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Halakhic Crypticity Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Amir Mashiach
Medieval Jewish philosophers used cryptic writing 1) to protect innocent believers whose faith could be harmed by uncustomary ideas; 2) to protect the philosopher, whose societal standing might be risked through the expression of uncustomary views; and 3) as a normative characteristic of how philosophy was written. This article demonstrates that, in the halakhic literature, this same technique was
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Ancien Regime Jurisprudence Shaped by a Primordial Jewish-Christian Polemic Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Shael Herman
In the eighteenth century, Jewish-Christian polemics fueled a legal dualism among French officials, Jewish communities, and Christian Hebraists. Out of this friction emerged the Recueil des Loix, Coutumes, et Usages Observes par les Juifs de Metz, which illuminated Jewish laws for French judges unschooled in Hebrew and the regional Judeo-Allemande dialect. Metz officials’ request for the Recueil cheered
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The Theurgic Power of Intellectual, Meditative, and Moralistic Engagement: Safrin’s Otsar haḤayim Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Leore Sachs-Shmueli
In its rationalization of the commandments, Otsar haḤayim, by Yitṣḥak Ayzik Yehuda Yeḥiel Safrin of Komarno, integrates Talmudic, halakhic, kabbalistic, and Hasidic traditions. Safrin’s theurgic system expands Lurianic traditions to include a multidimensional interiorized practice that can be traced to the Baal Shem Tov (the Besht), the legendary founder of Hasidism. This article argue that Safrin’s
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Waving and Beating of Willows Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Zvi Ron
The practice of beating willows on Hoshanah Rabbah is a very unusual one, with no explanations offered in the Talmud or Midrash. In the ancient world, the willow represented both fertility and infertility, life and death, and the beating of willows can be connected both to beating with plants as a fertility ritual and as a form of scapegoat ritual. Echoes of both of these ideas are found in Sephardic
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Writings of Jewish Converts to Islam against Their Forebears’ Faith: a Subgenre of Interreligious Polemical Literature Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Yoel Marciano, Haggai Mazuz
Islamic polemical literature against Judaism is typified by the repetition of ideas expressed in previous generations alongside growth and development in new directions. This article focuses on writings against Judaism by Jews who willingly converted to Islam. These converts’ texts reveal meaningful and unique characteristics that justify their being considered a subgenre of the polemical literature
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The Consequences of the Faulty Transmission of Sefer Tagin Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Marc Michaels
Scribes are encouraged to maintain the tradition concerning the decorative tagin (tittles) and “strange” letter forms that adorn nearly two thousand letters in the Torah. Yet this tradition, detailed in Sefer Tagin, was relatively rarely followed and has all but died out in modern times. This article examines the faulty transmission of this Masoretic manual for sofrim (scribes) through core, compiled
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The Holiness of Riẓba: A Study of a Rabbinic Historiography Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Shalem Yahalom
This study deals with the public declaration by the Tosaphist R. Yitzhak ben Abraham (Riẓba) about his inability to consummate his marriage during its first few years. Ephraim Urbach, the great mid-twentieth century Jewish historian, considered this confession to be an expression of holiness and purity and to the ability to dissociate sexuality from feelings of guilt and shame. This assessment reflects
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“How Would He Not Protest God’s Putting to Death the Righteous Child?” Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Eric Lawee
Medieval Jewish readings of the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, remain almost entirely oblivious to the antinomy between ethics and the revealed divine command that many modern interpretations find at the heart of the story. This study explores an exception, the teaching of the fourteenth-century rationalist, Eleazar Ashkenazi ben Nathan Ha-Bavli. In his Revealer of Secrets, Eleazar seeks a remedy for
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“It Is Certainly Forbidden to Force Her”: Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Evyatar Marienberg
This article examines a chapter on marital sexuality that appears in a work that, for many decades, has been an extremely popular Ashkenazi manual of Jewish law and practices, the Kitzur Shulhan Arukh of the Hungarian rabbi Salomon (Shlomo) Ganzfried (1804–1886). It shows the way the author used previous sources to create his own work, shedding light on his method as well as on an important example
