Asceticism in Scripture and in Qumran and Rabbinic Literatures
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The Nonverbal Language of Prayer
Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum Edited by Martin Hengel and Peter Schäfer 105 Uri Ehrlich The Nonverbal Language of Prayer A New Approach to Jewish Liturgy Translated by Dena Ordan Mohr Siebeck Uri Ehrlich: Born 1956; 1994 Ph.D. in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Senior lecturer, Department of Jewish Thought, Ben-Gurion University. ISBN 3-16-148150-X ISSN 0721-8753 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism) Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; de- tailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de. © 2004 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. Authorised English translation of "n:-ßxn 'ra^a © 1999 by Hebrew University Magnes Press, Jerusalem. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed by Guide-Druck in Tübingen on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. In memory of my grandparents Martha and Arthur Dernburg Preface to the English Edition Prayer has many names: tefillah (petition), tehinah (beseeching), le'akah (shouting), ze'akah (cry), shavah (cry for help), renanah (cry of prayer), pegi'ah (plea), nefilah (falling down); amidah (standing). (Tanhuma, Va-ethanan 3) This midrash highlights the multidimensional nature of the Prayer and names a variety of expressive means alongside the Prayer's verbal aspect. It is this book's aim to portray the nonverbal components of the Prayer - physical gestures, attire, and vocality - and to demonstrate their impor- tance for, and integrality to, the prayer-act. -
Texts and Traditions
Texts and Traditions A Source Reader for the Study of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism COMPILED, EDITED, AND INTRODUCED BY Lawrence H. Schiffinan KTAV PUBLISHING HOUSE, INC. 1998 518 Texts and Traditions Chapter 10: Mishnah: The New Scripture 519 tory only those observances which are in the written word, but need not ancient customs. For customs are unwritten laws, the decisions approved observe those which are derived from the tradition of our forefathers. by ~en of old, not inscribed on monuments nor on leaves of paper which the moth destroys, but on the souls of those who are partners in 10.2.2 Philo, The Special Laws IV, 143-150: 40 the. same c~tizenship. For children ought to inherit from their parents, Written and Unwritten Law besides their property, ancestral customs which they were reared in and Philo discusses both the immortality of the written law} and the obligation have lived with even from the cradle, and not despise them because they of observing the customs, the unwritten law. Although the Greek world had a h~ve been handed down without written record. Praise cannot be duly concept of unwritten law, Philo's view is clearly informed by Jewish tradition given to one who obeys the written laws, since he acts under the admoni and by the Pharisaic concept of tradition. tion of restraint ~nd the fear of punishment. But he who faithfully observes the unwritten deserves commendation, since the virtue which he ~ displays is freely willed. Another most admirable injunction is that nothing should be added or 10.2.3 Mark 7: The Pharisees and Purity taken away,41 but all the laws originally ordained should be kept unaltered just as. -
Parshat Naso 5/18/2013
PARSHAT NASO MAY 18, 2013 RABBI VERNON KURTZ The following story is told in Leviticus Rabbah as well as the Jerusalem Talmud: Rabbi Meir used to deliver discourses on Shabbat evenings. There was a woman there in the habit of listening to him. Once the discourse lasted a long time, and she waited until the Rabbi was finished. She went home and found her husband waiting for her. “Where have you been?” he asked. She answered: “I was sitting listening to the voice of the preacher.” He then said to her: “I swear I will not let you enter here until you go and spit in the face of that preacher.” The story goes on to say that she stayed away for three weeks from Rabbi Meir’s discourses. Her neighbors convinced her to go back to listen to him once more. As soon as Rabbi Meir saw them, he saw by the means of the Holy Spirit what had happened and said: “Is there a woman among you clever at whispering a charm over an eye?” The woman’s neighbor said to her: “If you go and spit in his eye you will release your husband from his vow.” She approached Rabbi Meir but was frightened. He said to her: “Spit in my face seven times and I will be cured.” She did so, and he said to her: “Go tell your husband: You told me to do it once, and I spat seven times.” The story tells us that Rabbi Meir’s students were upset with their teacher. -
Book Reviews ∵
