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Download WHOLE Journal in Adobe Acrobat Format The Edah Journal A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse The Mission of Edah is to express and deepen the values of Modern Orthodoxy, educating and empowering Jews to address Modern Orthodox concerns. Fully committed to Torah, halakhah, and the quest for qedushah, Edah values open intellectual inquiry and expression in both secular and religious arenas; engagement with the social, political, and technological realities of the modern world; the religious significance of the State of Israel; and the unity of Kelal Yisrael. The Edah Journal 5:2 Edah, Inc. © 2006 Sivan 5766 The Edah Journal 5:2 / Sivan 5766 The Edah Journal A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse Statement of Purpose The Edah Journal is a forum for discussion of Orthodox Judaism’s engagement with modernity. It is Edah’s conviction that such discourse is vital to nurturing the spiritual and religious experiences of Modern Orthodox Jews. Committed to the norms of halakhah and Torah, The Edah Journal is dedicated to free inquiry and will Statement of Purpose be ever mindful that, “Truth is the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He.” Editorial Board Eugene Korn, Editor Naftali Harcsztark, Associate Editor Joel Linsider, Text Editor Moshe Halbertal (Israel) Richard Joel Norma Baumel Joseph Simcha Krauss Barry Levy Dov Linzer Tamar Ross (Israel) Directions for Submissions The Edah Journal invites submissions of original scholarly and popular essays, as well as new English translations of Hebrew works. Popular essays should be between 800-2000 words. The journal particularly welcomes halakhic, philosophic, and literary studies relating to qedushah in modern experience, the religious significance of The Edah Journal the State of Israel, Jewish ethics, emerging Torah conceptions of and opportunities for women, Talmud Torah as an intellectual and spiritual discipline, pluralism, and Judaism’s relation to gentiles and contemporary culture. The Edah Journal will publish two online editions per year, and beginning February 2005 will be available in a hard-copy edition. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent the views of Edah or the Editorial Board. Edah retains copyrights to all material published in the journal. Submissions to The Edah Journal should be sent online to [email protected], or mailed in duplicate to Editor, The Edah Journal, c/o Edah, 1501 Broadway, Suite 501, New York, N.Y. 10036. Submissions must include a one paragraph abstract and one line biography of the author. Paper submissions should be accompanied by a diskette with essay in RTF, TXT or MSWORD format. Notes should appear as footnotes. Communications should be directed to the above email address. Reader responses should be sent to the editor at [email protected] for possible electronic publication at the journal’s website. Graphic Design: Erica Weisberg Web Design: Benjamin Pequet The Edah Journal 5:2 Edah, Inc. © 2006 Technical Assistant: Josh Dubin Sivan 5766 The Edah Journal 5:2 / Sivan 5766 CONTENTS Introduction to the Sivan 5766 Edition Eugene Korn 5766/Contents A Challenge to Orthodoxy Michael H. Steinhardt Articles Sivan ‘Friendly’ Halakhah and the ‘Friendly’ Poseq Daniel Sperber Moralization in Jewish Law: Genocide, Divine Commands and Rabbinic Reasoning Eugene Korn Worlds Destroyed, Worlds Rebuilt: The Religious Thought of Yehudah Amital Alan Brill Response The Orthodox Bookshelf: A Response to Asher Lopatin Steven Greenberg The Edah Journal Review Essays Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe by Avraham Grossman Alan Yuter For the Sake of Heaven and Earth by Irving Greenberg Reuven Kimelman Review The Mystical Meaning of Lekhah Dodi and Kabbalat Shabbat by Reuven Kimelman Tsvi Blanchard The Edah Journal 5:2 Edah, Inc. © 2006 Sivan 5766 The Edah Journal 5:2 / Sivan 5766 Editor’s Introduction to the Sivan 5766 Edition Eugene Korn Welcome to the Sivan 5766 edition of The We are honored to publish Rabbi Daniel Edah Journal. The Talmud tells us that Sperber’s article, “’Friendly’ Halakhah and Shimon Bar Yochai cursed the culture of his the ‘Friendly’ Poseq.” A voluminous day, retreating into a cave to cut himself off literature already exists about halakhic from civilization and study Torah method. That library continues to grow, exclusively. He emerged with an attitude of and it is doubtful that any important future article on the topic of halakhic decision- contemptus mundi and tried to destroy all non- making can be written that does not Torah human endeavor. But the talmudic reference R. Sperber’s exhaustive and sages were spiritually healthy and rejected his magisterial study. Basing himself on a wide outlook: “The halahkah does not follow R. array of traditional sources, R. Sperber Shimon.” We have come a long way since R. Shimon—but not always for the better. A finds that contemporary pesiqah and pesaq in the areas of inter-human relations have burning question before Orthodoxy today is no longer whether to engage the outside deviated from the time-honored halakhic world, but whether Orthodoxy interacts and tradition in which compassion, sensitivity appreciates