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Multiple Contrast Connectives and Their Contribution to the Cohesion and Poetics of Yehuda Amichai’s Poetry Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Bat-Zion Yemeni
The article presents an interdisciplinary stylistic study of the language of Yehuda Amichai’s poetry in his last and enigmatic book, “Open Closed Open” (1998). The study examines his extensive use of contrast words and their contribution to the cohesion and poetics of the book’s poems. All 296 poems in the book were examined, and the contrast words were documented alongside the content of each poem
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Two Approaches toward Convening the Sanhedrin and Resuming Semikha in the Modern Era Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Ronel Atia
Before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Rabbi Aharon Mendel HaKohen indefatigably promoted a program of reconvening the Sanhedrin and resuming semikha – the historical form of rabbinical ordination that entailed “laying of hands.” Holding a rabbinical post in Cairo, he observed a diminishing status of the community rabbi, caused, he thought, by the growing Zionist idea. To restore
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Where Have All the Flowers Gone? The Fate of a Jewish “Culture of Flowers” in Two Early Medieval Diasporas Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Aton M. Holzer
Flowers and traditions involving flowers tend to be conspicuously absent from early and late medieval Rabbinic literature, with one well-known but controversial exception. In contrast, literature and archaeological motifs beginning from the biblical period and reaching a climax in the late Second Temple period are replete with floral themes. The Madonna lily – lilium candidum – is especially celebrated
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The Conception of Woman in the Thought of Maharal of Prague Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Thierry J. Alcoloumbre
Recent research has criticized medieval Jewish thought for perpetuating misogynist models inherited from Aristotle, which legitimate men’s domination of women. Critics have focused on hylomorphism. By identifying man with “form” and women with “matter,” Aristotle and his disciples placed the former beside being, intellect, and activity, and the latter beside privation, irrationality, and passivity
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“A Great Soul Reincarnated among Gentiles:” The Attitude of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook and Rav Tsvi Yehudah Hakohen Kook to Nietzsche Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Hagay Shtamler
This essay describes the attitude of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook (1865–1935) as well as that of his son, Rabbi Zvi Yehudah Hakohen Kook (1891–1982), to Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844–1900) and his philosophy. It shows that the father read Nietzsche differently from the son. The father criticizes Nietzsche profusely, while the son often mentions him appreciatively and even said that he was a
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The Social Significance of Expressions of Hierarchy, Equality, and Fraternity in Rabbinic Traditions about Moses and Aaron from the Land of Israel Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Bracha (Brachi) Elitzur
This article discusses rabbinic traditions about Moses and Aaron that address questions of hierarchy, status, envy, and fraternity between the brothers. It suggests that considering the time periods and places in these traditions were written adds a crucial dimension to understanding them. Information about the social and religious challenges of the era illustrates the social dynamics at the end of
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Who Wears the Chain? Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Yonah Lavery-Yisraeli
The recent debate regarding the eligibility of converts to Judaism (gerim) to sit on a beṯ din – a judicial panel – is unexpected. In the 19th century, when rabbis first begin to answer questions about whether or not gerim may serve on panels for the conversion of other potential gerim, the tone is consistently one of surprise: the answer was an obvious yes. In later reflections, however, the tone
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Cross-Over Diseases and Constructions of Difference: Pigs and Pandemics in Jewish Sources Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-09-24 Jonathan Crane
Concerns about zoonotic diseases and efforts to differentiate between groups intertwine at the intersection of critical animal studies, biomobility and epidemic discourses, and religious studies. Using the case in rabbinic literature of pandemics moving from pigs to humans, this study unfolds in historical stages. Period I, “Flesh” (3rd C to 12th C), considers the issues at hand: a pandemic, pigs,
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Jewish Conversion in the Riots of 1391: The Legal Justification Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-09-24 Shalem Yahalom
