DOCSLIB.ORG

Final Draft Dissertation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Final Draft Dissertation UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Arbiters of the Afterlife: Olam Haba, Torah and Rabbinic Authority Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h7g2d8 Author Levy, Candice Liliane Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Arbiters of the Afterlife: Olam Haba, Torah and Rabbinic Authority A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures by Candice Liliane Levy 2013 © Copyright by Candice Liliane Levy 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Arbiters of the Afterlife: Olam Haba, Torah and Rabbinic Authority by Candice Liliane Levy Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Carol Bakhos, Chair As the primary stratum of the rabbinic corpus, the Mishna establishes a dynamic between rabbinic authority and olam haba that sets the course for all subsequent rabbinic discussions of the idea. The Mishna Sanhedrin presents the rabbis as arbiters of the afterlife, who regulate its access by excluding a set of individuals whose beliefs or practices undermine the nature of rabbinic authority and their tradition. In doing so, the Mishna evinces the foundational tenets of rabbinic Judaism and delineates the boundaries of ‘Israel’ according to the rabbis. Consequently, as arbiters of the afterlife, the rabbis constitute Israel and establish normative thought and practice in this world by means of the world to come. ii There have been surprisingly few studies on the afterlife in rabbinic literature. Many of the scholars who have undertaken to explore the afterlife in Judaism have themselves remarked upon the dearth of attention this subject has received. For the most part, scholars have sought to identify what the rabbis believed with regard to the afterlife and how they envisioned its experience, rather than why they held such beliefs or how the afterlife functioned within the rabbinic tradition. This dissertation will seek to fill the lacuna in the treatment of this topic. The central argument of this dissertation is that rabbinic discussions of olam haba can be situated within the larger discourse of rabbinic authority and that the rabbis’ purported regulation of olam haba is part of a constellation of efforts by the rabbis to assert their authority and define post-Temple Judaism. This dissertation will demonstrate the complex interplay between rabbinic authority, Torah and theodicy and the ancillary function of olam haba for each of these. My analysis of rabbinic sources will demonstrate that, whether as a means of delineating the boundaries of Israel, as a reward for Torah study or as a mechanism of theodicy, olam haba served to establish, reinforce and perpetuate rabbinic authority and the tradition of the rabbis. This dissertation approaches the afterlife with an altogether different set of questions and contends that the examination of what the rabbis sought to uphold or negate by means of olam haba and their reasons for doing so can provide essential clues about the rabbis themselves, how they constructed their tradition and how they conceived of Israel. iii This dissertation of Candice Liliane Levy is approved. Yona Sabar Aryeh Cohen William M. Schniedewind Carol Bakhos, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv I dedicate this dissertation to ז’’ל Rachel Ouaknine my beloved grandmother. May she be welcomed into olam haba with the same grace and warmth that she showed to all those who came into her home. