Rudolf Otto, as well as Jewish authorities like Rashi, Maimonides (Rambam), Nachmanides (Ramban), Samuel David Luzzatto, Eliezer Berkovits, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.

This work traces how the idea of holiness has been applied throughout the ages, and what spiritual messages can be harvested from the centuries about how to interpret this word. A Theology of Holiness utilizes historical, linguistic, literary, anthropological, and philosophical tools in an interdisciplinary analysis. Ultimately, it is a work of theology, and helps the reader achieve a deeper understanding of holiness-arguably the most important religious term of them all.

Can Jewish tradition face our modern understanding of justice, equality and human progress? Can mitsvot survive modernity’s deep critique of authority and culture of personal autonomy? To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values addresses ancient and modern moral questions. Building on biblical and rabbinic traditions, it analyzes how Jewish ethics relates to Jewish law, justice, equality and compassion, as well as the challenge of violence in the name of religion. It provides food for thought on subjects ranging from gender, freedom and military ethics to Jewish particularism and contemporary universalism.

Top 5: Lists of Jewish Character and Characters A collection of Dovid Bashevkin's beloved columns in Mishpacha Magazine that highlight the comedic idiosyncrasies and nuances of Jewish life. In these pages, you'll discover your favorite characters from shul, the subtle dilemmas of Jewish life, and the joy and fun throughout the Jewish calendar. A new appreciation for Yiddishkeit is just a Top 5 list away. DOVID BASHEVKIN is the director of education for NCSY, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union. He has written several scholarly works about failure in Jewish thought. This is his first published work of narishkeit. When Dovid isn't writing about failure, he's trying to laugh about it. Dovid has been rejected from many prestigious fellowships and awards.

Even as the twentieth century will be remembered for the West's loss of faith, Jewish Orthodoxy experienced in that very time a golden age of leaders and teachers who sought to bridge the world of Torah and that of the West. Some of these Torah figures were deeply impacted by an academic field, such as philosophy or literature. Others developed a Torah-based perspective on developments within the West, such as the rise of Zionism, democracy, or biotechnology. Still others reflected on the very nature of religious knowledge. The Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University invited twenty-first century thinkers to paint intellectual portraits of these luminaries, illustrating how each figure bridged the worlds of Torah and the West in a unique way. The essays are meant to inspire Orthodox Jews and all intellectually engaged individuals of faith to learn from the lives of these luminaries, and to have the courage to bridge these worlds as well. Great thinkers examined

Toward a Meaningful Life is a spiritual road map for living based on the teachings of one of the foremost religious leaders of our time: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Head of the Lubavitcher movement for forty-four years and recognized throughout the world simply as "the Rebbe," Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who passed away in June 1994, was a sage and a visionary of the highest order.

Toward a Meaningful Life gives people of all backgrounds fresh perspectives on every aspect of their lives--from birth to death, youth to old age; marriage, love, intimacy, and family; the persistent issues of career, health, pain, and suffering; and education, faith, science, and government. We learn to bridge the divisions between accelerated technology and decelerated morality, between unprecedented worldwide unity and unparalleled personal disunity. Although the Rebbe's teachings are firmly anchored in more than three thousand years of scholarship, the urgent relevance of these old-age truths to contemporary life has never been more manifest.

At the threshold of a new world where matter and spirit converge, the Rebbe proposes spiritual principles that unite people as opposed to the materialism that divides them. In doing so, he continues to lead us toward personal and universal redemption, toward a meaningful life, and toward God.

The link between the daily commandment to wear tzitzith and the ability of man to reach towards G-d.

The link between the daily commandment to wear tzitzith and the ability of man to reach towards G-d.

The Universal Garden of Emuna, completely non-denominational. All of mankind deserve to live a life of Emuna, peace and tranquility. The Garden of Emuna -- Emuna is the Hebrew word for faith -- Working on Emuna allows us to really appreciate life straight from the source. This book is a practical step by step guide to attaining high levels of Emuna / faith . Faith / Emuna is likened to a lush, fragrant garden, thus the book Garden of Emuna a garden harmonizing G-d's will with our existent. Written by the worlds expert on practical Emuna, Rabbi Shalom Arush, and translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody.