Eliezer Schweid's career as philosopher, scholar, educator and public intellectual has spanned the history of the State of Israel from the pre-war Yishuv period to the present. In these essays he recalls his formative years in the Zionist youth and the Hebrew University. He reflects on the existential loneliness of the modern Jew. He examines the perennial problem of theodicy through a Jewish lens in its broadest human parameters. Finally, he offers a challenging critique of the postmodern culture of the "global village," in which the marketplace and skepticism have crowded out humane values rooted in the traditions of historical culture.

The 1954 Cleveland Indians were one of the most remarkable baseball teams of all time. Their record for most wins (111) fell only when the baseball schedule expanded, and their winning percentage, an astounding .721, is still unsurpassed in the American League. Though the season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants in the World Series, the 1954 team remains a favorite among Cleveland fans and beyond. Pitching to the Pennant commemorates the '54 Indians with a biographical sketch of the entire team, from the "Big Three" pitching staff (Mike Garcia and future Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Early Wynn), through notable players such as Bobby Avila, Bob Feller, Larry Doby, and Al Rosen, to manager Al Lopez, his coaches, and the Indians' broadcast team. There are also stories about Cleveland Stadium and the 1954 All-Star Game (which the team hosted), as well as a season timeline and a firsthand account of Game One of the World Series at the Polo Grounds. Pitching to the Pennant features the superb writing and research of members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), making this book a must for all Indians fans and baseball aficionados.

Of all the teams in the annals of baseball, only a select few can lay claim to historic significance. One of those teams is the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, the first racially integrated Major League team of the twentieth century. The addition of Jackie Robinson to its roster changed not only baseball but also the nation. Yet Robinson was just one member of that memorable club, which included Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, Duke Snider, Eddie Stanky, Arky Vaughan, and Dixie Walker. Also present was a quartet of baseball's most unforgettable characters: co-owners Branch Rickey and Walter O'Malley, suspended manager Leo Durocher, and radio announcer Red Barber. This book is the first to offer biographies of everyone on that incomparable team as well as accounts of the moments and events that marked the Dodgers' 1947 season: Commissioner Happy Chandler suspending Durocher, Rickey luring his old friend Burt Shotton out of retirement to replace Durocher, and brilliant outfielder Reiser being sidelined after running into a fence. In spite of all this, the Dodgers went on to win the National League pennant over the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals. And of course, there is the biggest story of the season, where history and biography coalesce: Jackie Robinson, who overcame widespread hostility to become Rookie of the Year-and to help the Dodgers set single-game attendance records in cities around the National League.

This classic work by early-20th-century Jewish humanist and scholar Isaac Heinemann surveys the crucial phases of Jewish thought concerning correct conduct as codified in the commandments. Heinemann offers systematic insights into the intellectual, emotional, pedagogical, and pragmatic reasoning advanced by the major Jewish thinkers. This book, available in English for the first time, covers Jewish thinkers from the Bible, rabbis, and philosophers through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, including Saadiah, Halevi, Maimonides, and many others. Heinemann follows the Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern rationales offered for the commandments in the course of the history of Jewish thought. Isaac Heinemann (1876-1957) was one of the leading Jewish humanists and scholars of the early twentieth century. His career spanned the golden age of Jewish scholarship in central Europe and the rise of Jewish studies in modern Israel. He was a leading authority on Hellenistic and rabbinic knowledge, writing major studies of Philo of Alexandria and the rabbinic lore (agada).

The vast majority of intellectual, religious, and national developments in modern Judaism revolve around the central idea of 'Jewish culture'. This book is the first synoptic view of these developments that organises and relates them from this vantage point. The first Jewish modernisation movements perceived culture as the defining trait of the outside alien social environment to which Jewry had to adapt. To be 'cultured' was to be modern-European, as opposed to medieval-ghetto-Jewish. In short order, however, the Jewish religious legacy was redefined retrospectively as a historical 'culture', with fateful consequences for the conception of Judaism as a human and not only a divinely mandated regime. The conception of Judaism - as culture - took two main forms: an integrative, vernacular Jewish culture that developed in tandem with the integration of Jews into the various nations of western-central Europe and America, and a national Hebrew culture which, though open to the inputs of modern European society, sought to develop a revitalised Jewish national identity that ultimately found expression in the revival of the Jewish homeland and the State of Israel. This is a large, complex story in which the author describes the contributions of Mendelssohn, Wessely, Krochmal, Zunz, the mainstream Zionist thinkers (especially Ahad Ha-Am, Bialik, and A D Gordon), Kook, Kaplan, and Dubnow to the formulation of the various versions of the modern Jewish cultural ideal.