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IX VITA XII CHAPTER ONE: “ALL ISRAEL HAS A SHARE IN THE WORLD TO COME”: UNCOVERING A DYNAMIC OF AUTHORITY 1 1.0 M. SANHEDRIN 10:1 - ALL ISRAEL HAS A SHARE IN OLAM HABA 2 1.1 ASSUMPTIONS AND QUESTIONS 2 1.2 SURVEY OF SCHOLARSHIP 7 1.3 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY OLAM HABA? 18 1.4 METHODOLOGY 22 1.5 ON AUTHORITY AND STRATEGY 31 CHAPTER 2A: THE EMERGENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE IN JUDAISM: TRACING THE LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION OF ‘OLAM 36 2.0 INTRODUCTION 37 2.1 LEXICAL STUDY: TRACING THE LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION OF ‘OLAM 37 2.1.1 ‘OLAM IN THE HEBREW BIBLE 39 2.1.2 SHIFT IN THE USE OF ‘OLAM? DANIEL AND DEUTERO-ISAIAH 41 2.1.3 PLURAL FORMS OF ‘OLAM AND ‘ALMA 42 2.1.4 ‘OLAM IN THE QUMRAN TEXTS 43 2.1.5 AION AS ‘OLAM 44 2.1.5.1 SEPTUAGINT 45 2.1.5.2 AION IN THE EXTRA-CANONICAL PARTS OF THE SEPTUAGINT 46 2.1.5.3 AION IN THE WORKS OF PHILO 47 2.1.5.4 AION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 48 2.1.6 FIRST AND SECOND ENOCH 50 2.1.7 ‘OLAM IN THE MISHNA AND TOSEFTA 52 vi 2.1.8 CONCLUSIONS 54 CHAPTER 2B: THE CONCEPTUAL EVOLUTION OF THE AFTERLIFE IN JUDAISM: INFLUENCES AND CAUSES 55 2.2 INTRODUCTION 56 2.3 INFLUENCES 2.3.1 PERSIA 57 2.3.2 GREECE 60 2.4 BEYOND INFLUENCE: CAUSES AND ADAPTATIONS OF BELIEF IN THE AFTERLIFE 63 2.4.1 EXPLAINING THE BIBLICAL SILENCE ON THE AFTERLIFE 64 2.4.2 APOCALYPTICISM, PERSECUTION AND THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 68 2.4.3 ESCHATOLOGY AT QUMRAN 72 2.4.4 PHILO AND JOSEPHUS 74 2.5 CONCLUSIONS 76 CHAPTER THREE: ARBITERS OF ‘OLAM HABA: A CLOSE READING OF M. SANHEDRIN 10:1 78 3.1 INTRODUCTION 79 3.2 THE CONTEXT OF THE MISHNA 81 3.3 RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 84 3.3.1 RESURRECTION FROM THE TORAH 90 3.4 TORAH FROM HEAVEN 92 3.5 APIKOROS 100 3.5.1 APIKOROS AS EPICUREAN 100 3.5.2 APIKOROS IN THE TALMUD 106 3.6 EXTERNAL BOOKS 110 3.7 HEALING AND DIVINE NAMES 120 3.8 CONCLUSIONS 131 CHAPTER FOUR: OLAM HABA BY MEANS OF TORAH, OR TORAH BY MEANS OF OLAM HABA 134 4.1 INTRODUCTION 135 vii 4.2 RABBINIC AUTHORITY AND ORAL TORAH 136 4.3 ASSUMING THE ROLE OF THE PROPHETS 139 4.4 FROM PRIESTS AND SACRIFICE TO RABBIS AND STUDY 145 4.5 THE IDEA OF TORAH STUDY 4.5.1 WHAT DID THE RABBIS MEAN BY TORAH STUDY? 147 4.5.2 TORAH STUDY AS OBLIGATORY 148 4.5.3 TORAH STUDY VS. DEEDS 151 4.6 THE POWER AND EFFECTS OF TORAH STUDY 156 4.7 TORAH STUDY IN OLAM HABA 159 4.8 THE TRANSFORMATIVE ABILITY OF TORAH STUDY 163 4.9 TORAH STUDY AND THE SAGES AS VEHICLES TO OLAM HABA 165 4.10 CONCLUSIONS 167 CHAPTER FIVE: OLAM HABA AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL REWARD: COVENANT, RETRIBUTION AND THEODICY 172 5.1 INTRODUCTION 173 5.2 COVENANT, RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE AND THE PROBLEM OF THEODICY 174 5.3 SIFRE DEUTERONOMY 307 AND ITS EXEGETICAL CONTEXT 177 5.4 CLOSE READING OF SIFRE DEUTERONOMY 307 5.4.1 THE PERFECTION OF CREATION 182 5.4.2 THE PERFECTION OF DIVINE JUSTICE 185 5.4.3 OLAM HABA AS A MECHANISM OF RABBINIC THEODICY 187 5.4.4 MARTYRDOM, DIVINE JUSTICE AND OLAM HABA 192 5.4.5 THE “ROCK”: RABBINIC ANXIETIES CONCERNING DIVINE JUSTICE 200 5.5 CONCLUSIONS 204 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION 206 BIBLIOGRAPHY 213 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS יהושע בן פרחיה אומר: עשה לך רב וקנה לך חבר והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות. (משנה אבות א:ו) Many a teacher and friend have contributed to the realization of this work. I have learned a great deal from both and have been the beneficiary of much goodwill throughout the process of writing this dissertation. First and foremost, I am indebted to Professor Carol Bakhos for her dedication to my work and the support and guidance that she has provided throughout my tenure at UCLA. As