This study presents the halakhic rulings that preceded the riots of 1391 in Spain and provided the moral infrastructure that allowed the conversion to Catholicism of Rabbi Isaac ben Sheshet Perfet (known by the acronym Rivash) and many other Jews. Rivash was willing broadly to define duress, which exempts one from halakhic obligations. The rulings Rivash attributed to Rabbi Shlomo ben Avraham ibn Aderet
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Reading Talmudic Sources as Arguments: The Case of Water Used by a Baker Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-09-24 Yuval Blankovsky
By discussing a short sugya, this paper demonstrates how to read the components of a typical Talmudic discussion – Mishnah, Tosefta, Yerushalmi and Bavli – as arguments. In contrast to widely used academic approaches, I show that it is possible to ascribe disagreement to parallel sources without passing judgment either on their chronological order or on whether one of the sources is a direct response
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The Scapegoat Ritual: Between Biblical and Tannaitic Law Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-09-24 Yosef Marcus
In Leviticus 16, Aaron is commanded to bring a bull to atone for himself and his household (v. 3) along with two goats to atone for the children of Israel (v. 5). He sprinkles the blood of the bull and one of the goats in different places in the Temple and sends the second goat, the scapegoat, to “ʾAzazel to the desert.” The biblical scapegoat ritual is discussed extensively in the research community
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The Story of Nahum Ish Gamzu and the Poor Man in the Babylonian Talmud: The Compassionate Socially Aware Hasid Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-09-24 Isaiah Ben Pazi
Nahum Ish Gamzu is a colorful and revered character in the Babylonian Talmud. In one dramatic legend, as a result of an interaction with a poor man, Nahum decrees upon himself a disproportionate punishment: to have his arms and legs amputated and his body covered with boils. This article examines the various sources of the story, places the story in the context of similar stories in Talmudic discourse
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Rashi’s Commentary on the Torah: Canonization and Resistance in the Reception of a Jewish Classic, written by Eric Lawee Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Mayer I. Gruber
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Reading Talmudic Sources as Arguments: A New Interpretive Approach, written by Yuval Blankovsky Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Rachel Slutsky
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Janus Parallelism in Rabbinic Liturgical Poetry Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Herbert W. Basser
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Empowering Women in the Lessons of Rabbanit Yemima Mizrahi Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Bat-Zion Yemini
This paper examines the rhetoric used by Rabbanit Yemima Mizrahi in her weekly Torah portion lectures to women, in which she applies a feminine point of view. For eighteen years, Rabbanit Mizrahi has used her unique rhetorical style to attract a faithful, diverse audience of Jewish women in Israel and abroad. This study investigates her rhetoric in fifty videotaped lectures and presents five of her
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Group Dynamics in Beit Midrash Organizations: Revisiting the Legend of the Conflict between Rabbi Yohanan and Resh Laqish (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzi’a 84a) Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Sagit Mor
Stories in the Babylonian Talmud reveal the complex experience of studying in the rabbinic study house. One such story is the legend of R. Yohanan and Resh Lakish (B. B.M. 84a). Researchers have focused almost exclusively on the personae of the legend’s protagonists, while the manner in which the disciples of the sages pursued their calling has received little consideration. This article reflects on
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Professional Ethics of Community Rabbis and Religious Scholars in Judaism Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Tsuriel Rashi
This article represents a first attempt to collect and analyze texts written by halakhic authorities throughout the generations that deal with the professional ethics of rabbis and religious scholars. From these texts, we understand that the ideal rabbi embodies a combination of professionalism, humility, and a shouldering of his responsibilities as a religious leader. Respectful and dignified conduct
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R. Aqiba and the Relatives Disqualified from Giving Testimony Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Mordechai Sabato
M. San. 3:4 records two lists of relatives who are disqualified from giving testimony: a list attributed to “the first Mishnah” and one assigned to R. Aqiba. The first Mishnah disqualifies relatives who are eligible to be the person’s heir, to the maximum degree of a cousin. R. Aqiba abolished the inheritance criterion and drew up a list that includes even relatives who are ineligible to be heirs.