non-Orthodox Jews or isolates to suffering, leniency, independence of itself in a sectarian existence. thought and human values were material and often determining factors. In this In “A Challenge to Orthodoxy,” the philan- article, R. Sperber also limns the thropist Michael H. Steinhardt issues a personality traits and sensibilities required heartfelt plea for Orthodox leadership and for a poseq and a rabbinic leader. The Edah Journal yeshivot not to separate from the rest of the Jewish people—Kelal Ysrael. He issued his remarks at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah—“The I trace the rabbinic interpretations of the Open Yeshiva,” whose name implies that divine commandments to utterly destroy other Orthodox yeshivot are closing the Canaanite and Amalekite nations— themselves off from all people and culture including innocent women and children. that are not in lock-step with yeshiva The talmudic and rabbinic traditions Orthodoxy. If this assumption is true, understood that these biblical mitsvot interpreted literally were morally Orthodoxy needs to rethink whether it problematic, entailing both genocide and indeed takes the traditional concept of Kelal unjust warfare. The traditions took Yisrael as a serious value and still wishes to responsibility for these dangerous texts fulfill God’s covenantal challenge to and employed interpretative strategies to Abraham’s descendants to “teach tzedakah and mishpat” to the world. ensure that Jews following the halakhah would not engage in immoral behavior or Edah is committed to Kelal Yisrael, and this unjustified reasoning regarding these means we have an obligation to positive commandments. This interpretative interaction with the Orthodox community to “moralization” is what separates Jewish The Edah Journal 5:2 our religious right as well as connecting with tradition from other religious traditions Edah, Inc. © 2006 non-Orthodox Jews. For us, Kelal Yisrael is justifying immoral acts arising out of a Sivan 5766 no mere theoretical category, but a vital literal understanding of divine texts or ingredient of our religious life. divine revelation. The Edah Journal 5:2 / Sivan 5766 Continuing our series of contemporary Jewish precedents for contemporary feminist practices, rabbinic thinkers, Alan Brill explicates the religious some of which achieved explicit or implicit approval thought of R. Yehuda Amital, a unique figure in of the rabbinic leaders of those times. Yuter Israel who believes in the divine character of the concludes that for Orthodoxy to be true to its State of Israel, yet rejects any messianic principles, it must display fidelity to history and considerations in practical halakhic decisions or in normative halakhic canons, in contrast to relying on setting national policy. Professor Brill examines R. imagined assumptions about the past. Amital’s approach to the tension between halakhic and ethical values, the development of moral Reuven Kimelman offers a review essay of R. Irving sensibilities, “frumkeit” and piety, the impact of Greenberg’s, For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The historical events on religious philosophy, New Encounter between Judaism and Christianity. Long a messianism and the religious nature of the State of provocateur in Orthodoxy, Greenberg has written a Israel. Brill illuminates the sources of R. Amital’s bold new analysis of how Jews and Christians can thought that are largely unknown to American Jews. accept each other and their religions as divine Although R. Amital has not worked out a systematic complements to God’s covenantal plan for philosophy, he continues to have significant impact humanity. No longer need Jews and Christians on the next generation of Israel’s religious and regard each other as enemies whose religions can political leaders. only engage in theological duels to the death. Greenberg contends that both the Holocaust and Steven Greenberg responds to Asher Lopatin’s the State of Israel are revelational events that shatter Kislev 5765 (edition 4:2) critique of Greenberg’s many old assumptions and that demand a new book, Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the relationship between Judaism and Christianity if we Jewish World. Greenberg clarifies that he did not are to have any hope of a future better than the intend his book to be either a halakhic justification past. For Greenberg, only this new relationship can for homosexual behavior or a solution for the realize God’s plan for the Jewish people. Kimelman problems, pain and frustrations of Jews who wish to notes that many of Greenberg’s claims are stay within the bounds of Torah and the observant “penetrating in their audacity,” and yet are open to community while unable to deny their homosexual historical and philosophic questions. Still, natures. Rather, he articulated the need for Kimelman concludes that anyone struggling with Orthodox communities and leaders to understand the role of Judaism in a pluralistic world will find the existential crises of such persons and adopt treasures in the courage and power of Greenberg’s sensitive policies that do not humiliate, ignore or thinking on theology, Judaism and Christianity.
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