a scholar and a mentor, Professor Bakhos has inspired me with her generosity as well as her knowledge and pursuit of excellence. Her willingness to challenge me as well as her unrelenting encouragement and faith in my abilities enabled me grow as a scholar and achieve what, at times, seemed impossible to me. I remain eternally grateful for the interest she showed in me as a young student and the influence that she had in my decision to pursue a doctorate at UCLA. I would also like to thank the other members of my dissertation committee, Bill Schniedewind, Aryeh Cohen and Yona Sabar. I have had the distinct privilege of learning from each of these scholars and am thankful for their generosity and availability throughout this process. The knowledge that they have imparted and their helpful feedback has greatly contributed to this work and it is all the better as a result of their involvement. I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge Ra’anan Boustan who so generously lent me his time as I researched and wrote this dissertation. Though Ra’anan was not a formal member of my dissertation committee, his insight and guidance throughout this process has been instrumental and I am grateful to him for that. ix I have had the extraordinary privilege of calling Dvora Weisberg both a teacher and a friend. Whether it involved obtaining a source, discussing a passage of Talmud or sharing an insight on a text, Dvora’s willing assistance was always accompanied by a smile and words of encouragement. I am honored to be your friend and I thank your for being such a great mentor. I would also like to thank my colleague and friend, Peter Lanfer who was always forthcoming with his suggestions, advice and experience throughout my time at UCLA. His friendship has been one of the many gifts that I have been fortunate to receive as a graduate student and I will treasure the many moments that we shared over the course of these last 9 years.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sanhedrin 053.Pub
    ט"ז אלול תשעז“ Thursday, Sep 7 2017 ן נ“ג סנהדרי OVERVIEW of the Daf Distinctive INSIGHT to apply stoning to other cases גזירה שוה Strangulation for adultery (cont.) The source of the (1 ואלא מכה אביו ואמו קא קשיא ליה, למיתי ולמיגמר מאוב וידעוני R’ Yoshiya’s opinion in the Beraisa is unsuccessfully וכו ‘ ליגמרו מאשת איש, דאי אתה רשאי למושכה להחמיר עליה וכו‘ .challenged at the bottom of 53b lists אלו הן הנסקלין Stoning T he Mishnah of (2 The Mishnah later derives other cases of stoning from a many cases which are punished with stoning. R’ Zeira notes gezeirah shavah from Ov and Yidoni. R’ Zeira questions that the Torah only specifies stoning explicitly in a handful גזירה שוה of cases, while the other cases are learned using a דמיהם בם or the words מות יומתו whether it is the words Rashi states that the cases where we find . אוב וידעוני that are used to make that gezeirah shavah. from -stoning explicitly are idolatry, adultery of a betrothed maid . דמיהם בם Abaye answers that it is from the words Abaye’s explanation is defended. en, violating the Shabbos, sorcery and cursing the name of R’ Acha of Difti questions what would have bothered R’ God. Aruch LaNer points out that there are three addition- Zeira had the gezeirah shavah been made from the words al cases where we find stoning mentioned outright (i.e., sub- ,mitting one’s children to Molech, inciting others to idolatry . מות יומתו In any case, there .( בן סורר ומורה—After R’ Acha of Difti suggests and rejects a number of and an recalcitrant son גזירה possible explanations Ravina explains what was troubling R’ are several cases of stoning which are derived from the R’ Zeira asks Abaye to identify the source from which .
