May a Conversion Obtained Through Deceit Be Annulled? RABBI STEVEN SALTZMAN
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Office of Rabbi Sacks
Dear Sir / Madam, Please find the text below of a speech Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks made on the subject of antisemitism. This was the keynote address of “The Future of the Jewish Communities in Europe” Conference held at The European Parliament on 27th September 2016 in Brussels. I believe you might find the speech useful as you consider your report. Kind regards, Dan Sacker (on behalf of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks) Office of Rabbi Sacks Dan Sacker Postal address: The Office of Rabbi Sacks, P.O. Box 72007, London NW6 6RW www.rabbisacks.org | ********************************************************************************* The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. That is what I want us to understand today. It wasn’t Jews alone who suffered under Hitler. It wasn’t Jews alone who suffered under Stalin. It isn’t Jews alone who suffer under ISIS or Al Qaeda or Islamic Jihad. We make a great mistake if we think antisemitism is a threat only to Jews. It is a threat, first and foremost, to Europe and to the freedoms it took centuries to achieve. Antisemitism is not about Jews. It is about anti-Semites. It is about people who cannot accept responsibility for their own failures and have instead to blame someone else. Historically, if you were a Christian at the time of the Crusades, or a German after the First World War, and saw that the world hadn’t turned out the way you believed it would, you blamed the Jews. That is what is happening today. And I cannot begin to say how dangerous it is. -
Conversion to Judaism Finnish Gerim on Giyur and Jewishness
Conversion to Judaism Finnish gerim on giyur and Jewishness Kira Zaitsev Syventävien opintojen tutkielma Afrikan ja Lähi-idän kielet Humanistinen tiedekunta Helsingin yliopisto 2019/5779 provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk CORE brought to you by Tiedekunta – Fakultet – Faculty Koulutusohjelma – Utbildningsprogram – Degree Programme Humanistinen tiedekunta Kielten maisteriohjelma Opintosuunta – Studieinriktning – Study Track Afrikan ja Lähi-idän kielet Tekijä – Författare – Author Kira Zaitsev Työn nimi – Arbetets titel – Title Conversion to Judaism. Finnish gerim on giyur and Jewishness Työn laji – Aika – Datum – Month and year Sivumäärä– Sidoantal Arbetets art – Huhtikuu 2019 – Number of pages Level 43 Pro gradu Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract Pro graduni käsittelee suomalaisia, jotka ovat kääntyneet juutalaisiksi ilman aikaisempaa juutalaista taustaa ja perhettä. Data perustuu haastatteluihin, joita arvioin straussilaisella grounded theory-menetelmällä. Tutkimuskysymykseni ovat, kuinka nämä käännynnäiset näkevät mitä juutalaisuus on ja kuinka he arvioivat omaa kääntymistään. Tutkimuseni mukaan kääntyjän aikaisempi uskonnollinen tausta on varsin todennäköisesti epätavallinen, eikä hänellä ole merkittäviä aikaisempia juutalaisia sosiaalisia suhteita. Internetillä on kasvava rooli kääntyjän tiedonhaussa ja verkostoissa. Juutalaisuudessa kääntynyt näkee tärkeimpänä eettisyyden sekä juutalaisen lain, halakhan. Kääntymisen nähdään vahvistavan aikaisempi maailmankuva -
Christian Understandings of Proselytism David A
Christian Understandings of Proselytism David A. Kerr ike the chameleon, proselytism displays itself in many who had themselves been strangers (gerim) in Egypt (Deut. L shades of color. The word has different nuances in 10:19). The bulk of Talmudic literature welcomes the proselyte individual languages and among languages. Importantly from into the full fellowship of Israel, subject to the requirements of the point of view of this article, it is used variously among circumcision, baptism, and the offering of sacrifice. Jesus criti different sectors of the Christian church. It refers both to the cized what he deemed the Pharisaic tendency of making the transfer of allegiance from one religion to another and to the proselyte a slave to the law (Matt. 23:15). From this it may be transfer of allegiancebetweenchurches. Attitudes to proselytism inferred that the matter of how a proselyte should be incorpo are conditioned by political, social, and cultural considerations, rated into Israel was a matter of controversy in Jesus' time. New and responses vary from one church to another, from one culture Testament references to Jewish proselytes among the first Chris to another. I attempt here to clarify some of the issues, particu tians indicate that they were welcome members of the early larly as they have emerged in Christian thinking through the church (Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43).6 The postbiblical histories of both second half of the twentieth century. I argue tha t the hard-sought Judaism and Christianity continued to honor the proselyte until consensus that has emerged within the ecumenical movement more recent times, when, roughly speaking from the eighteenth needs to extend itself further to include new global realities of century, the term came to have the negative connotations we Christianity.1 have noted in English literary usage. -