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Yanukah: The Significance and Talents of the Child in Rabbinic Literature Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Tzachi Cohen
In many talmudic and mishnaic stories, the child is described as the possessor of unique and even contradictory traits. While he is invalid as a witness, exempt from observing the commandments, and not permitted to take part in the realm of commerce and acquisition, he is occasionally portrayed as the bearer of God’s word, and his ordinary sayings are understood as prophecy. In this paper, through
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Changing Relations between Prophets and Rulers in the Bible Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Refael Furman
This article discerns a change of tendency in the nature of the relations between prophets (“religion”) and rulers (“state”) in the Bible. The examination concentrates on the differences between pre-exilic and post-exilic prophets. The sample survey shows a change of tendency between the two eras. Pre-exilic prophets act as opposition to the government, while Haggai, as a representative of post-exilic
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The Eunuch and the Baldhead: Sexuality in Early Jewish-Christian Polemic Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Israel Netanel Rubin
Defining appropriate attitudes towards sexuality has always been an issue in Jewish-Christian polemic. Contemporary Jewish writers tend to boast of Judaism’s liberal attitude toward sexuality, while medieval Jewish polemicists were defensive when confronting Christian attacks on this matter. In ancient times, when sexual puritanism was less popular, Jewish theologians did not refrain from showing their
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Onqelos in Byzantium in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries: The Relationship of R. Samuel of Rossano and R. Meyuhas ben Elijah to the Aramaic Translation Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Jonathan Jacobs
This study addresses the views of two Byzantine commentators regarding Targum Onqelos: R. Samuel Roshano of the twelfth century and R. Meyuhas ben Elijah of the thirteenth. R. Samuel explicitly refers to the translation forty-six times; R. Meyuhas makes explicit reference to it 104 times. But there are differences between the two commentators in their relation to the Targum: R. Samuel never mentions
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Rhetorical Conclusions in Nahmanides’ Torah Commentary Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Miriam Sklarz
This paper examine Nahmanides’ rhetorical style in his Torah commentary, addressing his convention of concluding his biblical commentaries with a flourish, both in form and content. The origins of this rhetorical device in the literature preceding Nahmanides is presented, followed by a demonstration of its embodiment and development in Nahmanides own Torah commentary.
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Sivan Baskin: Multilingual Israeli Poet in the Age of Globalization Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Bat-Zion Yemini
Sivan Baskin, a poet and literary translator, started writing on the Internet in the early years of the millennium on the “New Stage” site and has published three books of poetry. Baskin’s writing is characterized by multilingualism, inserting words from various languages, written in their own alphabet, within a poem in Hebrew. Although these words or phrases are few and far between, they are conspicuous
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The Traces of Early Halakhot in the “Hava Amina” of the Sages in Second Temple Literature and the Ethiopian Halakhah Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Yosi Ziv
This essay seeks to add a further layer to the discussion of associations between ancient Halakhah and that of Beta Israel by examining correlations between halakhic traditions that were preserved among Ethiopian Jewish communities and the Hava Amina mentioned by the Sages. It demonstrates that opinions espoused by the sages’ opponents can be identified within the Hava Amina of the Talmudic discussion
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Biblical History in the Thought of R. Ḥaim David Halevy Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Idan Breier
R. Ḥaim David Halevy was an exceptional voice in the Religious-Zionist camp in Israel. While espousing faithfulness to the halakhah, he recognized the importance of changing circumstances with respect both to halakhic rulings and philosophical issues arising in Hebrew law. He viewed the study of history as a practical imperative, necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Frequently adducing
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Changes of Meaning in Biblical and Modern Given Names of the YIQTOL Noun Pattern Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Bat-Zion Yemini
The biblical Hebrew tense system has two aspects: the perfective, indicating a completed action, and an imperfective aspect, denoting an action that has not yet ended. From the period of the rabbinic sages of the first centuries CE to today’s Modern Hebrew, an absolute tense system has been the norm, employing past, present, and future. This change in the system of tenses influenced the meaning of
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“For I Say”: A Keeper at the Rabbinic Gates of Doubt Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Michael Baris
The rabbinic idiom “for I say” (שאני אומר) has been construed philologically as a specific type of presumption, buttressed with first-person rhetoric. From the perspective of legal analysis, I contend that “for I say” and presumption are diametrically opposed decision-rules, employed consistently in tannaitic and amoraic literature. While presumptions are exclusionary rules, circumscribing doubt, “for
