The "Torah -1M-Derekh-Eretz" of Samson Raphael Hirsch
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Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence
City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 'Like Iron to a Magnet': Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence David Sclar Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/380 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence By David Sclar A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 David Sclar All Rights Reserved This Manuscript has been read and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the Dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Prof. Jane S. Gerber _______________ ____________________________________ Date Chair of the Examining Committee Prof. Helena Rosenblatt _______________ ____________________________________ Date Executive Officer Prof. Francesca Bregoli _______________________________________ Prof. Elisheva Carlebach ________________________________________ Prof. Robert Seltzer ________________________________________ Prof. David Sorkin ________________________________________ Supervisory Committee iii Abstract “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence by David Sclar Advisor: Prof. Jane S. Gerber This dissertation is a biographical study of Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746 or 1747). It presents the social and religious context in which Luzzatto was variously celebrated as the leader of a kabbalistic-messianic confraternity in Padua, condemned as a deviant threat by rabbis in Venice and central and eastern Europe, and accepted by the Portuguese Jewish community after relocating to Amsterdam. -
SHABBETAI TZVI the Biggest Hoax in Jewish History Nathan the Prophet and Tzvi the Messiah
1 SHABBETAI TZVI The Biggest Hoax in Jewish History While faith in the coming of the messiah is a linchpin of Judaism, Jews have traditionally taken a patient, quiet approach to their messianic beliefs. Since the devastation wreaked by false messiah Bar Kochba and his rebellion against the Romans, and the centuries of persecution caused by another messianic movement — Christianity — Jews have been understandably suspicious about anyone’s claim to be God’s anointed. The rabbis of the Talmud went so far as to introduce specific prohibitions against messianic agitation, instituting the “three oaths” which prohibited any attempt to “force the end” by bringing the messiah before his allotted time (Babylonian Talmud. Yet in the mid-17th century, belief in the false messiah Shabbetai Tzvi spread like wildfire throughout the Jewish world, sweeping up entire communities and creating a crisis of faith unprecedented in Jewish history. Shabbetai Tzvi was said to be born on the 9th of Av in 1626, to a wealthy family of merchants in Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey). He received a thorough Talmudic education and, still in his teens, was ordained as a hakham — a member of the rabbinic elite. However, Shabbetai Tzvi was interested less in Talmud than in Jewish mysticism. Starting in his late teens he studied kabbalah, attracting a group of followers whom he initiated into the secrets of the mystical tradition. Shabbetai Tzvi battled with what might now be diagnosed as severe bipolar disorder. He understood his condition in religious terms, experiencing his manic phases as moments of “illumination” and his times of depression as periods of “fall,” when God’s face was hidden from him. -
Yeshiva University AP Style Guide
Yeshiva University Style Guide Members of Yeshiva University’s office of Marketing & Communications produces multi- media materials for distribution to employees, external media and multiple constituencies such as alumni, donors and community leaders. Marketing & Communications, and others in the University producing such materials, should adhere to journalistic style standards as outlined by The Associated Press (AP) in The Associated Press Stylebook with special attention given to the unique needs of universities—specifically those relating to our own Yeshiva University community. The following style guidelines specifically address branding consistency; quality; personality; tone; and key messages for Yeshiva University and may be exceptions to AP style that should be practiced in all mediums. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the preferred reference for English spelling and punctuation. It can be searched online (for free) at: www.merriam-webster.com. Academic Degrees Use the possessive (’s) for bachelor’s degree and master’s degree but not with associate degree. There is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science (note the use of upper case). When abbreviating degrees, do not use periods, e.g. BA, JD, PhD, LLM, but set multiples off by commas. Do not capitalize majors, programs, specializations or concentrations of study when they are not part of an official department name or title. (NOTE: the exception is for English and foreign languages). When referring to the conferral of a degree, do not include “doctoral” or the word “recipients” for multiple awards. Examples: She received a bachelor's degree in history; She majored in economics; He is a French major; Governor Cuomo received an honorary degree from Yeshiva University; Honorary degrees were awarded to Governor Cuomo and Elliot Gibber. -
Hirsch on Chanukah*
RABBI SAMSON RAFAEL HIRSCH ON CHANUKAH* Excerpted by Rabbi Moshe ben Asher, Ph.D. Originally vfubj [Chanukah] belonged to a se- the pleasure derived from the awareness of a nobler ries of festive days listed in Megillath Taanith. existence. These days conveyed recollections of blissful Hellenistic culture is a protector of rights and events that proclaimed the invisible yet open inter- freedom. These concepts, however, are applied vention of God’s almighty rule for the preservation only to those who are educated; they are subject to of the people and the Law. an arrogance that claims that the rights of human The silent beam of friendly lights relates the beings begin only after they have attained a certain victory of light over darkness and tells of the level of culture. Therefore, sensitivity and concern “pure” Menorah’s rescue from the clutches of regarding one’s own self, and those close to one- Greek corruption. Chanukah recounts the rededica- self, are paired with an enormous callousness, with tion of the Sanctuary, which had been despoiled by an utmost cruelty, which assumes that the inferior the Greeks. The celebration of the eight-day Feast “uneducated masses” lack genuine feelings of of Light recalls the victorious survival of the Sanc- honor or a sensitivity for freedom or human rights. tuary, not the courage of the Maccabees. It does not Attica, so vainglorious about its rights and liberties, commemorate the liberation of the Jewish home- saw no contradiction in the fact that three-quarters land from the grip of enemy hands; it hails the of its inhabitants lived in servitude and slavery. -
Readings on the Encounter Between Jewish Thought and Early Modern Science
HISTORY 449 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA W 3:30pm-6:30 pm Fall, 2016 GOD AND NATURE: READINGS ON THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN JEWISH THOUGHT AND EARLY MODERN SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR: David B. Ruderman OFFICE HRS: M 3:30-4:30 pm;W 1:00-2:00 OFFICE: 306b College Hall Email: [email protected] SOME GENERAL WORKS ON THE SUBJECT: Y. Tzvi Langerman, "Jewish Science", Dictionary of the Middle Ages, 11:89-94 Y. Tzvi Langerman, The Jews and the Sciences in the Middle Ages, 1999 A. Neher, "Copernicus in the Hebraic Literature from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century," Journal History of Ideas 38 (1977): 211-26 A. Neher, Jewish Thought and the Scientific Revolution of the Sixteenth Century: David Gans (1541-1613) and His Times, l986 H. Levine, "Paradise not Surrendered: Jewish Reactions to Copernicus and the Growth of Modern Science" in R.S. Cohen and M.W. Wartofsky, eds. Epistemology, Methodology, and the Social Sciences (Boston, l983), pp. 203-25 H. Levine, "Science," in Contemporary Jewish Religious Thought, eds. A. Cohen and P. Mendes-Flohr, l987, pp. 855-61 M. Panitz, "New Heavens and a New Earth: Seventeenth- to Nineteenth-Century Jewish Responses to the New Astronomy," Conservative Judaism, 40 (l987-88); 28-42 D. Ruderman, Kabbalah, Magic, and Science: The Cultural Universe of a Sixteenth- Century Jewish Physician, l988 D. Ruderman, Science, Medicine, and Jewish Culture in Early Modern Europe, Spiegel Lectures in European Jewish History, 7, l987 D. Ruderman, Jewish Thought and Scientific Discovery in Early Modern Europe, 1995, 2001 D. Ruderman, Jewish Enlightenment in an English Key: Anglo-Jewry’s Construction of Modern Jewish Thought, 2000 D. -
Noahidism Or B'nai Noah—Sons of Noah—Refers To, Arguably, a Family
Noahidism or B’nai Noah—sons of Noah—refers to, arguably, a family of watered–down versions of Orthodox Judaism. A majority of Orthodox Jews, and most members of the broad spectrum of Jewish movements overall, do not proselytize or, borrowing Christian terminology, “evangelize” or “witness.” In the U.S., an even larger number of Jews, as with this writer’s own family of orientation or origin, never affiliated with any Jewish movement. Noahidism may have given some groups of Orthodox Jews a method, arguably an excuse, to bypass the custom of nonconversion. Those Orthodox Jews are, in any event, simply breaking with convention, not with a scriptural ordinance. Although Noahidism is based ,MP3], Tạləmūḏ]תַּלְמּוד ,upon the Talmud (Hebrew “instruction”), not the Bible, the text itself does not explicitly call for a Noahidism per se. Numerous commandments supposedly mandated for the sons of Noah or heathen are considered within the context of a rabbinical conversation. Two only partially overlapping enumerations of seven “precepts” are provided. Furthermore, additional precepts, not incorporated into either list, are mentioned. The frequently referenced “seven laws of the sons of Noah” are, therefore, misleading and, indeed, arithmetically incorrect. By my count, precisely a dozen are specified. Although I, honestly, fail to understand why individuals would self–identify with a faith which labels them as “heathen,” that is their business, not mine. The translations will follow a series of quotations pertinent to this monotheistic and ,MP3], tạləmūḏiy]תַּלְמּודִ י ,talmudic (Hebrew “instructive”) new religious movement (NRM). Indeed, the first passage quoted below was excerpted from the translated source text for Noahidism: Our Rabbis taught: [Any man that curseth his God, shall bear his sin. -