    [Show full text]
  • Messiah in the Siddur Table of Contents
    Teaching from Zion - Volume 30 - October 2013 - Cheshvan 5774 - Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry - Jerusalem, Israel Teaching from “...forZion out of Zion shall come forth Torah and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” -Isaiah 2:3 Messiah in the Siddur Table of Contents Messiah in the Siddur Who Brings Forth the Horn of Salvation - Joseph Shulam - 4 Amfian Gerasimov - A Righteous from Among the Nations - 8 Before All Beginnings - Ammikam Tavor - 12 May Our Eyes Behold Your Return - Elhanan Ben-Avraham - 15 The Institution of the Synagogue and Its Impact on Early Messianic Judaism - Joseph Shulam - 16 Netivyah Building Project - 24 News from Netivyah - 26 Teaching from Zion - Volume 30 - October 2013 - Cheshvan 5774 Published by Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry, Jerusalem, Israel Editor - Beth Shulam Layout - Shaul Zofef Cover Photo - Ancient Olive Tree, by Patrizio Martorana Disclaimer - The articles printed in this issue of Teaching from Zion are the sole responsibility of their authors Feel free to contact us at: [email protected], or by mail: PO Box 8043, Jerusalem 91080, ISRAEL For more information please visit our website: www.netivyah.org or search for Netivyah on Facebook A Word from the Editor Beth Shulam This issue of Teaching from Zion is Siddur is Jewish life in words. There are surface the hidden messages about the published in the fall of the year 2013. a plethora of Siddur with differences Messiah buried through the centuries. In the Jewish world, this time of year mainly based on the part of the world When we dig deep into our literature traditionally marks the beginning your ancestors are from.
    [Show full text]
  • Misreading Joseph and Aseneth (Ii)
    Assessing The Lost Gospel Part 5: Misreading Joseph and Aseneth (ii) Richard Bauckham From some of the things that Jacobovici and Wilson say about Joseph and Aseneth (JosAs) one might suppose that to read it as a ‘lost gospel’ all one needs to do is to substitute the names Jesus and Mary the Magdalene for Joseph and Aseneth. But it turns out to be much more complicated. For a start, Aseneth is the daughter of a priest of the city of On (Heliopolis) in Egypt. She lives, within the precincts of her father’s house, in a tower, which is her home, though it also bears some resemblance to a temple and includes a room where she worships all the Egyptian gods. Mary the Magdalene, on the other hand, is a Syro-Phoenician priestess. Her tower, a Phoenician-style sacred tower, is a temple to the goddess Artemis, whose priestess she is, located in Magdala in Galilee. This is explained at some length, but there is not then, as one might expect, a detailed explanation of the whole text of JosAs, explaining how it translates into a story about Jesus and Mary the Magdalene. The treatment of the text is quite selective, both within the main body of the book and in the notes that Jacobovici and Wilson add to Tony Burke’s translation of JosAs. In this part of my assessment I shall highlight just a few examples of the way Jacobovici and Wilson treat the narrative of JosAs, including both major misreadings of the text and arbitrary methods of deriving a story about Jesus and Mary the Magdalene from it.