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From the “Man of Jerusalem” to the Beit El Yeshiva: Late Nineteenth Century Rabbinic Leadership in the Jewish Community of Tripoli Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Ronel Atia
This article details a polemic among the rabbinical leadership of the Jewish community of Tripoli, Libya, in the late nineteenth century. At stake was an initiative of the community’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Eliyahu Bechor Hazzan, to change the traditional educational system to include secular topics and foreign language. The communal rabbis who opposed the idea wrote the rabbinical leadership of Jerusalem
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Pitched between Scylla and Charybdis: Metz Jews’ Litigation Hurdles in the Metz Beit Din and Ancien Regime French Courts Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Shael Herman
During the eighteenth century, French courts expanded their competence over Jewish disputes in order to consolidate the kingdom’s hegemony over Alsatian Jewry. In Metz, the expansion was sanctioned by a royal order for the composition of the Recueil des Loix, Coutumes, et Usages Observes par les Juifs de Metz (1742). A blend of Jewish law and French customary law tailored for ancien regime Alsatian
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A Re-examination of Homonymic and Polysemic Roots Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Haim Dihi
This paper re-examines the classification of two roots from the book of Ben Sira that are defined as homonymic and polysemic, respectively. The re-examination is carried out in light of a novel principle suggested by Prof. Chaim Cohen. The examination of the roots in Ben Sira includes a comparison with biblical evidence. In some cases, the re-examination supports the generally accepted classification
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Alone in the Desert: A Note on the Guide Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2021-06-07 Rabbi Abe Halevy Faur
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The Centrality and Interpretation of Psalms in Judaism prior to and during Medieval Times: Approaches, Authorship, Genre, and Polemics Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Isaac Kalimi
This study discusses the centrality of the book of Psalms among the Jews and in Judaism. It outlines the seven most important and influential rabbinic exegetical works on Psalms, in the period before and during the medieval age: Targum Psalms and Midrash Psalms Shocher Tov, from some time in the Talmudic period; and five prominent medieval commentaries: Saadia Gaon, Moses haCohen ibn Gikatilla, Rashi
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Exiles and Remnants as a Social Phenomenon Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Refael Furman
This study identifies similar sociological patterns connected with identity issues in the biblical prophetic literature concerning the Babylonian exile in and two “modern-time diasporas,” the Armenian and the Palestinian. Certain criteria were found common to the inspected cases, suggesting common identity shaping patterns that may transcend time and culture.
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Is the Term “Savar” in the Babylonian Talmud Ever Used to Indicate an Opinion that Is Not Ultimately Rejected? Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Mordechai Sabato
The term “savar” in the Babylonian Talmud indicates an opinion that is ultimately rejected. According to some Rishonim, however, in certain places this term introduces an opinion that is not rejected. This article examines these instances and concludes that indeed in these places the term “savar” is references an opinion that is not ultimately rejected. In most of these places, the reading in most
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Nahmanides’ Disputes with Rashi as a Gateway to His Worldview Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Shalem Yahalom
Although he highly praises Rashi’s Torah commentary, Nahmanides emphasizes that Rashi’s work is not beyond criticism. This article points out one aspect of Nahmandes’ disagreement with Rashi. Rashi, for his part, is willing to cite traditional Midrashic commentaries without significant additions, assuming that tradition is an effective tool for transmitting reliable information. Nahmanides argued with
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The Scent of the Righteous vs. the Scent of the Wicked: Body Odor as a Social Indicator of Morality in Rabbinic Literature Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Abraham Ofir Shemesh
Perceiving the odor emitted by one’s body or clothes as a manifestation of moral identity is a cross-cultural sociological and literary phenomenon. Odors were perceived as a mark that set social boundaries and they made it possible to distinguish between groups of people by their status or identity. In the Christian, Muslim, and Bahai traditions holy people, such as prophets, martyrs, and shahids,
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Sforno’s Threefold Approach to the Torah’s Structure Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Miriam Sklarz
Classical exegetes’ exploration of structure and order in the Pentateuch is generally perceived as part of an internal-Jewish debate. However, in an exceptional testimonial, the introduction to R. Ovadiah Sforno’s Torah commentary describes a polemic against the Torah grounded in a claim about the Torah’s disorderliness. Responding to this critique, Sforno set out to uncover the Torah’s logical order
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Toward Nationalism’s End: An Intellectual Biography of Hans Kohn, written by Adi Gordon Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Stephen J. Whitfield
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Between Old and New in Yemenite Midrashic Literature Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Eliezer Schlossberg
