DOCSLIB.ORG

A N I N T Roduc T Ion to for J E Ws

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A N I N T Roduc T Ion to for J E Ws AN INTRODUCTION TO Islam FOR JEWS In loving memory of Miles Lerman, who spent a lifetime dedicated to creating a world of understanding, tolerance, and mutual respect among all people. David Lerman, Shelley Wallock, Brooke Lerman, Julia Lerman, and Ted Lerman AN INTRODUCTION TO Islam FOR JEWS Reuven Firestone JPS is a nonprofit educational association and the oldest and foremost pub- lisher of Judaica in English in North America. The mission of JPS is to enhance Jewish culture by promoting the dissemination of religious and secular works, in the United States and abroad, to all individuals and institutions interested in past and contemporary Jewish life. Copyright © 2008 by Reuven Firestone First edition. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any in- formation storage or retrieval system, except for brief passages in connection with a critical review, without permission in writing from the publisher: The Jewish Publication Society 200 Arch Street, 2nd floor Philadelphia, PA 903 www.jewishpub.org Design and composition by Desperate Hours Productions Manufactured in the United States of America 08 09 0 2 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Firestone, Reuven, 952- An introduction to Islam for Jews / Reuven Firestone. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-3: 978–0–8276–0864– (alk. paper) . Islam. 2. Islam—Essence, genius, nature. 3. Islam—Relations—Judaism. 4. Judaism—Relations—Islam. I. Title. BP6.3.F57 2008 297.02’4296—dc22 2007047352 JPS books are available at discounts for bulk purchases for reading groups, special sales, and fundraising purchases. Custom editions, including personalized covers, can be created in larger quantities for special needs. For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or at this address: 200 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 903. To Sa`di and Isma`il Abu Sneineh Contents Preface . ix Acknowledgments . xvi PART ONE: A SURVEY OF ISLAMIC HISTORY Chapter 1: Why an Introduction to Islam Specifically for Jews? . 3 Chapter 2: Arabs and Israelites . 5 Chapter 3: Pre-Islamic Origins . 10 Chapter 4: The Emergence of Islam. 17 Chapter 5: Muhammad and the Jews of Medina . 33 Chapter 6: The Death of the Prophet and the Expansion of the Community . 43 Chapter 7: The Conquests . 52 Chapter 8: The Caliphal Dynasties . 60 Chapter 9: The Decline of the Muslim World . 70 PART TWO: GOD, THE QUR’AN, AND ISLAMIC LAW Chapter 10: God . 79 Chapter 11: The Five Doctrines or “Pillars of Faith” . 85 Chapter 12: The Evolution of a Formal Theology . 92 Chapter 13: The Qur’an . 100 Chapter 14: The Interpretive Tradition . 114 Chapter 15: The Prophetic Record . 124 vii viii AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM FOR JEWS Chapter 6: Islamic Law . 34 Chapter 7: The Workings of Sharī`a . 42 PART THREE: THE UMMA: ISLAM IN PRACTICE Chapter 18: The Umma and The Caliphate . 149 Chapter 19: The Five Pillars of Islam . 157 Chapter 20: A Sixth Pillar? Jihad . 176 Chapter 21: The Range of Practice among Muslims . 184 Chapter 22: Sufism . 191 Chapter 23: The Shī`a . 199 Chapter 24: Mosque and Clergy . 202 Chapter 25: The Calendar . 205 Chapter 26: The Muslim Life-Cycle . 210 Chapter 27: Personal Observance . 225 Epilogue . 235 Endnotes . 240 Appendix: Islam and Judaism: Some Related Religious Terminology . 253 Glossary . 254 Bibliography . 269 Scriptural Index: Verses from the Qur’an and the Bible . 273 Subject Index . 282 Preface slam is a complex religious civilization that remains largely unknown to Jews, despite the fact that the future of the Jewish people has become Iprofoundly affected by developments in the Muslim world. For our own personal edification and understanding, therefore, for responsible decision- making within the Jewish community and for a world of greater understand- ing and compassion, writing a book on Islam with the particular interests of Jews in mind is an important undertaking. This book will treat issues and items that are of particular interest to Jews, as well as some that would be of benefit for Jews to understand even if they may not be of obvious interest. It will therefore concentrate on some topics that do not appear in most introduc- tions to Islam. It will likewise omit some subjects found in other introductions that are not of particular importance to Jews. I naturally concentrate on issues of personal interest that I assume are of interest to other Jews as well. I love the languages of Hebrew and Arabic, for example, and I naturally tend to note their similarities in relation to religious issues. I am fascinated by the ways that Islam