    [Show full text]
  • Dogma, Heresy, and Classical Debates: Creating Jewish Unity in an Age of Confusion
    Dogma, Heresy, and Classical Debates: Creating Jewish Unity in an Age of Confusion Byline: Rabbi Hayyim Angel Judaism includes the basic tenets of belief in one God, divine revelation of the Torah including an Oral Law, divine providence, reward-punishment, and a messianic redemption. Although there have been debates over the precise definitions and boundaries of Jewish belief, these core beliefs have been universally accepted as part of our tradition.[1] The question for believing Jews today is, how should we relate to the overwhelming majority of contemporary Jews, who likely do not fully believe in classical Jewish beliefs? Two medieval models shed light on this question. Rambam: Dogmatic Approach Rambam insists that proper belief is essential. Whether one intentionally rejects Jewish beliefs, or is simply mistaken or uninformed, non-belief leads to one’s exclusion from the Jewish community and from the World to Come: When a person affirms all these Principles, and clarifies his faith in them, he becomes part of the Jewish People. It is a mitzvah to love him, have mercy on him, and show him all the love and brotherhood that God has instructed us to show our fellow Jews. Even if he has transgressed out of desire and the overpowering influence of his base nature, he will be punished accordingly but he will have a share in the World to Come. But one who denies any of these Principles has excluded himself from the Jewish People and denied the essence [of Judaism]. He is called a heretic, an epikoros, and “one who has cut off the seedlings.” It is a mitzvah to hate and destroy such a person, as it says (Psalms 139:21), “Those who hate You, God, I shall hate.” (Rambam, Introduction to Perek Helek) Scholars of Rambam generally explain that Rambam did not think of afterlife as a reward.
    [Show full text]
  • How Did Halacha Originate Or Did the Rabbis Tell a “Porky”?1 Definitions Written Law the Written Law Is the Torah Or Five Books of Moses
    How Did Halacha Originate or Did the Rabbis Tell a “Porky”?1 Definitions Written Law The Written Law is the Torah or Five books of Moses. Also known from the Greek as the Pentateuch. (What status is the Tanach?) Oral Law An Oral Law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or community …, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, ...2 lit. "Torah that is on the ,תורה שבעל פה) According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law mouth") represents those laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five lit. "Torah that is in writing"), but nonetheless are ,תורה שבכתב) "Books of Moses, the "Written Torah regarded by Orthodox Jews as prescriptive and co-given. This holistic Jewish code of conduct encompasses a wide swathe of rituals, worship practices, God–man and interpersonal relationships, from dietary laws to Sabbath and festival observance to marital relations, agricultural practices, and civil claims and damages. According to Jewish tradition, the Oral Torah was passed down orally in an unbroken chain from generation to generation of leaders of the people until its contents were finally committed to writing following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when Jewish civilization was faced with an existential threat.3 Halacha • all the rules, customs, practices, and traditional laws. (Lauterbach) • the collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the Written and Oral Torah. (Wikipedia) • Lit. the path that one walks. Jewish law. The complete body of rules and practices that Jews are bound to follow, including biblical commandments, commandments instituted by the rabbis, and binding customs.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Targum Song of Songs and Midrash Rabbah Song of Songs
    THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TARGUM SONG OF SONGS AND MIDRASH RABBAH SONG OF SONGS Volume I of II A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2010 PENELOPE ROBIN JUNKERMANN SCHOOL OF ARTS, HISTORIES, AND CULTURES TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME ONE TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................................ 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. 2 ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. 6 DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ 7 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ....................................................................................... 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DEDICATION ............................................................... 9 CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 11 1.1 The Research Question: Targum Song and Song Rabbah ......................... 11 1.2 The Traditional View of the Relationship of Targum and Midrash ........... 11 1.2.1 Targum Depends on Midrash .............................................................. 11 1.2.2 Reasons for Postulating Dependency .................................................. 14 1.2.2.1 Ambivalence of Rabbinic Sources Towards Bible Translation .... 14 1.2.2.2 The Traditional
    [Show full text]
  • “Cliff Notes” 2021-2022 5781-5782
    Jewish Day School “Cliff Notes” 2021-2022 5781-5782 A quick run-down with need-to-know info on: • Jewish holidays • Jewish language • Jewish terms related to prayer service SOURCES WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOOKLET WAS TAKEN FROM: • www.interfaithfamily.com • Living a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant with Howard Cooper FOR MORE LEARNING, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES: • www.reformjudaism.org • www.myjewishlearning.com • Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin • The Jewish Book of Why by Alfred J. Kolatch • The Jewish Home by Daniel B. Syme • Judaism for Dummies by Rabbi Ted Falcon and David Blatner Table of Contents ABOUT THE CALENDAR 5 JEWISH HOLIDAYS Rosh haShanah 6 Yom Kippur 7 Sukkot 8 Simchat Torah 9 Chanukah 10 Tu B’Shevat 11 Purim 12 Pesach (Passover) 13 Yom haShoah 14 Yom haAtzmaut 15 Shavuot 16 Tisha B’Av 17 Shabbat 18 TERMS TO KNOW A TO Z 20 About the calendar... JEWISH TIME- For over 2,000 years, Jews have juggled two calendars. According to the secular calendar, the date changes at midnight, the week begins on Sunday, and the year starts in the winter. According to the Hebrew calendar, the day begins at sunset, the week begins on Saturday night, and the new year is celebrated in the fall. The secular, or Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar, based on the fact that it takes 365.25 days for the earth to circle the sun. With only 365 days in a year, after four years an extra day is added to February and there is a leap year.