This classic work by early-20th-century Jewish humanist and scholar Isaac Heinemann surveys the crucial phases of Jewish thought concerning correct conduct as codified in the commandments. Heinemann provides his own systematic insights about the intellectual, emotional, pedagogical, and pragmatic reasoning advanced by the major Jewish thinkers. This book, translated here for the first time, covers Jewish thinkers from the Bible, rabbis and Hellenistic philosophers through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, including Saadiah, Halevi, Maimonides, Albo, and many others. Heinemann addresses such questions as: What were the Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern rationales offered for the commandments in the course of Jewish thought?

The vast majority of intellectual, religious, and national developments in modern Judaism revolve around the central idea of 'Jewish culture'. This book is the first synoptic view of these developments that organises and relates them from this vantage point. The first Jewish modernisation movements perceived culture as the defining trait of the outside alien social environment to which Jewry had to adapt. To be 'cultured' was to be modern-European, as opposed to medieval-ghetto-Jewish. In short order, however, the Jewish religious legacy was redefined retrospectively as a historical 'culture', with fateful consequences for the conception of Judaism as a human and not only a divinely mandated regime.The conception of Judaism-as-culture took two main forms: an integrative, vernacular Jewish culture that developed in tandem with the integration of Jews into the various nations of western-central Europe and America, and a national Hebrew culture which, though open to the inputs of modern European society, sought to develop a revitalised Jewish national identity that ultimately found expression in the revival of the Jewish homeland and the State of Israel. This is a large, complex story in which the author describes the contributions of Mendelssohn, Wessely, Krochmal, Zunz, the mainstream Zionist thinkers (especially Ahad Ha-Am, Bialik, and A.D. Gordon), Kook, Kaplan, and Dubnow to the formulation of the various versions of the modern Jewish cultural ideal.

The fundamental book of Eliezer Schweid is a modern interpretation of "The Bible" as narrative and law that can reopen the dialogue of contemporary Jews with "The Bible," from which a dynamic Jewish culture can continue to draw its inspiration. The approach draws at the same time from the philosophical modernism of Hermann Cohen, the dialogical philosophy of Buber, the religious phenomenology of Heschel, and the insights of contemporary Biblical scholars, including literary analysts of "The Bible." Schweid helps us to appreciate the broader message of the narrative of creation and settlement of the land in its ecumenical and planetary dimensions. The world is God's creation whose resources are to be deployed as necessary for the sustenance and needs - fulfilment of all people and all creatures equally - a message very much relevant to the ecological crisis facing us all at the present time.

Like Spinoza in his "Theological-Political Treatise", Schweid helps us grasp the potential for seeing radically new messages in this oldest of books, "The Bible." The American Founding Fathers realized that "The Bible" offers strong support for the doctrine of popular sovereignty. Socially, it offers a message of egalitarianism, especially in the provisions of the Jubilee. It is hardly an accident that two modern political movements found mottos ready at hand from the 25th chapter of Leviticus: 'Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof' (from the Liberty Bell), and 'The land shall not be sold in perpetuity' (motto of the Jewish National Fund). More broadly, Schweid helps us to appreciate the broader message of the narrative of creation and settlement of the land in its ecumenical and planetary dimensions. The world is God's creation whose resources are to be deployed as necessary for the sustenance and needs-fulfilment of all people and all creatures equally - a message very much relevant to the ecological crisis facing us all at the present time.

The Hebrew Bible forms the central point from which all Jewish philosophers begin their task of coming to terms with our present day society. This is the bedrock upon which Israeli philosopher Eliezer Schweid bases his two-volume book, newly translated from the original Hebrew. Each generation of thinkers has reimagined and reinterpreted the Bible's lessons. Schweid traces the intellectual footsteps of some of history's most preeminent Jewish philosophers, beginning with Spinoza and Mendelssohn, down through early twentieth century thinkers such as Franz Rosenzweig. Then, contemplating a post-war world cut away from its philosophical moorings, Schweid comes to grips with the crossroads at which our society finds itself today, and bends his own intellect to the time-honored task of reminding his contemporaries of the Bible's continued relevance in guiding our moral and ethical outlook. Eliezer Schweid is Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University. He has published 40 books in both general and specific areas of Jewish thought of all periods, and has commented frequently on the relevance of the legacy of Jewish thought to contemporary issues of Jewish and universal human concern. He is the recipient of the distinguished Israel Prize and two honorary doctorates.