Conversion to Judaism After the Shoa
Barbara J. Steiner Between Guilt and Repression – Conversion to Judaism after the Shoa Conversion to Judaism and the subsequent acceptance of Jewish converts are topics that are still discussed at length among Jews in Germany today. Is it actu- ally possible to become a Jew? How should a Jewish convert conduct herself or himself? And the most significant question of all: Why do non-Jewish Germans convert to Judaism, and what connection might this phenomenon have with Ger- many’s most recent past, the persecution of and murdering of Jews? Do Jewish converts simply want to change sides in order to belong to the victims and their successors, thereby distancing themselves from their own possibly disreputa- ble family histories? Do they simply want to make everything all right again? Do Germans who convert to Judaism do so because they feel guilty?¹ These are the questions that I will thoroughly investigate in my dissertation, which deals with the conversion of Germans to Judaism after 1945.² I intend to illustrate how German converts deal with the Shoa, and how far they integrate this into their biographies as ‘New Jews.’ From a religious perspective, it is possible for anyone to become a Jew. According to Halacha (the law of Judaism), a Jew is a person who is either born of a Jewish mother, or a person who has been converted to Judaism before a Beit Din (a Rabbinical court) after a period of religious instruction. Giur (the process of conversion) can take years, and is considered by many converts to be tiring and arbitrary.³ The conversion process is a test of the seriousness of the candidate; he or she must learn about the Jewish religion and Jewish history and make every effort to fit into the community. -
A Fresh Perspective on the History of Hasidic Judaism
eSharp Issue 20: New Horizons A Fresh Perspective on the History of Hasidic Judaism Eva van Loenen (University of Southampton) Introduction In this article, I shall examine the history of Hasidic Judaism, a mystical,1 ultra-orthodox2 branch of Judaism, which values joyfully worshipping God’s presence in nature as highly as the strict observance of the laws of Torah3 and Talmud.4 In spite of being understudied, the history of Hasidic Judaism has divided historians until today. Indeed, Hasidic Jewish history is not one monolithic, clear-cut, straightforward chronicle. Rather, each scholar has created his own narrative and each one is as different as its author. While a brief introduction such as this cannot enter into all the myriad divergences and similarities between these stories, what I will attempt to do here is to incorporate and compare an array of different views in order to summarise the history of Hasidism and provide a more objective analysis, which has not yet been undertaken. Furthermore, my historical introduction in Hasidic Judaism will exemplify how mystical branches of mainstream religions might develop and shed light on an under-researched division of Judaism. The main focus of 1 Mystical movements strive for a personal experience of God or of his presence and values intuitive, spiritual insight or revelationary knowledge. The knowledge gained is generally ‘esoteric’ (‘within’ or hidden), leading to the term ‘esotericism’ as opposed to exoteric, based on the external reality which can be attested by anyone. 2 Ultra-orthodox Jews adhere most strictly to Jewish law as the holy word of God, delivered perfectly and completely to Moses on Mount Sinai. -
Orthodoxy in American Jewish Life1
ORTHODOXY IN AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE1 by CHARLES S. LIEBMAN INTRODUCTION • DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ORTHODOXY • EARLY ORTHODOX COMMUNITY • UNCOMMITTED ORTHODOX • COM- MITTED ORTHODOX • MODERN ORTHODOX • SECTARIANS • LEAD- ERSHIP • DIRECTIONS AND TENDENCIES • APPENDLX: YESHIVOT PROVIDING INTENSIVE TALMUDIC STUDY A HIS ESSAY is an effort to describe the communal aspects and institutional forms of Orthodox Judaism in the United States. For the most part, it ignores the doctrines, faith, and practices of Orthodox Jews, and barely touches upon synagogue hie, which is the most meaningful expression of American Orthodoxy. It is hoped that the reader will find here some appreciation of the vitality of American Orthodoxy. Earlier predictions of the demise of 11 am indebted to many people who assisted me in making this essay possible. More than 40, active in a variety of Orthodox organizations, gave freely of their time for extended discussions and interviews and many lay leaders and rabbis throughout the United States responded to a mail questionnaire. A number of people read a draft of this paper. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few by name, at the same time exonerating them of any responsibility for errors of fact or for my own judgments and interpretations. The section on modern Orthodoxy was read by Rabbi Emanuel Rackman. The sections beginning with the sectarian Orthodox to the conclusion of the paper were read by Rabbi Nathan Bulman. Criticism and comments on the entire paper were forthcoming from Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein, Dr. Marshall Ski are, and Victor Geller, without whose assistance the section on the number of Orthodox Jews could not have been written. -