The Midrashim mentioned and described briefly in this article—R. Avraham ben Shlomo’s commentary on the early and later prophets, the Midrash Shoʿel U-Meshiv, and the anonymous Midrash on the Torah written at the beginning of the sixteenth century—represent the transitional stage between the classic and the later Yemenite Midrash. The former are written in a mixture of Hebrew and Arabic, based on rabbinic
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Defining Identity through Divine Retribution in Tannaitic Judaism Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Francesco Zanella
This essay deals with the notion of divine retribution in Tannaitic literature. It argues that this concept can be used to establish traditions and create identity. After introductory remarks on the different Tannaitic perspectives on divine retribution, the paper focuses on the main features of the Tannaitic idea of divine retribution, exploring the key questions: Why and when does God punish? Why
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Ehyeh asher Ehyeh and the Tetragrammaton: Between Eternity and Necessary Existence in Saadya, Maimonides, and Abraham Maimonides Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Diana Lobel
Saadya Gaon translates Ehyeh asher Ehyeh into Arabic as “the eternal (beginningless) that will not cease to be.” Abraham Maimonides makes a conceptual identification between Saadya’s interpretation of Ehyeh asher Ehyeh as eternity and the assertion of his father that Ehyeh asher Ehyeh signifies Necessary Existence. Moses Maimonides draws an allusive relationship between Ehyeh asher Ehyeh and the Tetragrammaton
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“I Am the One:” A Monist Looks at the Double Death and Life of Rabba bar Naḥmani Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Michael Baris
The rabbis portray two arenas in which Torah is studied. Above the terrestrial academy of the sages, the Rabbis posit a transcendent, celestial yeshiva. This dual system seems central to the rabbinic doctrine of retribution in a sequential afterlife. In contrast to the standard dualist reading and accepted dogma, I propose a monist’s reading of these aggadic texts, which sees a single arena of human
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The Price of Holiness: Torah Scrolls in the Tannaitic Marketplace Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Allen Lipson
This paper situates Tannaitic attitudes toward the market for Torah scrolls within the larger historical context of Roman Palestine over the first two centuries CE. After developing a historical picture of how that market may have functioned, it explores the rabbis’ literary treatment of Torah scrolls within the Mishnah and Tosefta. Tannaitic text and context reveal a tension between two modes of thought
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André LaCocque, Jesus the Central Jew Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2019-09-16 Mayer I. Gruber
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B. Yoma 35b: Some Observations Concerning Divine Mediators and Rabbis Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2019-09-16 Herbert W. Basser
The familiar “Hillel-meets-his-teachers” tradition (B. Yoma 35b) reveals a deeper story that features mystical, apocalyptic images representing none other than the beloved masters of early rabbinic culture. Here we find the image of a heavenly being enthroned on high that was identified in non-rabbinic circles with God’s demiurge (Enoch, Yehoel, Metatron). This provides evidence that rabbis defused
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Benjamin Franklin’s Influence on Mussar Thought and Practice: a Chronicle of Misapprehension Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2019-09-16 Shai Afsai
Benjamin Franklin’s ideas and writings may be said to have had an impact on Jewish thought and practice. This influence occurred posthumously, primarily through his Autobiography and by way of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lefin’s Sefer Cheshbon ha-Nefesh (Book of Spiritual Accounting, 1808), which introduced Franklin’s method for moral perfection to a Hebrew-reading Jewish audience. This historical development
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Cisterns, Waterways, and Rabbis: a Rabbinic Lens into Conflict Avoidance in the Riparian World Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2019-09-16 Meir Wachs
In the liminal spaces between concretized biblical law and a world in which “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6), the Rabbinic tradition developed enactments toward the pursuit of harmony and to minimize conflict. This paper delves into the role of one such mechanism, found throughout the primary sources, in an area of irrigation policy. The article seeks to understand the topic’s
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Levirate Marriage in Beta Israel Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2019-09-16 Yosi Ziv
The halakhah observed by the Beta Israel community is decisive and extremely detailed. This halakhic system, which was preserved and transmitted from one generation to the next as an oral tradition, can shed light on previously hidden aspects of the early halakhah. This article the examines Beta Israel practice regarding the levirate marriage (yibum), including its rationale and sources. Beta Israel
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Work and Material Creation in the Teaching of R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik Review of Rabbinic Judaism Pub Date : 2019-09-16 Amir Mashiach
Rabbi Joseph Ber Halevi Soloveitchik (1903–1993), one of the most prominent religious Zionist rabbis as well as the leader of Modern Jewish Orthodoxy in the U.S., presented a theologically consistent approach to the issue of work and material production, to which he ascribed a religious value. His leading principle in his consideration of work and material production emerged from the Halakhic dictum