and Judaism have so many parallels, yet are separate religious systems. Please note: this book is written by an individual and not a scholarly commu- nity, and it is only one single volume. It cannot hope to represent all the various internal perspectives of Muslim groups and all the analyses of scholars of reli- gion. It need not and should not be your only source for information on Islam. As any sensitive reader knows, an author can never dissociate himself or herself from what he or she has written. Because of this truth, it is appropriate to reveal something about myself for the sake of full disclosure. ix x AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM FOR JEWS I am a liberally observant Jew, trained as both a rabbi and an academic. I have lived for some six or seven years in Israel and have raised my children in Jewish day schools in the United States and Israel. We all speak Hebrew in my family, and I am writing this introduction while in Jerusalem. In addition to scholarly works on Islam and its relationship with Judaism and Christianity and pre-Islamic indigenous Arabian culture, I have written an introduction to Judaism for Muslims. I grew up in a household that was deeply Jewish but that respected the wisdom and arts of those who lived outside our own particular religious and cultural framework. Despite sensitivity to the universal value of humanity that I learned from my family, growing up in America naturally instilled within me a number of vague prejudices that were simply imbedded in Jewish or American culture. As a result, when I first traveled to Israel as a naïve American Jewish teenager in 970, I had a vague, unarticulated expectation that the Jewish Israelis would be heroic and upright while the Arabs would be dishonest and deceitful. This evaluation was hazy and indistinct, and I had not thought about it in any kind of conscious way. In fact, it was only some years later that I understood how these prejudices affected my general outlook. I would cer- tainly not define myself as a racist, but like virtually everyone in my genera- tion, I had absorbed vague judgments about self and other that infused my general thinking about the world around me. But soon after arriving in Israel, I was surprised to find some quite un- heroic Israelis and some quite upright Arabs. I found myself living in the Muslim Quarter within the aged Ottoman walls of the “Old City” of Jerusalem, where I remained for a few months exploring its alleys and warrens. I also ventured out into the newer sections of the city both in the east and west as well as the villages in its vicinity. I became particularly close to two young Muslim Arab cousins who had each recently married, and I was privileged to spend quality time with them and their extended families. This was during a very special period in Israel. The Palestinians that had come under Israeli control were relieved to find that the Israelis did not engage in a campaign of rape and pillage as they had feared during the 967 War. They were happy when many of their villages were hooked into the electric grid for the first time, and they enjoyed the fruit of that early period when Israelis swarmed into the territories and spent money freely, thus buoy- ing the economic status of many Palestinian families. There was a general feeling at this time among both Israelis and Palestinians that the situation was temporary, so the two sides encouraged engagement at a variety of levels. I felt welcomed as a Jew in the homes of many Arabs, and I took full advan- tage of that welcome in order to learn something of the culture, the language, the music, and the religious worldview of my new friends. That golden age soon passed. The political situation became increasingly tense and violent PREFACE xi over the years, and misunderstandings and cultural misreadings sometimes caused hurt between my friends and me. But our relationship remained strong and we remain close to this day. That first visit in 970 was not spent entirely among Arabs. I also lived on a border kibbutz for a few months and found a deep personal affinity with the struggles and dreams of Zionism. My experience among Jews deepened my sense of connection with my collective past and aspirations for a com- mon future when Jews would live in peace in the state of Israel. I subsequently returned to Israel many times to study and work and visit, as many American Jews do. But I always spent time with my Arab friends, and I always kept very closely in touch with their developments. It was that profound experience in 970 that forever changed my life. I found myself continually being drawn back to the relationship between Jews and Arabs and between Judaism and Islam.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Beginners Guides to the Religions and Beliefs Islam