Download the Full Edition
Meorot A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse (formerly Edah Journal) Marheshvan 5768 CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction to the Marheshvan 5768 Edition Eugene Korn ARTICLES Farteitcht un Farbessert (On “Correcting” Maimonides) Menachem Kellner Ethics and Warfare Revisited Gerald J. Blidstein Michael J. Broyde Women's Eligibility to Write Sifrei Torah Jen Taylor Friedman Dov Linzer Authority and Validity: Why Tanakh Requires Interpretation, and What Makes an Interpretation Legitimate? Moshe Sokolow REVIEW ESSAY Maimonides Contra Kabbalah: A Review of Maimonides’ Confrontation with Mysticism by Menachem Kellner James A. Diamond Meorot 6:2 Marheshvan 5768 A Publication of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbini cal School © 2007 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE t Meorot: A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse (formerly The Edah Journal) Statement of Purpose Meorot is a forum for discussion of Orthodox Judaism’s engagement with modernity, o published by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School. It is the conviction of Meorot that this discourse is vital to nurturing the spiritual and religious experiences of Modern Orthodox Jews. Committed to the norms of halakhah and Torah, Meorot is dedicated to free inquiry and will be ever mindful that “Truth is the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He.” r Editors Eugene Korn, Editor Nathaniel Helfgot, Associate Editor Joel Linsider, Text Editor o Editorial Board Dov Linzer (YCT Rabbinical School), Chair Michael Berger Moshe Halbertal (Israel) e Naftali Harcsztark Norma Baumel Joseph Simcha Krauss Barry Levy Adam Mintz Tamar Ross (Israel) A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse M Meorot will publish two online editions per year, and will be available periodically in hard- copy editions. -
Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council
Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council Did they conclude the Torah was not for Gentiles? ------------------------------------------------- Tim Hegg • TorahResource © 2008 TorahResource • All rights reserved • (revised from 2001 edition) “Even the Apostles admitted the Torah was a burden no one could bear!” Such a statement characterizes a common sentiment about the Torah—one based upon an equally common inter- pretation of Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council. But let us look again at Acts 15 and the decision of the Apostolic Council convened in Jerusalem. What was the issue at hand? What had brought about the need for the Council in the first place? And how should the decision of the Apostles be interpreted? What does all of this tell us about the place of the Torah among the early followers of Yeshua? The Core Issue at the Jerusalem Council The opening verses of Acts 15 give us a clear picture of the core issue around which the Jerusalem Council convened: And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circum- cised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.1 The “issue” at hand was whether or not someone who was not a Jew could be saved. To put it another way, how could a Gentile become a covenant member with Israel and share in the bless- ings of the covenant? The prevailing belief of the Judaisms in Paul’s day was that only Jews had a place in the world to come since God had made the covenant of blessing with Israel and no oth- er nation. -
1 Antisemitism Rosh Hashanah 5780 September 29, 2019 Rabbi David
Antisemitism Rosh Hashanah 5780 September 29, 2019 Rabbi David Stern Tonight marks my thirty-first High Holidays at Temple Emanu-El, a huge blessing in my life. In thirty-one years of high holiday sermons, you have been very forgiving, and I have addressed a diverse array of topics: from our internal spiritual journeys to Judaism’s call for justice in the world; relationship and forgiveness, immigration and race, prayer and faith, loving Israel and loving our neighbors; birth and death and just about everything in between in this messy, frustrating, promising, profound, sacred realm we call life. Except -- in thirty-one years as a Jewish leader, I have not given a single High Holiday sermon about antisemitism.1 References, allusions, a pointed paragraph here and there, yes. But in three decades of High Holiday sermons spanning the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries, not a single one about antisemitism. I’m hoping that doesn’t constitute professional malpractice, but it is strange. So I’ve asked myself why. Reason #1: I had almost no experience of antisemitism growing up. With one limited exception, I never even experienced name-calling, let alone any physical incident. All four of my grandparents were born in America, and our story was the classic trajectory of American Jewish integration and success. 1 Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt makes a compelling argument for this spelling. Lipstadt rejects the hyphen in the more conventional “Anti-Semitism” because it implies that whatever lies to the right of the hyphen exists as an independent entity. -