    [Show full text]
  • Wage Theft and Consumer Boycotts -למען נחדל מעשק ידינו
    Wage Theft and Consumer Boycotts -למען נחדל מעשק ידינו Morris Panitz, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies Introduction: The Consumer Boycott as a Resistance Strategy Consumer boycotts are a resistance strategy that draws heavily on the foundational principles of civil disobedience.1 An individual engaged in an act of civil disobedience “seeks not only to convey her disavowal and condemnation of a certain law or policy, but also to draw public attention to this particular issue and thereby to instigate a change in law or policy.”2 The public sphere serves as the ideal forum for civil disobedience for two reasons. First, the target of the direct action is forced to confront the issue under the scrutiny of the public eye, thereby raising the stakes for how the issue is dealt with. Ideally, the public will hold the target accountable for its response to the act of civil disobedience. Second, the calculation on the part of the target of whether or not to meet the demands of the protestors is partially determined by the following generated by the act of civil disobedience. Thus, the public sphere helps attract further support to instigate a change in law or policy. Consumer boycott campaigns are “where citizens act collectively and use their purchasing power to achieve economic, social or political objectives….Consumers can use their purchasing power as a kind of vote that is capable, among other things, of educating corporate 1 I am grateful to Rabbis Elliot Dorff and Aryeh Cohen for their thoughtful teaching and editorial remarks that shaped the development of this essay.
    [Show full text]
  • Mishnah: the New Scripture Territories in the East
    176 FROM TEXT TO TRADITION in this period was virtually unfettered. The latter restriction seems to have been often compromised. Under the Severan dynasty (193-225 C.E.) Jewish fortunes improved with the granting of a variety of legal privileges culminating in full Roman citizenship for Jews. The enjoyment of these privileges and the peace which Jewry enjoyed in the Roman Empire were·· interrupted only by the invasions by the barbarians in the West 10 and the instability and economic decline they caused throughout the empire, and by the Parthian incursions against Roman Mishnah: The New Scripture territories in the East. The latter years of Roman rule, in the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba Revolt and on the verge of the Christianization of the empire, were extremely fertile ones for the development of . The period beginning with the destruction (or rather, with the Judaism. It was in this period that tannaitic Judaism came to its restoration in approximately 80 C.E.) saw a fundamental change final stages, and that the work of gathering its intellectual in Jewish study and learning. This was the era in which the heritage, the Mishnah, into a redacted collection began. All the Mishnah was being compiled and in which many other tannaitic suffering and the fervent yearnings for redemption had culmi­ traditions were taking shape. The fundamental change was that nated not in a messianic state, but in a collection of traditions the oral Torah gradually evolved into a fixed corpus of its own which set forth the dreams and aspirations for the perfect which eventually replaced the written Torah as the main object holiness that state was to engender.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greatest Mirror: Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha
    The Greatest Mirror Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha Andrei A. Orlov On the cover: The Baleful Head, by Edward Burne-Jones. Oil on canvas, dated 1886– 1887. Courtesy of Art Resource. Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2017 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production, Dana Foote Marketing, Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Orlov, Andrei A., 1960– author. Title: The greatest mirror : heavenly counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha / Andrei A. Orlov. Description: Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016052228 (print) | LCCN 2016053193 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438466910 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438466927 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Apocryphal books (Old Testament)—Criticism, interpretation, etc. Classification: LCC BS1700 .O775 2017 (print) | LCC BS1700 (ebook) | DDC 229/.9106—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052228 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For April DeConick . in the season when my body was completed in its maturity, there imme- diately flew down and appeared before me that most beautiful and greatest mirror-image of myself.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservative Judaism 101: a Primer for New Members
    CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM 101© A Primer for New Members (And Practically Everyone Else!) By Ed Rudofsky © 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Table of Contents Page Introduction & Acknowledgements ii About the Author iii Chapter One: The Early Days 1 Chapter Two: Solomon Schechter; the Founding of The United Synagogue of America and the Rabbinical Assembly; Reconstructionism; and the Golden Age of Conservative Judaism 2 Chapter Three: The Organization and Governance of the Conservative Movement 6 Chapter Four: The Revised Standards for Congregational Practice 9 Chapter Five: The ―Gay & Lesbian Teshuvot‖ of 2006 14 Introduction – The Halakhic Process 14 Section I – Recent Historical Context for the 2006 Teshuvot 16 Section II – The 2006 Teshuvot 18 Chapter Six: Intermarriage & The Keruv/Edud Initiative 20 Introduction - The Challenge of Intermarriage 20 Section I – Contemporary Halakhah of Intermarriage 22 Section II – The Keruv/Edud Initiative & Al HaDerekh 24 Section III – The LCCJ Position 26 Epilogue: Emet Ve’Emunah & The Sacred Cluster 31 Sources 34 i Addenda: The Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism A-1 The Sacred Cluster: The Core Values of Conservative Judaism A-48 ii Introduction & Acknowledgements Conservative Judaism 101: A Primer For New Members (And Practically Everyone Else!) originally appeared in 2008 and 2009 as a series of articles in Ha- Hodesh, the monthly Bulletin of South Huntington Jewish Center, of Melville, New York, a United Synagogue-affiliated congregation to which I have proudly belonged for nearly twenty-five (25) years. It grew out of my perception that most new members of the congregation knew little, if anything, of the history and governance of the Conservative Movement, and had virtually no context or framework within which to understand the Movement‘s current positions on such sensitive issues as the role of gay and lesbian Jews and intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews.
    [Show full text]
  • Yuhara When There Is a Halachic Imperative 1. If One Is Doing A
    Yuhara when there is a Halachic Imperative 1. If one is doing a certain practice because one got a certain pesak from one’s rav or because it is to fulfill the basic halacha, it isn’t considered yuhara even if it isn’t the minhag. 1 Nonetheless one can only do so with the intent for the mitzvah and not to be arrogant.2 For example, according to Rav Schachter, it isn’t yuhara to wear techelet in a place that the minhag is not to because the primary halacha requires it. 3 2. If it is accepted in your place that some people do this midat chasidut, then it isn’t considered yuhara. 4 3. If someone is known for his chasidut, then it isn’t yuhara to do so for the sake of heaven. 5 1. The Mordechai (Brachot n. 1) writes that since points out that today there's no yuhara to do this Rabbenu Tam held that if one said Shema after since some people have the minhag to do it. Plag Hamincha one fulfilled his obligation if one Chida (Chaim Shaal 1) and Shulchan Aruch does repeat it later it appears as yuhara. Bet Hamidot v. 1 p. 128 agree. However, Shvut Yakov Yosef 235:1 argues that it isn’t yuhara to repeat 2:44 argues that there is yuhara to wear Rabbenu Shema since according to many rishonim one Tam tefillin even if some people do it unless most didn't fulfill one's mitzvah. This is also his opinion do it.
    [Show full text]