B”H Introduction in Our First Article on the AOJS, We Explored Interactions
B”H Introduction In our first article on the AOJS, we explored interactions between Rebbe and Dr. Offenbacher — its founder. In this article, we will make note of additional interactions the Rebbe had with the AOJS. While the full story of the relationship between the Rebbe and AOJS is worthy of a more detailed study, we will focus here on a few specific interactions. Dr. Cyril Domb Professor Dr. Cyril (Yechiel) Domb (5681-5772) was born in North London, England, into a Chasidic Jewish family. He was deeply affected and inspired by his grandparents who were deeply religious Jews. He, in turn, retained this deep religious feeling, was meticulous in his observance of the Mitzvos — which always took precedence over activities for professional advancement1— and spent much of his free time devoted to Talmudic studies (including attending a daily Daf Yomi Shiur). Dr. Domb led a long and fruitful career in the study of Theoretical physics and statistical mechanics, lecturing at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, King’s College, London University, Bar-Ilan University, University of Maryland, Yeshiva University, Hebrew University, Jerusalem College of Technology and the Weizmann Institute. Shortly before making aliyah to Israel, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. After encountering AOJS members in 5718, during a sabbatical year at the University of Maryland2, he helped found and lead a sister organization of the AOJS in London, in 57223. In 1971, Domb became the general editor of a book series which was sponsored by the AOJS, the purpose of which was to systematically present material which could be used for Jewish education. -
Hartmann S International Directory of Psychic Science and Spiritualism
Hartmann s International Directory of Psychic Science and Spiritualism 1931 THE ONLY BOOK OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD Edited by WILLIAM C. HARTMANN Author of " Who's Who in O ccultism etc. Member, American Society for Psychical Research; Member, National Laboratory of Psychical Research (London); Founder, The Survival League of America. SECOND EDITION Issued Under the Auspices of The Survival League of America PRICE, $1.00 THE OCCULT PRESS Jamaica, N. Y. U. S. A. Copyright. 1931 ’'a ' 1 ..Mil till CONTENT S Abbreviations ......................... 2 Meetings and Church Services....... 69 Advertising, Classified .............. 157 National Societies .................... 130 Advertising, Display .................. 159 Periodicals .............................121 Alexander, His Imperial Highness, Photographs of Churches.............. 88 The Grand Duke of Russia.........154 Portrait Register ......................109 Application Form, Survival League of Professional Register ................ 67 America .............................. 185 Prominent Societies, United States... 130 Books, Advertisements of............. 162 Prominent Societies, Other Countries.136 Books, Recent, Received...............149 Publishers ..............................113 Books, For Sale........................ 153 Psychic Science Comes Into Its Own.. 92 Books Worth Reading............... ..151 Reading Rooms ........................105 Catalogue of Books (Announcement). 4 Recent Books Received................149 Camps, Spiritualist ................... 89 Services, Churches, -
Chaim Dov I\Eller
THE JEWISH OBSERVER in this issue ... THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath Israel of Amercia, 5 Beekman St., New York, N. Y. 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N. Y. Subscription: LETTERS AND RESPONSES................................................ 3 $6.50 per year; Two years, $11.00; Three years $15.00; outside of the United States $7.50 per year. Single THE LONELY JEW IN A WORLD IN UPHEAVAL, copy sixty-five cents. Chaim Dov Keller.............................................................. 7 Printed in the U.S.A. RABBI NISSON WOLPIN A RESPONSE TO THE YOM KIPPUR WAR- Editor IN RETROSPECT, Ralph Pelcovits ................................... 11 Editorial Board DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER FROM GERMANY TO BALTIMORE, Shmuel Singer...... 16 Chairman RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS CHASSIDISM ON THE MODERN SCENE, JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI YAAKOV JACOBS a review article by Joseph Elias........................................... 20 RABBI MOSHE SHERER OZAR HATORAH AND SEPHARDIC JEWRY'S THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not SURVIVAL, Aryeh Kaplan................................................. 24 assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product or service <idvertised in its pages. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, continued.............................. 28 JANUARY, 1975 VOL. X, No. 7 Typography by Compu-Scribe at ArtScroll Studios ime!T~•®_.. Letters & Responses ?7 Last month's issue, devoted to "The Jewish Woman in a Torah Society," generated a great deal of comment and an unusual number of letters. -