Rereading Paul on Circumcision, Torah, and the Gentiles Asha K
A Seal of Faith: Rereading Paul on Circumcision, Torah, and the Gentiles Asha K. Moorthy Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Asha K. Moorthy All rights reserved ABSTRACT A Seal of Faith: Rereading Paul on Circumcision, Torah, and the Gentiles Asha K. Moorthy It is generally held that the Apostle Paul dismissed the rite of circumcision for Gentiles. This dissertation, however, offers a different perspective. Through examination of relevant sources regarding the role of circumcision in conversion along with consideration of Philo of Alexandria’s depiction of Abraham as an exemplar of and for the proselyte, this project will suggest that Paul, in Rom 4:11‐ 12, uses the example of Abraham in order to explain the value of circumcision for Jews as well as for Gentiles. It will be argued, moreover, that Paul’s objections to circumcision, as found in Romans as well as in Galatians, Philippians, and 1 Corinthians, were not to the rite per se but rather to the notion that circumcision was necessary for entering the Abrahamic covenant, “becoming a Jew,” justification, salvation, spiritual transformation, protection or identity in Christ. A case will be made, moreover, that in Paul’s day there were two competing forms of circumcision and that Paul was opposed to the more radical procedure. Finally, divergences in Paul’s handling of the topic of circumcision in different letters will be explained through attention to particular audience concerns. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1. -
Exclusion from the Sanctuary and the City of the Sanctuary in the Temple Scroll
EXCLUSION FROM THE SANCTUARY AND THE CITY OF THE SANCTUARY IN THE TEMPLE SCROLL by LA WREN CE H. SCHIFFMAN New York University, New York, N. Y. 10012 Introduction The discovery and publication of the Temple Scroll (Yadin, 1977, 1983; abbreviated below as 11 QT) opened new vistas for the study of the history of Jewish law in the Second Commonwealth period. Immedi ately after the Hebrew edition of the scroll appeared, debate ensued about whether this scroll was to be seen as an integral part of the corpus authored by the Qumran sect, or simply as a part of its library (cf. Schiffman, 1983a, 1985c). This question was, in turn, related to the problem of whether this text reflects generally held beliefs of most Second Temple Jews, or whether its laws and sacrificial procedures represented only the views of its author(s), who were demanding a thor oughgoing revision of the sacrificial worship of the Jerusalem Temple, or, finally, whether it reflected the author's eschatological hopes. This question is crucial in regard to the laws pertaining to various classes of individuals who were to be excluded from the Temple, its city (known in the Temple Scroll as cir hammiqdiis, "the city of the sanc tuary" or "Temple city") and the other cities of Israel because of various forms of ritual impurity or other disqualifications. The editor of the scroll, Yigael Yadin, maintained that it represented a point of view substantially stricter than that of the somewhat later tannaitic sources, and that the scroll extended all prohibitions of such impurity to the entire city of Jerusalem at least. -
Converts Or Proselytes? the Crisis Over Conversion in the Early Church Andrew F
Converts or Proselytes? The Crisis over Conversion in the Early Church Andrew F. Walls he word conversion has been used in Christian history period of deep consciousness of personal sin followed by a sense Tin a multitude of ways. There have been at least two of joyous liberation dawning with realization of personal for- broad streams of usage, each with many divisions. In one stream giveness through Christ. Missionaries with this background conversion is spoken of essentially as an external act of religious expected to see a similar pattern of experience in those who came change. In this usage Christian conversion refers to movement to to Christian faith, even in societies where there had been no the Christian faith, individually or collectively, on the part of previous Christian profession. In this way, the distinction be- people previously outside it. By extension, this usage can also tween the two streams of usage—the one relating to externally indicate movement from one branch of Christian profession to recognizable adhesion to the Christian faith and the other relat- another—from Catholic to Protestant, for instance, or vice versa. ing to internal personal change—became blurred. This was not In the second stream of usage, “conversion” denotes critical the first time that such blurring occurred. There had long been internal religious change in persons within the Christian com- confusion within the first stream of usage when referring to such munity, and here the varieties of meaning raise complex issues. celebrated conversions as those of Constantine and Augustine, Sometimes “conversion” refers to subjective experience, some- where “conversion” might be used equally of their identification times to an assumed ontological change, sometimes to both.