Minhag (custom) played a far greater and far more important role in
medieval Ashkenazic society than in any other Jewish community. In
upholding the authority of a custom, halakhic authorities
frequently asserted that "custom prevails over halakhah."
Furthermore, Ashkenazic authorities asserted that Ashkenazic custom
is more authentic than the customs of other Jewish communities,
including those of Sepharad (Spain). Given the importance
attributed to minhag and the influence of the siddur commentaries
of the circle of Hassidei Ashkenaz, which emphasize the precise
formulation of liturgical texts, one might assume that Ashkenazic
Jewry was committed to preserving ancestral custom and opposed to
liturgical change. However, the reality is that the liturgy of
Ashkenaz was never static. From a very early time, new liturgies
and liturgical practices were incorporated into the service, the
inclusion of various prayers was challenged, and variant readings
of prayers became standard. Tradition, Interpretation, and Change
focuses on developments in the Ashkenazic rite, the liturgical rite
of most of central and eastern European Jewry, from the eleventh
century through the seventeenth. Kenneth Berger argues that how a
prayer or practice was understood, or the rationale for its
recitation or performance, often had a profound effect on whether
and when it was to be recited, as well as on the specific wording
of the prayer. In some cases, the formulation of new
interpretations served a conservative function, as when rabbinic
authorities sought to find new, alternative explanations which
would justify the continued performance of practices whose original
rationale no longer applied. In other cases, new understandings of
a liturgical practice led to changes in that practice, and even to
the development of new liturgies expressive of those
interpretations. In Tradition, Interpretation, and Change, Berger
draws upon a wide body of primary sources, including classical
rabbinic and geonic works, liturgical documents found in the Cairo
genizah, medieval codes, responsa, and siddur commentaries, minhag
books, medieval siddur manuscripts, and early printed siddurim, as
well as a wealth of secondary sources, to provide the reader with
an in-depth account of the history and history of interpretation of
many familiar and not-so-familiar prayers and liturgical practices.
While emphasizing the role that the interpretation ascribed to
various prayers and practices had in shaping the liturgy of
medieval and early modern Ashkenaz, Berger illustrates the degree
to which Sephardic and kabbalistic influences, concern for the fate
of the dead, the fear of demons, and the desire for healing and
divine protection from a variety of dangers shaped both liturgical
practice and the way in which those practices were understood.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