    Beginners guides to the religions and beliefs Islam Teachers need subject knowledge to teach RE well. There is no substitute for this, and it is part of our professional responsibility. Any RE subject leader might use this set of support materials to help class teachers who are not expert in a religion they are going to teach. The guides to each religion here are very brief – just four or five pages usually, and carefully focused on what a teacher need to be reminded about. They are in danger of being trite or superficial, but perhaps are better than nothing. There is on every religion a wide introductory literature, and all teachers of RE will do their work better if they improve their knowledge by wider reading than is offered here. But perhaps it is worth giving these starting points to busy teachers. Note that no primary teacher needs to know about 6 religions – if you teach one year group, then two or three religions will be part of the syllabus for that year. In general terms, the following guidance points apply to teaching about any religion: 1. Respect. Speak with respect about the faith: any religion with tens of millions of followers is being studied because the people within the faith deserve our respect. 2. Diversity. Talk about ‘some / many /most’ believers, but not about ‘All believers’. Diversity is part of every religion. 3. Neutrality. Leave ‘insider language’ to insiders. A Sikh visitor can say ‘We believe...’ but teachers will do best to say ‘Many Sikhs believe’ or ‘many Christians believe...’ 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Hadith and Its Principles in the Early Days of Islam
    HADITH AND ITS PRINCIPLES IN THE EARLY DAYS OF ISLAM A CRITICAL STUDY OF A WESTERN APPROACH FATHIDDIN BEYANOUNI DEPARTMENT OF ARABIC AND ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW Thesis submitted for the degree of Ph.D. in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Glasgow 1994. © Fathiddin Beyanouni, 1994. ProQuest Number: 11007846 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11007846 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 M t&e name of &Jla&, Most ©racious, Most iKlercifuI “go take to&at tfje iHessenaer aikes you, an& refrain from to&at tie pro&tfuts you. &nO fear gJtati: for aft is strict in ftunis&ment”. ©Ut. It*. 7. CONTENTS Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................4 Abbreviations................................................................................................................ 5 Key to transliteration....................................................................6 A bstract............................................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • Rituals and Sacraments
    Rituals and Sacraments Rituals, Sacraments (Christian View) By Dr. Thomas Fisch Christians, like their Islamic brothers and sisters, pray to God regularly. Much like Islam, the most important Christian prayer is praise and thanksgiving given to God. Christians pray morning and evening, either alone or with others, and at meals. But among the most important Christian prayers are the community ritual celebrations known as "The Sacraments" [from Latin, meaning "signs"]. Christians also celebrate seasons and festival days [see Feasts and Seasons]. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth, who taught throughout Galilee and Judea and who died on a cross, was raised from the dead by God in order to reveal the full extent of God's love for all human beings. Jesus reveals God's saving love through the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament) and through the community of those who believe in him, "the Church," whose lives and whose love for their fellow human beings are meant to be witnesses and signs of the fullness of God's love. Within the community of the Christian Church these important ritual celebrations of worship, the sacraments, take place. Their purpose is to build up the Christian community, and each individual Christian within it, in a way that will make the Church as a whole and all Christians more and more powerful and effective witnesses and heralds of God's love for all people and of God's desire to give everlasting life to all human beings. Each of the sacraments is fundamentally an action of worship and prayer. Ideally, each is celebrated in a community ritual prayer-action in which everyone present participates in worshipping God.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of God (Allah) in Islam Abdulkareem Ahmad Tijjani, Ph.D