Journal for the Study of Judaism 49 (2018) 143-151 Journal for the Study of Judaism brill.com/jsj Book Reviews ∵ Paul M. Mandel The Origins of Midrash: From Teaching to Text. Leiden-Boston, Brill 2017. Pp. xviii + 405; € 147. ISBN 9789004153141. Mandel introduces his book with the famous quote from Simeon ben Gamliel in Pirke Avot 1:17: “Not midrash is the essence, but deeds.” Nevertheless, the es- sence of the presently reviewed book is undoubtedly midrash. The opposition is not so much between “midrash” and “deeds” as between “what we always thought and taught about midrash” and “what Mandel now comes to teach us about the meaning of the term midrash.” That is: its original meaning. Indeed, this book deals with the meaning of the terms midrash and darash, as well as hakham and related titles, such as sofer, used for the practitioners of midrash. Since Isaac Heinemann, Chanoch Albeck, and the other authorities in Jewish Studies in the beginning of the twentieth century, the consensus about the terms midrash and darash is that they refer to the interpretation of Scripture and the derivation of teachings from this. In more recent scholar- ship, this is often specified to refer to multiple interpretations of an “open” text. The latter would be the core activity of the hakhamim, the Sages. And this would ultimately go back to the Second Temple period, starting with Ezra’s “searching” (lidrosh, Ezra 7:10) of the Law. Also in Qumran, and in the circles of the Pharisees—traditionally conceived as the predecessors of the Sages— biblical interpretation is said to have been the core activity designated with the term darash, or in Greek translation exegeisis. -
Rabbi and His Lineage
Rabbi and His Lineage. Historians have been puzzled by the change of style of leadership of Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi in regard with the leadership of his predecessors. In many aspects his leadership is indeed very different from that of his predecessors. -Contrary to them, Rabbi is rich, even very rich according to some Talmudic records.1 He has the means to support people during crisis periods.2 This situation contrasts strongly with that of his predecessors. Rabban Gamliel II traveled through Palestine on a donkey accompanied by his disciple Rabbi Ilayi who walked. This proves the simplicity of Rabban Gamliel II and gives an idea of his style of life and probably of his financial means.3 -Rabbi seems to enjoy recognition by the Roman authorities.4 On the contrary, Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel II and the whole institution of the Academy were suspected of plotting in the eyes of the Romans. -His leadership is marked by a lordly manner and a regal ceremonial. and they punish recalcitrant who don’t accept his judicial 5(קצוצי He has guards (eunuchs- decisions.6 - Existence of a patriarch’s court constituted by the sages close to him; they eat at his table.7 They dispute his favor and fight to get precedence.8 -Use of the title of nasi instead of Rabban used by his predecessors.9 -Increased authoritarianism 1. Monopole of the ordinations.10 2. Monopole of the nominations.11 3. Nomination for short terms.12 4. Rigid authority on the students13 and the Rabbis.14 5. Supervision of the communities and nominations of their Rabbis.15 6. -
Wisdom in the Time of Corona: Reflections for 5781
WISDOM IN THE TIME OF CORONA: REFLECTIONS FOR 5781 1 WISDOM IN THE TIME OF CORONA: REFLECTIONS FOR 5781 As we prepare to celebrate the High Holidays, we're delighted to share an anthology of teachings given at our virtual UJA Community Pre-Shabbat Gatherings. We're grateful to all of the wonderful leaders who participated in this series from March to July, which brought teachers and listeners of all denominations and backgrounds to learn together. Here you’ll find a sampling of the beautiful Torah and lessons that were shared over these past few months, covering an array of ideas. We hope you find meaning in the essays that follow, and that they continue to inspire hope, growth, and reflection during this time. As Rabbi Creditor movingly articulated at one of our pre-Shabbat gatherings: “We’ve gained lessons in the preciousness of unity, the vitality of keeping an open imagination so that we can come together as a community again. May we be blessed as we take these steps to learn well from each other, and maybe to record what we are learning so that we can move forward having internalized these lessons and pass them on to generations to come.” You can view recordings of each week’s program featuring these and additional teachers on UJA’s Facebook page. Shanah tovah. CONTENTS FINDING MEANING Clocks and Clouds: Navigating Uncertainty by Dr. Erica Brown ........................................... 1 Skin as a Divider and a Connector by Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky ........................................ 2 Give me Yavne: Judaism in Times of Destruction by Rabbi Joy Levitt .................................. -
