Judaism has long derived its identity from its sacred books. The
book or scroll--rather than the image or idol--has been emblematic
of Jewish faith and tradition. The People of the Book presents a
study of a group of Orthodox Jews, all of whom live in the modern
world, engaged in the time-honored practice of lernen, the repeated
review and ritualized study of the sacred texts. In preserving one
of the activities of Jewish life, Samuel C. Heilman argues, these
are the genuine "People of the Book."
For two years, Heilman participated in and observed five study
circles in New York and Jerusalem engaged in the avocation of
lernen the Talmud, the great corpus of Jewish law, lore, and
tradition. These groups, made up of men who felt the ritualized
study of sacred texts to be not only a religious obligation but
also an appealing way to spend their evenings, weekends, and
holidays, assembled together under the guidance of a teacher to
review the holy books of their people. Having become part of this
world, the author is able to provide first-hand observation of the
workings of the study circle.
Heilman's study moves beyond the merely descriptive into an
analysis of the nature and meaning of activity he observed. To
explain the character and appeal of the study groups, he employs
three concepts: drama, fellowship, and religion. Inherent to the
life of the study circle are various sorts of drama: "social
dramas" playing out social relationships, "cultural performances"
reenacting the Jewish world view, and "interactional dramas" and
"word plays" involving the intricacies of the recitation and
translation process. This book will be of interest to
anthropologists and those interested in the academic study of
religion.
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