109012839.Pdf
! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Master’s Thesis Religious Roots of Europe ------------------------------------------------------------------- Resident Proselytes, God-Fearers and the Seven Noahide Laws - Making a case for an identification between the ger toshav in traditional Judaism and the sebomenos ton theon in Hellenistic literature - -------------------------------------- Ole Mads Sirks Vevle -------------------------------------- 2013 ! 1 ! Preface The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10) A special thank from my innermost to my wife Judy, without you this present work would have been impossible to accomplish. That’s to say, you make the impossible possible. A very special thank you also to our two daughters, Johanna and Susanna, without you I would have drowned a long time ago. Together, you three make my life better, sweeter and more colorful. I also want to thank my mentor, professor Einar Thomassen, for reminding me to argue soberly. Without you I would be lost in the forest, so thanks for clearing the way, enabling me to write better. Also a special thanks to my fellow RRE student Lloyd Abercrombie, for our discussions and conversations, both off and on, the topic at hand. Your help has enabled me to speak better. I would also like thank the personnel who work at the University library here in Bergen for fulfilling my requests, you have been a highly valued resource. Your help has enabled me to think better. Most importantly, this paper could not have been written if not for the fact that there exist a world, an arena where the soul and the body can come together as one, creating the individual that I refer to as «I». -
Hakohol Published Bi-Monthly By
HAKOHOl Published bi-monthly by CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL OF WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Inc. 562 West 181st Street, New York LOrroine 8-3141 PESACH 5728 APRIL-MAY 1968 VOL. XV No. 6(91) DAS TAU-GEBET RABBI SHLOMO KAHN Mit Musaf des ersten Pesachtages verab- brochen, kein Kaefer weggeschwemmt, schieden wir uns von der Winter-Regen- kein Picknick gestoert. zeit Gebet fuer Regen (Maschiw hoRuach Wie inhaltsreich sind daher urnorid haGoschem, Tal uMotor) faelk G'ttes Worte, durch den nunmehr weg, denn "Siehe, der Winter Propheten (Hoschea 14:6) an uns ist vorueber, der Regen vorbei, die Rlueten gerichtet: "Ich werde sein wie der Tau fuer zeigen sich auf der Erde, die Zeit des Israel, es bluehe wie die Lilie und Sanges ist gekommen, und die Stimme der schlage Wurzeln gleich dem Lebanon." Turteltaube vernimmt man in unserem Lande." (Schir haSchirim 2:11, 12) Sanft wie der Tau ist G'ttes Hilfe fuer Ganz ohne Feuchtigkeit kommt aber Sein Volk, nicht in ueberflutenden Gues- die Natur auch im Fruehling imd Sommer sen., sondern in naechdiicher Stille, in be- nicht aus. Anstatt des Regens (der in hutsamer Treue. Siehe, die Blueten kom- tropischen und halbtropischen Laendern men sichtbar zum Vorschein und starke, nur in der Winterzeit faellt) faellt der unzerstoerbare Wurzeln senken naecbtliche Tau vom Himmel. Deshalb sich tief begruessen wir den Fruehling mit dem ins Land. Tau-Gebet am ersten Tag Pesach. Regen und Tau sind wohl miteinander Donation Cards Spende-Karten verwandt, aber voellig verschieden veran- for any occasion fuer jede Gele- lagt. Der Regen macht heftig nass und may be ordered: schl'aegt oft mit erbarmungsloser Wucht genheit erhaeltlich: zur Erde. -
Knessia Gedolah Diary
THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 0021-6615) is published monthly, in this issue ... except July and August, by the Agudath lsrael of Ameri.ca, 5 Beekman Street, New York, N.Y. The Sixth Knessia Gedolah of Agudath Israel . 3 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N.Y. Subscription Knessia Gedolah Diary . 5 $9.00 per year; two years, $17.50, Rabbi Elazar Shach K"ti•?111: The Essence of Kial Yisroel 13 three years, $25.00; outside of the United States, $10.00 per year Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky K"ti•?111: Blessings of "Shalom" 16 Single copy, $1.25 Printed in the U.S.A. What is an Agudist . 17 Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman K"ti•?111: RABBI NISSON WotP!N Editor An Agenda of Restraint and Vigilance . 18 The Vizhnitzer Rebbe K"ti•'i111: Saving Our Children .19 Editorial Board Rabbi Shneur Kotler K"ti•'i111: DR. ERNST BODENHEIMER Chairman The Ability and the Imperative . 21 RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Helping Others Make it, Mordechai Arnon . 27 JOSEPH FRJEDENSON "Hereby Resolved .. Report and Evaluation . 31 RABBI MOSHE SHERER :'-a The Crooked Mirror, Menachem Lubinsky .39 THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not Discovering Eretz Yisroel, Nissan Wolpin .46 assume responsibility for the Kae;hrus of any product or ser Second Looks at the Jewish Scene vice advertised in its pages. Murder in Hebron, Violation in Jerusalem ..... 57 On Singing a Different Tune, Bernard Fryshman .ss FEB., 1980 VOL. XIV, NOS. 6-7 Letters to the Editor . • . 6 7 ___.., _____ -- -· - - The Jewish Observer I February, 1980 3 Expectations ran high, and rightfully so.