The writer has attempted in this volume to take up a few of the most characteristic points in Jewish doctrine and practice, and to explain some of the various phases through which they have passed, since the first centuries of the Christian era. The presentation is probably much less detached than is the case with other volumes in this series. But the difference was scarcely avoidable. The writer was not expounding a religious system which has no relation to his own life. On the contrary, the writer is himself a Jew, and thus is deeply concerned personally in the matters discussed in the book.

The first twenty-four chapters of the book of Ezekiel are characterised by vehement declarations of judgement. This observation leaves the impression that Ezekiel 1-7 is devoid of references to hope and restoration. However, there is a redactional stratum in this section that supplemented the texts with material that conveys restoration and hope for the future. In Ezekiel 1-7, many of these additions focus on priestly topics. The motif of restoration in the redactional material of Ezekiel 3-5 is expressed by the reinstatement of Ezekiel in his priestly role. This editorial emphasis on Ezekiel as priest in the redactional material suggests that the redaction was influenced by Zechariah 3, a text that depicts the reinstitution of the exiled Zadokite priesthood. Moreover, the redactional material of Ezekiel 6-7 drew inspiration from the Law of the Temple in Ezekiel 43-46, as the redactors sought to enhance Ezekiel's priestly role. The study provides new insights into how redactors, who may have been associated with the Zadokite priesthood, inserted the message of hope and restoration into the literary unit Ezekiel 1-7 during the post-exilic period.

This volume examines the teaching of Jewishness within the context of medieval England. It covers a wide array of academic disciplines and addresses a multitude of primary sources, including medieval English manuscripts, law codes, philosophy, art, and literature, in explicating how the Jew-as-Other was formed. Chapters are devoted to the teaching of the complexities of medieval Jewish experiences in the modern classroom. Jews in Medieval England: Teaching Representations of the Other also grounds medieval conceptions of the Other within the contemporary world where we continue to confront the problematic attitudes directed toward alleged social outcasts.

Reconnect with the power and promise of engagement with Torah from a modern men's perspective.

This major contribution to modern biblical commentary addresses the most important concerns of modern men issues like relationships, sexuality, ambition, work and career, body image, aging, and life passages by opening them up to the messages of the Torah. It includes commentaries by some of the most creative and influential rabbis, cantors, journalists, media figures, educators, professors, authors, communal leaders, and musicians in contemporary Jewish life, and represents all denominations in Judaism. Featuring poignant and probing reflections on the weekly Torah portions, this collection shows men how the messages of the Torah intersect with their own lives by focusing on modern men s issues.

Ideal for anyone wanting a new, exciting view of Torah, this rich resource offers perspectives to inspire all of us to gain deeper meaning from the Torah as well as a heightened appreciation of Judaism and its relevance to our lives.

Contributors Rabbi Howard A. Addison Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson Doug Barden Rabbi Tony Bayfield, DD Ariel Beery Rabbi Joseph Black Rabbi Mitchell Chefitz Dr. Norman J. Cohen Rabbi Mike Comins Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins Rabbi Edward Feinstein Rabbi Mordecai Finley, PhD Wayne L. Firestone Rabbi David J. Gelfand Dr. Sander L. Gilman Ari L. Goldman Rabbi Daniel Gordis, PhD Rabbi Arthur Green Rabbi Steven Greenberg Joel Lurie Grishaver Rabbi Donniel Hartman, PhD Rabbi Hayim Herring, PhD Peter Himmelman Rabbi Walter Homolka, PhD Rabbi Reuven Kimelman Rabbi Elliott Kleinman Cantor Jeff Klepper Rabbi Peter S. Knobel Rabbi Harold S. Kushner Rabbi Daniel Landes Rabbi Steven Z. Leder Prof. Julius Lester Rabbi Robert N. Levine, DD Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler Rabbi John Moscowitz Rabbi Perry Netter Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky Rabbi Stephen S. Pearce, PhD Rabbi Daniel F. Polish Dennis Prager Rabbi Jack Riemer Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts Rabbi David B. Rosen Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD Rabbi Rami Shapiro Rabbi Charles Simon Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz Craig Taubman Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub Rabbi Avraham (Avi) Weiss Dr. Ron Wolfson Rabbi David J. Wolpe Rabbi David Woznica Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel"

Most studies of the history of interpretation of Song of Songs focus on its interpretation from late antiquity to modernity. In My Perfect One, Jonathan Kaplan examines earlier rabbinic interpretation of this work by investigating an underappreciated collection of works of rabbinic literature from the first few centuries of the Common Era, known as the tannaitic midrashim. In a departure from earlier scholarship that too quickly classified rabbinic interpretation of Song of Songs as allegorical, Kaplan advocates a more nuanced understanding of the approach of the early sages, who read Song of Songs employing typological interpretation in order to correlate Scripture with exemplary events in Israel's history. Throughout the book Kaplan explores ways in which this portrayal helped shape a model vision of rabbinic piety as well as an idealized portrayal of their beloved, God, in the wake of the destruction, dislocation, and loss the Jewish community experienced in the first two centuries of the Common Era. The archetypal language of Song of Songs provided, as Kaplan argues, a textual landscape in which to imagine an idyllic construction of Israel's relationship to her beloved, marked by mutual devotion and fidelity. Through this approach to Song of Songs, the Tannaim helped lay the foundations for later Jewish thought of a robust theology of intimacy in God's relationship with the Jewish people.