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL BENCHMARK (IJEB), eISSN: Benchmark Journals 2489-0170pISSN:2489-4162 University of Uyo The Concept of God (Allah) in Islam Abdulkareem Ahmad Tijjani, Ph.D Department of Islamic Studies Federal College of Education, Kano Abstract Believing in God (Allah) is the Central focus of all religions. The concept of God of each religion provides the distinguishing difference between one religion and the other. In this paper, attempt is made to present the concept of God in Islam. The pillars of Islam, the articles of faith, and the confession of faith are succinctly presented. Its significance lies in identifying the conception and characteristics of God – Allah in Islam.These features differentiate Islamic monotheism from the doctrines of God in other religions. Keywords: Allah, Al-Tawhid, Articles of Faith, Al-Ghayb, the Kalimah Introduction The teachings of Islam could be categorized into two parts; the theoretical aspects which deal with the belief system of Islam, and the practical aspects which deal with the rituals such as prayer, zakat, fasting, jihad, etc. The theoretical aspects of Islam is the pivot around which the Islamic concept of God revolves. It centres on the belief in ‘al-Tawhid’ i.e. the oneness of Allah, and the articles of faith. The belief system of Islam is called usul-al- din. The word usul is the plural of asl which means a root or a principle. The practical aspects which is called ahkam, means, the ordinances and regulations of Islam. These aspects are referred to in the glorious Qur’an as Iman and Amal, i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the GOSPEL ACCORDING to JOHN General Observations
    1 Commentary to the Gospel according to John - Rev. John Schultz THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN General Observations: The Gospel according to John and the Synoptic Gospels: The fourth book of the New Testament is in most Greek manuscript simply known as “According to John.” This links this gospel to the three preceding ones. But it is obvious that John’s Gospel is distinct from what is known as “The Synoptic Gospels.” If we would leave John’s Gospel out of our Bible, we would deprive ourselves of a large part of truth that is indispensable to our understanding of the person of Jesus Christ and of the way of salvation. John teaches us lessons that are not found in the other Gospels. The Pulpit Commentary, in its extensive introduction to the Gospel of John, highlights the following points that are representative of John’s teaching, none of which are emphasized in a similar fashion in the other Gospels: § God is Spirit § God is called “the Father” § The teaching about “The Father and the Son” § The teaching about God and the Logos § The Word made flesh § The Son of God, the Christ, the Son of Man § The Spirit and the Trinity § The world as the creature of God § The world of men § The prince of this world § Salvation of the world J. Sidlow Baxter, in his book Exploring the Book, introduces the Gospel of John as follows: “A whole volume might be filled with the encomiums which scholars and saints have written on this ‘Gospel according to John.’ Is there anywhere a more exquisite compound of infinite profundity and lingual simplicity? Was there ever a sublimer subject more ingenuously interpreted? But its priceless preciousness, of course, lies in its Divine revealings and spiritual values.
    [Show full text]
  • TOP TEN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM by : Huma Ahmad
    TOP TEN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM by : Huma Ahmad MISCONCMISCONCEPTIONEPTION #1: Muslims are violent, terrorists and/or extremists. This is the biggest misconception in Islam, no doubt resulting from the constant stereotyping and bashing the media gives Islam. When a gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, a Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to stereotype an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed to the religion of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard the words 'Islamic, Muslim fundamentalist, etc.' linked with violence. Politics in so called "Muslim countries" may or may not have any Islamic basis. Often dictators and politicians will use the name of Islam for their own purposes. One should remember to go to the source of Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what is portrayed in the media. Islam literally means 'submission to God' and is derived from a root word meaning 'peace'. Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion doesn't dominate everyday life in the West, whereas Islam is considered a 'way of life' for Muslims and they make no division between secular and sacred in their lives. Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self- defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock.