The Confidentiality Rule: a Philosophical Perspective with Reference to Jewish Law and Ethics, 13 Fordham Urb
Fordham Urban Law Journal Volume 13 | Number 1 Article 4 1985 The onfideC ntiality Rule: A Philosophical Perspective with Reference to Jewish Law and Ethics Gordon Tucker Jewish Theological Seminary of America Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ulj Part of the Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons Recommended Citation Gordon Tucker, The Confidentiality Rule: A Philosophical Perspective with Reference to Jewish Law and Ethics, 13 Fordham Urb. L.J. 99 (1985). Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ulj/vol13/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by FLASH: The orF dham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fordham Urban Law Journal by an authorized editor of FLASH: The orF dham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE CONFIDENTIALITY RULE: A PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE WITH REFERENCE TO JEWISH LAW AND ETHICS Gordon Tucker* I. Introduction The Model Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers (Rules) were adopted in 1983 by the American Bar Association (ABA).' Rule 1.6, one of the more controversial components of the Rules, treats the subject of confidentiality between a client and his attorney. 2 The controversy over Rule 1.6 centers on its failure to resolve the conflict among the competing values of the individual's right to counsel, the interest of society in a fair and accessible system of justice and the need to preserve social order and citizen security. When competing values represent important social and individual interests, as in the case of Rule 1.6, a solution is particularly difficult to achieve. -
Does Ariel Sharon Consult His Rabbi? How Israeli Responses to Terrorism Are Justified Under Jewish Law
Does Ariel Sharon Consult His Rabbi? How Israeli Responses To Terrorism Are Justified Under Jewish Law. David Rosen Emory University School of Law Jewish Law March 5, 2003 Does Ariel Sharon Consult His Rabbi? How Israeli Responses to Terrorism are Justifiable under Jewish Law TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ 1 A. Background of Terrorist Attacks and Responses in Israel ................................ ............... 2 B. Defining Terrorism................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 5 II. Responding to Terrorism as an Act of War ................................ .............. 6 A. Is Terrorism An Act of War................................ ................................ ........................... 6 1. Type of War................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 7 2. Required Procedures of War................................ ................................ ....................... 8 3. Authority to Engage in War................................ ................................ ...................... 10 4. Limitations on Going to War................................ ................................ .................... 12 B. Governmental Responses to Terrorism as an Act of War................................ .............. 13 1. Obligations of Israel to Respond to Terrorism................................ .......................... -
INTRODUCTIONS Introduction to Talmudic Literature
INTRODUCTIONS Introduction to Talmudic Literature Historical Background We have very little detailed information on the religious life of the Jewish people between the conquest of the Land under Joshua and the Babylonian exile. From the complaints of the prophets, we see that Baal rituals were widely followed. These rituals were of a magical nature and their object was the prevention of crop failures that would imperil survival of individuals and communities. Since the prophets do not in general complain about neglect of Jewish ceremonial law, it is very likely that Jewish ritual was scrupulously followed even by Baal worshippers. The complete elimination of polytheistic tendencies from the body of Jewish practices after the Babylonian exile may be attributed to the experience of the disaster of the destruction of Jerusalem but also to the fact that, both in Babylonia and in the resettled Persian province of Yehud (after 515 B.C.E.), the Jews were part of a great empire with government roads where in case of crop failure in one province, relief could be brought in from the outside, so crop failure was no longer a matter of life and death. The reports in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah on the organization of the new Jewish commonwealth stress the reestablishment of religious rituals, and the basic features of what today is called "rabbinic Judaism" 2 INTRODUCTIONS stem from this period. For the first three hundred years of this development, our sources are very scanty. At that period also, the majority of Jews were still living in Babylonia and of their history extremely little is known, nothing at all of their intellectual history besides the fact that a thriving Jewish community persisted there in the middle of a sea of Gentiles. -