How can a Jewish approach to social justice offer positive change for America?

"Ancient texts offer significant wisdom about human nature, economic cycles, the causes of inequality, and our obligations to each other. These insights can inform our own approaches to current issues, challenge our assumptions, and force us to consider alternative approaches. The conversation between our texts and our lives can enrich our experience of both." from the Introduction

Confront the most pressing issues of twenty-first-century America in this fascinating book, which brings together classical Jewish sources, contemporary policy debate and real-life stories.Rabbi Jill Jacobs, a leading young voice in the social justice arena, makes a powerful argument for participation in the American public square from a deeply Jewish perspective, while deepening our understanding of the relationship between Judaism and such current social issues as:

Poverty and the Poor Collection and Allocation of Tzedakah Workers, Employers and Unions Housing the Homeless The Provision of Health Care Environmental Sustainability Crime, Punishment and Rehabilitation

By creating a dialogue between traditional texts and current realities, Jacobs presents a template for engagement in public life from a Jewish perspective and challenges us to renew our obligations to each other."

The focus of this book is on early Jewish interpretations of the ambiguous relationship between God and 'the angel of the Lord/God' in texts like Genesis 16, 22 and 31. Genesis 32 is included since it exhibits the same ambiguity and constitutes an inseparable part of the Jacob saga. The study is set in the wider context of the development of angelology and concepts of God in various forms of early Judaism. When identifying patterns of interpretation in Jewish texts, their chronological setting is less important than the nature of the biblical source texts. For example, a common pattern is the avoidance of anthropomorphism. In Genesis 'the angel of the Lord' generally seems to be a kind of impersonal extension of God, while later Jewish writings are characterized by a more individualized angelology, but the ambivalence between God and his angel remains in many interpretations. In Philo's works and Wisdom of Solomon, the 'Logos' and 'Lady Wisdom' respectively have assumed the role of the biblical 'angel of the Lord'. Although the angelology of Second Temple Judaism had developed in the direction of seeing angels as distinct personalities, Judaism still had room for the idea of divine hypostases.

Read the Jewish Idea Daily's review here. In 1789, when George Washington was elected the first president of the United States, laymen from all six Jewish congregations in the new nation sent him congratulatory letters. He replied to all six. Thus, after more than a century of Jewish life in colonial America the small communities of Jews present at the birth of the nation proudly announced their religious institutions to the country and were recognized by its new leader. By this time, the synagogue had become the most significant institution of American Jewish life, a dominance that was not challenged until the twentieth century, when other institutions such as Jewish community centers or Jewish philanthropic organizations claimed to be the hearts of their Jewish communities. Concise yet comprehensive, The Synagogue in America is the first history of this all-important structure, illuminating its changing role within the American Jewish community over the course of three centuries. From Atlanta and Des Moines to Los Angeles and New Orleans, Marc Lee Raphael moves beyond the New York metropolitan area to examine Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstuctionist synagogue life everywhere. Using the records of approximately 125 Jewish congregations, he traces the emergence of the synagogue in the United States from its first instances in the colonial period, when each of the half dozen initial Jewish communities had just one synagogue each, to its proliferation as the nation and the American Jewish community grew and diversified. Encompassing architecture, forms of worship, rabbinic life, fundraising, creative liturgies, and feminism, The Synagogue in America is the go-to history for understanding the synagogue's significance in American Jewish life.

The history of Israel goes back 4,000 years, and conflict has dogged much of its past. But today's headlines continue to highlight the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and Israel's quest for peace. Even so, another struggle is quietly rampant within world Jewry: the fight to secure Israel's future.

Offering a unique perspective on this issue, "The Fair Dinkum Jew" serves as an informative primer to show how the Abrahamic Covenant is vital to Israel's survival. Author Allan Russell Juriansz discusses the three great pillars of this Covenant-Land, Torah, and Messiah-and shows how Israel's only hope for security lies within these terms.

Juriansz breaks down years of Jewish history to prove the relevance of Judaism to Jewish existence and future in terms of the Abrahamic Covenant. He then discusses diff erent aspects of the Arab infi ltration and occupation of Palestine and examines the current confl ict between Jews and Arab Palestinians in terms of the post-1967 borders. In addition, he off ers potential solutions for peace that could possibly lead to stability within the Middle East.

"The Fair Dinkum Jew" issues a stirring call for Israel's need to believe in and defend its political, national, and religious integrity.