    [Show full text]
  • Marshall Communicatingthewo
    COMMUNICATING THE WORD Previously Published Records of Building Bridges Seminars The Road Ahead: A Christian-Muslim Dialogue, Michael Ipgrave, Editor (Church House Publishing) Scriptures in Dialogue: Christians and Muslims Studying the Bible and the Qur’a¯n Together, Michael Ipgrave, Editor (Church House Publishing) Bearing the Word: Prophecy in Biblical and Qur’a¯nic Perspective, Michael Ipgrave, Editor (Church House Publishing) Building a Better Bridge: Muslims, Christians, and the Common Good, Michael Ipgrave, Editor (Georgetown University Press) Justice and Rights: Christian and Muslim Perspectives, Michael Ipgrave, Editor (Georgetown University Press) Humanity: Texts and Contexts: Christian and Muslim Perspectives, Michael Ipgrave and David Marshall, Editors (Georgetown University Press) For more information about the Building Bridges seminars, please visit http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/networks/building_bridges Communicating the Word Revelation, Translation, and Interpretation in Christianity and Islam A record of the seventh Building Bridges seminar Convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rome, May 2008 DAVID MARSHALL, EDITOR georgetown university press Washington, DC ᭧ 2011 Georgetown University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Communicating the word : revelation, translation, and interpretation in Christianity and Islam : a record of the seventh Building Bridges seminar convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rome, May 2008 / David Marshall, editor. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-58901-784-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Rule by Divine Law Among Semitic Cultures Ideals of Semitic Theonomocracy from Hammurabi to the Islamic State with Al-Māturīdī in Between
    University of Lund Department of History HISS33: Master Thesis 30 credits Supervisor: Joachim Östlund Examiner: Yvonne Maria Werner Date of examination seminary: 2020-06-05 kl. 10.15–12.00 Place of examination seminary: LUX A332 A History of Rule by Divine Law among Semitic Cultures Ideals of Semitic Theonomocracy from Hammurabi to the Islamic State with Al-Māturīdī in between Karl Bjur Abstract This is a comparative study of several widespread and canonical texts from the lowlands of the Middle East and North Africa, with regard to historically reoccurring interconnected traits of ideal state structure among cultures, where Semitic languages have been main languages of communication from the 18th century BC to the modern day. The study is of reoccurring ideals of state structure with defined limits and causes for its existence across several Semitic speaking cultures. The study’s extent stretches from the code of Hammurabi during the 18th century BC to the modern day, and it includes more than ten text collections among four different cultures as well as a modern text for what can be seen as a modern example of reoccurring traits. In this study, geography, phases of establishment of civilizations and interconnectivity among the cultures through a lens of cultural Darwinism based upon ideas proposed by Richard Dawkins has been used. This study draws inspiration from studies done by the historians Patricia Crone and Martin Hinds among others. The study focuses upon systems based upon holy law from the divine and arrives at the conclusion of the existence of several reoccurring ideals throughout history, due to a shared overarching context among several of the cultures promoting a reoccurring development and survival of these ideals.
    [Show full text]
  • ~Emernbering Sepharad
    RE YE S C O LL-TELLECHEA ~e mernbering Sepharad Accompanying Christopher Columbus on board the Sal/ta Marfa as it left the Iberia n Pe ni ns ula on August 3,1492, was Luis de Torres. De Torres, a polyglot , was the expedition's inkrpreter. Like many other Iberian JeWS , de Torres had recently converted to Christianity in an attempt to preserve his right to live in Sepharad, the land Iberian Jevvs had inhabited for twelve hundred years. The Edict of Expulsion, dated March 31, 1492, deprived Jews of all their rights and gave them three months to put their affairs in order and go in to exile. Implicit in the edict was exemption if jews con­ verted to Ch ristianity. It was only implicit, of courSe, becaLlse neither the laws of th e land nor the laws of the Catholic church provided for forced conversion. Although conversos would be granted full rights of citizen­ ship, the Inquisition, in turn, had the right to investigate and persecute the "new" Ch rist ians in order to prevent deviations from church doctrine. Those who did not accept conversion would be expelled from the land forever. The fate of Sepharad was irreversible. Now We can only remember Sepharad. Remembrance cannOt restore that which has been lost, but it is essen­ tiul to recognize the limitless power of human action to create as well as to destroy. Memory is not a maner of the past but a fundamental tool for analyzin g the prese nt and marching into the future with knowledge and conscience.
    [Show full text]
  • DOCUMENT 1: HASDAI IBN SHAPRUT to JOSEPH, KING of the KHAZARS (CA. 960) I, Hasdai, Son of Isaac, Son of Ezra, Belonging to the E
    DOCUMENT 1: HASDAI IBN SHAPRUT TO JOSEPH, KING OF THE KHAZARS (CA. 960) I, Hasdai, son of Isaac, son of Ezra, belonging to the exiled Jews of Jerusalem in Spain, a servant of my lord the King, bow to the earth before him and prostrate myself towards the abode of your Majesty from a distant land. I rejoice in your tranquility and magnificence and stretch forth my hands to God in heaven that He may prolong your reign in Israel. … Praise be to the beneficent God for His mercy towards me! Kings of the earth, to whom his magnificence and power are known, bring gifts to him, conciliating his favor by costly presents, such as the King of the Franks, the King of the Gebalim [Otto the Great of the Holy Roman Empire?], the King of Constantinople, and others. All their gifts pass through my hands, and I am charged with making gifts in return. Let my lips express praise to the God of Heaven, who so far extends His loving kindness towards me, without any merit of my own, but in the fullness of His mercies! I always ask the ambassadors of these monarchs who bring gifts about our brethren the Israelites, the remnant of the captivity, whether they have heard anything concerning the deliverance of those who have languished in bondage and have found no rest. At length mercantile emissaries of Khorasan told me that there is a kingdom of Judah which is called al- Khazar. But I did not believe these words for I thought that they told me such things to procure my goodwill and favor.