Volume 9, Number 1, May 2014
he Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR) was founded in 1956 – over 50 years ago. For much of that time it remained a precious secret of the Jewish world. It could boast of an out- Tstanding faculty and a dedicated student body. But for as long as the denominational approach to Judaism was considered to be the best way to promote Judaism, the vision of the Academy for Jewish Religion was neglected. The Academy was truly ahead of its time. Now the Jewish community is undergoing an historic change. The idea of pluralism and trans-denom- inationalism is now being recognized. While the movements continue to serve large segments of the community, there are increasing numbers of Jews, congregations, institutions and communities that are not or cannot be served by any one movement. The vision of a new, creative, and inclusive approach to Judaism and the Jewish community has begun to inspire many of today’s seekers. It is the Academy that has carried forth the banner for this vision all these years. Now there are a number of inter-denominational seminaries. The Academy for Jewish Religion applauds the flourishing of pluralistic approaches to Judaism and is proud of its role in fostering such growth. AJR is pledged to respect the dignity of every person, for each of us is created in the Divine Image. We welcome students, faculty and staff, irrespective of age, gender, learning style or sexual orientation. Contributors Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, Executive Vice-President and Academic Dean at the Academy for Jewish Religion. Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky, Rabbinics Curriculum Coordinator at the Academy for Jewish Religion. -
The Targum of Zephaniah Studies in the Aramaic Interpretation of Scripture
The Targum of Zephaniah Studies in the Aramaic Interpretation of Scripture Managing Editor Paul V.M. Flesher University of Wyoming Editorial Board Bruce Chilton Bard College Willem Smelik University College, London Johannes C. de Moor Theological University, Kampen Moshe Bernstein Yeshiva University Josep Ribera University of Barcelona VOLUME 7 The Targum of Zephaniah Manuscripts and Commentary By Ahuva Ho LEIDEN • BOSTON 2009 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ho, Ahuva, 1943- The targum of Zephaniah : manuscripts and commentary / by Ahuva Ho. p. cm. — (Studies in the Aramaic interpretation of Scripture, ISSN 1570-1336 ; v. 7) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-17180-0 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T. Zephaniah. Aramaic—Versions—Targum Jonathan. 2. Bible. O.T. Zephaniah—Criticism, interpretation, etc., Jewish. I. Title. II. Series. BS1645.52.H62 2009 224’.96042—dc22 2008048749 ISSN: 1570-1336 ISBN: 978 90 04 17180 0 Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. -
Jews and Hellenistic Cities in Eretz-Israel
Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum herausgegeben von Martin Hengel und Peter Schäfer 21 Jews and Hellenistic Cities in Eretz-Israel Relations of the Jews in Eretz-Israel with the Hellenistic Cities during the Second Temple Period (332 BCE-70 CE) by Aryeh Kasher ART I BUS J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck) Tubingen CIP-Titelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek Kasher, Aryeh: Jews and Hellenistic cities in Eretz-Israel : relations of the Jews in Eretz-Israel with the Hellenistic cities during the second temple period (332 BCE - 70 CE) / by Aryeh Kasher. — Tübingen : Mohr, 1990 (Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum ; 21) ISBN 3-16-145241-0 ISSN 0721-8753 NE: GT © 1990 J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck) P.O. Box 2040, D-7400 Tübingen. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was typeset by Sam Boyd Enterprise in Singapore, printed by Guide-Druck in Tü- bingen on non-aging paper by Gebr. Buhl in Ettlingen and bound by Heinr. Koch in Tü- bingen. Graphic work by Peter Schweitrieg in Stuttgart. Printed in Germany. Dedicateci to my wife Tamar Foreword Eretz-Israel has never been inhabited in the entirety by a single nation, even during those periods when most of its land area was under Jewish sovereignty, as in the days of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel in Biblical times, or under the Hasmonaean kings in Second Temple days.