The book is concerned with a so called ethical midrash, Seder Eliyahu (also known as Tanna debe Eliyahu), a post-talmudic work probably composed in the ninth century. It provides a survey of the research on this late midrash followed by five studies of different aspects related to what is designated as the work's narratology. These include a discussion of the problem of the apparent pseudo-epigraphy of the work and of the multiple voices of the text; a description of the various narrative types which the work, itself as a whole of non-narrative character, makes use of; a detailed treatment of Seder Eliyahu's parables and most characteristic first person narratives (an extremely unusual form of narrative discourse in rabbinic literature); as well as a final chapter dedicated to selected women stories in this late midrash. As it emerges from the survey in chapter 1 such a narratologically informed study of Seder Eliyahu represents a new approach in the research on a work that is clearly the product of a time of transition in Jewish literature.

Volume XXII of the distinguished annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry explores the major and rapid changes experienced by a population known variously as "Sephardim," "Oriental" Jews and "Mizrahim" over the last fifty years. Although Sephardim are popularly believed to have originated in Spain or Portugal, the majority of Mizrahi Jews today are actually the descendants of Jews from Muslim and Arab countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. They constitute a growing proportion of Israeli Jewry and continue to revitalize Jewish culture in places as varied as France, Latin America, and the United States.
Sephardic Jewry and Mizrahi Jews offers a collection of new scholarship on the issues of self-definition and identity facing Sephardic Jewry. The essays draw on a variety of disciplines--demography, history, political science, sociology, religious and gender studies, anthropology, and literature. Contributors explore the issues surrounding the emergence and increasingly wide usage of "Mizrahi" in place of "Sephardic," as well as the invigoration of Sephardic Judaism. They look at the evolution of Sephardic politics in Israel through the dramatic rise and continuing influence of the Shas political party and its spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Other contributors examine the variegated nature of Mizrahi immigration to Israel, fictional portraits of female Mizrahi immigrants to Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, contemporary Mizrahi Israel feminism, modern Arab historiography's portrayal of Jews of Muslim lands, and the changing Sephardic halakhic tradition.

The Sefer Yetsirah (the Book of Creation ) is a core text of the early kabbalah, yet scholars have struggled to establish even the most basic facts about the work. This project attempts to discover the ways in which diagrams accompanying the text and its commentaries show trends in the development of the kabbalistic tradition as a whole.

Is the Bible a Hellenistic book? The essays in this volume respond to that challenging question, formulated by Niels Peter Lemche, and offer everything from qualified agreement to vociferous opposition. In so doing, they debate and illuminate the many features of Jewish writing in the Second Temple period, including not only the scriptures themselves and their own history, but the non-canonized literature of the late Second-Temple period. As with all the volumes in this pioneering series, the editor, Lester Grabbe, introduces and reflects upon the discussion and its implications for one of the most controversial topics in current biblical studies.

Blending the deep traditions of Jewish humanism with modern philosophical expressions, this book argues that Jewish values are not fixed propositions embedded in written form that can be easily handed off from one generation to the next.

'Queen Sheba Talking': Finally Queen Sheba is found It is a fascinating investigation leading to the where about Queen Sheba is hiding? 3000 years of colourful history is revealed by Hisham Amili. Who was Queen Sheba and did King Solomon really exist? Indeed was Jerusalem built when Queen Sheba visited Solomon or did she visit him in Mecca instead? 'Queen Sheba talking' is revealing many secrets of the Near East Civilisations, Camels, Jews and Ethiopians? The book entertains the possibility that Queen Sheba and king Solomon were neither neighbours nor prominent, merely virtual leaders. On the other hand 'Queen Sheba Talking' provides great evidence to support their true existence but 150 years after their traditional biblical dates. Unlike Amili's previous books, there are many charts and tables in his new 'Queen Sheba talking' simplifying the tale and serving the feeds that led to her throne. It is a fascinating read with great imagination based on actual records of history and antiquities . Contrary to Napoleon, Alexandra, Cleopatra or even Hitler, the story of Queen Sheba has greater impact and more secrets to explore. It is a powerful true story of love, religion, civilisation, trade, gender and ultimate control on people and their aspiration.

After forty years of feminism, views of the traditional Jewish family, religion, and gender roles have changed. In the process a new literature has been created, new paradigms born, and many Jewish women writers have been reevaluated, reclaimed, and renamed, with their Jewish heritage often overlooked or misinterpreted." Modern Jewish Women Writers in America "includes groundbreaking essays and interviews with scholars and authors who reveal that despite pressures of assimilation, personal goals, and in some cases, anti-Semitism, they have never been able to divorce their lives or literature from being Jewish.

Ignaz Goldziher (1850-1921), one of the founders of modern Arabic and Islamic studies, was a Hungarian Jew and a Professor at the University of Budapest. A wunderkind who mastered Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Turkish, Persian, and Arabic as a teenager, his works reached international acclaim long before he was appointed professor in his native country. From his initial vision of Jewish religious modernization via the science of religion, his academic interests gradually shifted to Arabic-Islamic themes. Yet his early Jewish program remained encoded in his new scholarly pursuits. Islamic studies was a refuge for him from his grievances with the Jewish establishment; from local academic and social irritations he found comfort in his international network of colleagues. This intellectual and academic transformation is explored in the book in three dimensions – scholarship on religion, in religion (Judaism and Islam), and as religion – utilizing his diaries, correspondences and his little-known early Hungarian works.