    [Show full text]
  • JEWISH SOCIETY and CULTURE I: the ANCIENT and MEDIEVAL EXPERIENCE History 506:271 / Jewish Studies 563:201 / Middle Eastern Studies 685:208
    Professor Paola Tartakoff Office: 116 Miller Hall, 14 College Ave. E-mail: [email protected] JEWISH SOCIETY AND CULTURE I: THE ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL EXPERIENCE History 506:271 / Jewish Studies 563:201 / Middle Eastern Studies 685:208 PROVISIONAL SYLLABUS Course Description: This course examines the social, intellectual, and religious life of the Jewish people from Israel's beginnings through to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. It starts with an overview of the history of Israel from c. 1400 B.C.E. to the end of the Babylonian Captivity. Next it turns to the Second Temple Period, focusing on Israel's encounter with Hellenism, Jewish eschatological hopes, and Jewish life under Roman rule. The course then explores the Jewish experience in the early medieval period. Topics in this section include the rise of rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the world of the Babylonian academies, and Jewish life under Visigothic and Muslim rule. The last portion of the course examines Jewish life under Christian rule in Sepharad and Ashkenaz. It emphasizes important trends in medieval Jewish thought and spirituality and traces the evolution of medieval anti-Judaism. This course is required for majors and minors in Jewish Studies. Required Texts: • The Jews: A History, ed. John Efron et al. (Prentice Hall, 2009). ISBN: 0131786873. Available at the Rutgers University Bookstore (Ferren Mall, One Penn Plaza, 732-246-8448). $53.33. • Coursepack (CP) to be purchased at the Douglass Student Co-Op Store (57 Lipman Drive, 732-932- 9017; 1-800-929-COOP). $24.00. Recommended Text: • Hebrew Bible and New Testament in English, including the Apocrypha.
    [Show full text]
  • Box Folder 67 3 Syllabi. 1990-1991
    MS-763: Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman Collection, 1930-2004. Series I: Wexner Heritage Foundation, 1947-2004. Subseries 1: General Files, 1949-2004. Box Folder 67 3 Syllabi. 1990-1991. For more information on this collection, please see the finding aid on the American Jewish Archives website. 3101 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 513.487.3000 AmericanJewishArchives.org • HOUSTON SYLLABI 1 MIAMI SYLLABI 2 • ST . LOUIS SYLLABI 3 INDIANAPOLIS SYLLABI 4 • 5 WEXNER HERITAGE FOUNDATION Rabbi Nathan Laufer, Esq. • Baltimore/ Academic Year 1990 - 1991 Session #1: PIDYON SHEVUYIM: The Mitzvah of Freeing Captives* The commandment to free captives is known as "Pidyon Shevuyim. " Literally, this term means "ransom'' -- to pay a s um of money in order to effect the release of slaves or prisoners. But the term "Pidyon Shevuyim'' has come to connote more than this: it refers to our duty to help free our fellow Jews held in various states of bondage or oppression through every possible means. In this seminar, various translations for "Pidyon Shevuyim" -- to "ransom", "redeem", "free", or "release" capti ves -- will be used interchangeably, depending upon the context. The purpose of this seminar is to place the mitzvah of "Pidyon Shevuyim" in historical perspective, to explore the various facets of this mitzvah by studying classical Jewish texts related to its observance, and to relate these texts to the modern-day i mperative to free endangered Jews • The preparatory materials for this seminar include several background articles which describe the origins and development of the concept of "Pidyon Shevuyim" and how it was applied in • various historical situations, particularly during medieval times.
    [Show full text]