The Hebrew Bible forms the central point from which all Jewish philosophers begin their task of coming to terms with our present day society. This is the bedrock upon which Israeli philosopher Eliezer Schweid bases his two-volume book, newly translated from the original Hebrew. Each generation of thinkers has reimagined and reinterpreted the Bible's lessons. Schweid traces the intellectual footsteps of some of history's most preeminent Jewish philosophers, beginning with Spinoza and Mendelssohn, down through early twentieth century thinkers such as Franz Rosenzweig. Then, contemplating a post-war world cut away from its philosophical moorings, Schweid comes to grips with the crossroads at which our society finds itself today, and bends his own intellect to the time-honored task of reminding his contemporaries of the Bible's continued relevance in guiding our moral and ethical outlook. Eliezer Schweid is Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University. He has published 40 books in both general and specific areas of Jewish thought of all periods, and has commented frequently on the relevance of the legacy of Jewish thought to contemporary issues of Jewish and universal human concern. He is the recipient of the distinguished Israel Prize and two honorary doctorates.

Existing shorthand systems (Gregg, Pitman, Teeline) provide non-alphabetical symbols or outlines to increase the writing speed. A number of writing strokes is significantly reduced and a high speed can be attained. However, a great deal of time must be spent on memorization and retention is difficult if you decide to use Gregg, Pitman, Teeline and similar symbol-based methods. On the other hand, speedwriting methods use alphabet letters and are easier to learn. But they require two or three strokes to write a standard letter and can not match a writing speed attainable by non-alphabetical shorthand. The MiniScript system is non-alphabetical version of the EasyScript method and designed to simplify learning and provide a high writing speed comparable to symbol-based shorthand and. EasyScript was introduced in 1990 and has become a viable alternative in the United States and worldwide for those who prefer to utilize alphabet-based speedwriting.MiniScript employs: a) a proven and popular EasyScript alphabet-based abbreviation methodology that reduces considerably the memorization volume by using a small set of abbreviating rules and b) writing abbreviations with special symbols to attain writing speeds comparable to non-alphabetical shorthand. Applying MiniScript you will need to remember only a list of 9 special symbols representing English alphabet. Symbols from conventional PC keyboard such as period (.), slash (/), comma (,) are used and require little or no training. EasyScript book is not required to study MiniScript. A demo of EasyScript is available at our website easyscript.com

The ComputerScript method is based on an unique and patented concept of using 5 basic rules to abbreviate all words of full English vocabulary. It features a quick learning and proficiency, easy skill retention, a simple abbreviating rule and transcription for every word. The rules are logical and do not require rote memorisation. This user-friendly method is an easy alternative to conventional shorthand and speedwriting and offers optional computerised transcription. It can be combined with any system and allows to use custom codes to tailor them to your personal style and application. This title helps to discover how easy it is to take notes and transcribe them using a laptop or desktop computer. When the abbreviations are entered into computer it provides automatic transcription into readable form. It allows to create custom abbreviations according to your personal style and application. As opposed to any speedtyping systems which reduce the number of strokes by memorising numerous rules and definitions, with CS you need to know only 5 basic rules which fit on a 2"x3" card. You can increase your typing speed up to 30 percent vs. touch typing in just 4 hours. It eliminates the need for a spelling check, uses a conventional keyboard and is compatible with most word processors. It's also can be used for transcribing medical terms, tapes and messages. The method can be used for speedwriting application (ES manual is included) which will increase your efficiency even more by utilising one method to write and type. CS requires under 1MB of memory and runs on WINDOWS NT, WINDOWS and MS-DOS platforms. CS files are stored in ASCII format and can be accessed by most conventional word processors. Package includes 3.5" CS disk, CS manual, ES workbook/manual and ES/CS reference card.

Every morning, Lenny Levin strolls into Stumpy's restaurant in Buffalo, New York to eat breakfast. Lenny is a member of a very special group. Readers can join him for coffee and see what's so "special" about this hilariously funny group.