Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

Religion & Spirituality

Zelcer, Heshey

Broyde, Michael J.

Angel, Marc D.

Buchman, Asher Benzion

Shapiro, Marc B.

Porat, Eliezer Ben

Auman, Kenneth

Nimmer, David

Landerer, Chaim

Balsam, Yacov

Judaism

Hakirah

One of the foremost scholars of the Talmud in the last century, Saul Lieberman (1898–1983) is also an intriguing and controversial figure. Highly influential in Orthodox society, he left Israel in 1940 to accept an appointment at the Jewish Theological Seminary, a Conservative institution. During his forty years at the Seminary, Lieberman served in the Rabbinical Assembly as one of the most important arbiters of Jewish law, though his decisions were often too progressive to be recognized by the Orthodox. Marc B. Shapiro here considers Lieberman’s experiences to examine the conflict between Jewish Orthodoxy and Conservatism in the mid-1900s. This invaluable scholarly resource also includes a Hebrew appendix and previously unpublished letters from Lieberman.

Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox

Biographies & Memoirs

University of Scranton Press

More than 800 years after his death, the figure of Moses Maimonides—rabbi, philosopher, doctor, and communal leader—continues to fascinate. Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters unites the traditional rabbinic approach and the modern academic perspective to forge a new understanding of this iconic teacher. This groundbreaking work by Marc B. Shapiro, which includes an essay on Maimonides’ approach to superstition in rabbinic literature and features three previously unpublished letters by Rabbi Joseph Kafih, will be essential reading for scholars and students of Jewish studies.

Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Using previously unpublished material, including private correspondence, Shapiro (Judaic Studies, U. of Scranton, Pennsylvania) discusses the many aspects of the life and thought of Rabbi Weinberg (1884-1966), an important ideologue of modern Orthodoxy. The author focuses on his evolving philosophical orientation, from his early years in Poland, his years in Germany, Lithuania, and Poland from WWI through the Nazi era, and his post-war years in Switzerland.

Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, 1884-1966 (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)

Community & Culture

The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization

It is commonly asserted that Maimonides' famous Thirteen Principles are the last word in Orthodox Jewish theology. This is a very popular notion, and is often repeated by scholars from all camps in Judaism. Yet such a position ignores the long history of Jewish theology in which Maimonides' Principles have been subject to great dispute. The book begins with a discussion of the significance of the Principles and illustrates how they assumed such a central place in traditional Judaism. Each principle is then considered in turn: the reasons underlying Maimonides' formulations are expounded and the disputes that have arisen concerning them are discussed in detail. Marc B. Shapiro's authoritative analysis makes it quite clear that the notion that Maimonides' Principles are the last word in traditional Jewish theology is a misconception, and that even Maimonides himself was not fully convinced of every aspect of his formulations. Although structured around Maimonides' Principles, this book can also be seen as an encyclopedia of traditional Jewish thought concerning the central issues of Jewish theology.The diversity of opinion in Jewish tradition on such issues as God, Creation, and the Revelation of the Torah is sure to surprise readers.

The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides' Thirteen Principles Reappraised (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)

History

World

Using previously unpublished material, including private correspondence, Shapiro (Judaic Studies, U. of Scranton, Pennsylvania) discusses the many aspects of the life and thought of Rabbi Weinberg (1884-1966), an important ideologue of modern Orthodoxy. The author focuses on his evolving philosophical orientation, from his early years in Poland, his years in Germany, Lithuania, and Poland from WWI through the Nazi era, and his post-war years in Switzerland.

Littman Library of Jewish Civilization

Changing the Immutable focuses on how segments of Judaism's Orthodox society have taken it upon themselves to rewrite the past by covering up and literally cutting out that which does not fit their own world view. For reasons ranging from theological considerations to internal religious politics to changing religious standards, such Jewish self-censorship abounds, and author Marc B. Shapiro discusses examples from each category. His analysis is illustrated by a number of images of the original texts next to their censored versions, together with an explanation of what made them problematic and how the issue was resolved. Shapiro considers the concepts of history that underlie such changes, looking at how some Orthodox historiography sees truth as entirely instrumental. Drawing on the words of leading rabbis, particularly from the haredi world, he shows that what is important here is not historical truth, but a truth that leads to observance and faith in the Sages. He concludes with a discussion of the concept of truth in the Jewish tradition, and when this truth can be altered. Changing the Immutable also reflects on the paradox of a society that regards itself as traditional, but, at the same time, is uncomfortable with some of the inherited tradition, and thus feels the need to create an idealized view of the past. Shapiro considers this in context, detailing precedents in Jewish history dating back to talmudic times. Since the objects of censorship have included such figures as Maimonides, Bahya ibn Pakuda, Rashi, Naphtali Herz Wessely, Moses Mendelssohn, the Hatam Sofer, Samson Raphael Hirsch, A. I. Kook, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and J. B. Soloveitchik, as well as issues such as Zionism, biblical interpretation, and attitudes to women and non-Jews, Shapiro's book also serves as a study in Jewish intellectual history and how the ideas of one era do not always find favor with later generations. *** "Just two weeks after its publication, Shapiro's book is the number-one bestseller on Amazon in its category - a notable accomplishment for an academic book that includes (untranslated) rabbinic rulings, talmudic texts, and medieval commentaries." -- New Jersey Jewish News, May 2015 *** "This is a fascinating book because Marc Shapiro is a professional historian, and to a historian nothing is more important than the facts, but he is also an Orthodox Jew, and so he understands that for an Orthodox Jew there are some values that trump the recording of the facts." -- Rabbi Jack Riemer, South Florida Jewish Journal, June 2015 *** "Shapiro's new book is a must read for all who want to understand how the current "slide to the right" is radically reforming Judaism to fit within the cacophonous landscape of contemporary values." -- Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, Jewish Journal, June 2015 *** "Shapiro's scholarship has been so important, in part because of Orthodoxy's own success at covering up inconvenient aspects of its past." -- Ezra Glinter, Forward, July 2015 (also published in Haaretz) *** "One of the most popular and controversial writers in the Modern Orthodox world today, most famous perhaps for publicizing little-known - and often radical - positions in Jewish law and thought." -- Elliot Resnick, The Jewish Press, July 2015 *** "Shapiro takes the reader down a proverbial rabbit hole and into the underbelly of the ?aredi community, an Orwellian-like world of mind control by the clandestine suppression of ideas. Changing the Immutable is an outstanding work, meticulously describing the bubble of "artificial religious truth" surrounding ?aredi communities." -- Fred Reiss Ed.D., San Diego Jewish World, August 2015 *** "The book is a cri de Coeur, suggesting that truth should be a timeless commodity. Yet, the book has another, larger meaning. It outlines how Jewish tradition, a highly decentralized and in a modest way, a plastic entity, is shaped and changed." -- Susan M. ChambrÃ©, Jewish Book World, October 2015 *** "...the outstanding product of a master of rabbinic literature and an extraordinarily sharp-eyed and meticulous scholar. The book should be accessible to the widest possible readership, including traditionalists; therefore, one hopes that it will be translated soon into Hebrew." -- Adam Ferziger, Marginalia, a Los Angeles Review of Books, February 2016 [Subject: Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, History]

Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)

Historical Study & Educational Resources

It is commonly asserted that Maimonides' famous Thirteen Principles are the last word in Orthodox Jewish theology. This is a very popular notion, and is often repeated by scholars from all camps in Judaism. Yet such a position ignores the long history of Jewish theology in which Maimonides' principles have been subject to great dispute. Now available in paperback, this book begins with a discussion of the significance of the principles and illustrates how they assumed such a central place in traditional Judaism. Each of the principles is then considered in turn - the reasons underlying Maimonides' formulation are expounded and the disputes that have arisen concerning them are discussed in detail. The authoritative analysis makes it quite clear that the notion that Maimonides' principles are the last word in traditional Jewish theology is a misconception, and that even Maimonides himself was not fully convinced of every aspect of his formulation. Although structured around Maimonides' principles, the book can also be seen as an encyclopedia of traditional Jewish thought concerning the central issues of Jewish theology. The diversity of opinion in Jewish tradition on such issues as God, Creation, and the Revelation of the Torah are sure to surprise readers. 2004 National Jewish Book Award Finalist.

Ḥakirah is honored to present lectures given approximately 70 years ago by Ha-Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zt”l on the opening verses of the Torah. In the five lectures presented here as the first of three installments, the Rav’s focus is on the question raised by the Amora Rav Yitzḥak as to why the Torah dwells on the story of creation and what philosophical truths we are to learn from it. Further delving into the Rav’s philosophical works is a review essay on Nietzsche, Soloveitchik and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy. The reviewer argues that “R. Soloveitchik took secular philosophy as a foil rather than as a foun-dation for his own hashkafa, which was deeply rooted in Jewish sources.”While the Rav’s work was often dedicated to harmonizing Torah hashkafa and halakha, in our Jewish Thought section we deal with two other twentieth-century Jewish thinkers who emphasized one above the other and who consequently are considered on the fringes of Orthodoxy. In an “Introduction to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Philosophy” we see that for Heschel the values and philosophy of Judaism overshadowed the importance of halakha. On the other hand, in “Sanctifying Our Choices: The Solution to the Paradox of Orthodoxy,” an essay on the thought of Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz, we see that his thinking was the reverse, that all emphasis should be placed on halakha.The thought of another famous thinker who dealt with the challenges of modernity is explored in “Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Jews in a Non-Jewish World,” which features the first English language translation of a book review by Rav Hirsch where he expounds about the appreciation Jews can get about Judaism itself from reading works that deal with Christian life. And in “The Life and Work of Dr. Menachem Mendel Yehudah Leib Sergei: A Torah U-Madda Titan in the Early Twentieth Century” we are introduced to and inspired by a unique but overlooked Jewish physician “who combines Torah, fear of G-d, and wisdom in an extraordinary way.”Several articles deal with censorship. In our Forum section, two scholars debate whether ArtScroll censored Rashi to disguise a non-traditional opinion of his, and present differing views on Rashi’s inter-pretation of the term tikun soferim. In “The Brothers Tugendhold &amp; Jewish Censorship in the Nineteenth Century: Addition and Subtrac-tion in the Warsaw 1853 Ḥumash,” the author examines the motives and guidelines behind Jewish self-censorship a century ago. In “The Ban on R. Yeḥiel Michal Pines in Jerusalem and his relationship with his brother-in-law, Rabbi David Friedman of Karlin,” we read of another type of “censorship” targeting what the Zealots of Jerusalem considered the intrusion of foreign influences into the Holy City of Jerusalem. In our Minhag section in an article entitled “Is it Permissible to turn one’s back to the Hekhal or Kotel During Qabbalat Shabbat?” the author objects to what he considers an errant new custom.A Hebrew article on Halakha looks at the RCA’s prenuptial agreement, calling for its wider acceptance, while an English-language article “A Prenuptial Agreement by and for the Ḥaredi Community” presents a new such agreement that has haskamot from the Ḥaredi world.Apropos of the season of Teshuva, a comprehensive article on “Rehashing The Free Will Question” examines all the explanations that have been put forth over the generations to deal with this challenging issue. In our Torah and Medicine Section “Epigenetics Revolution: The Power to Self-regulate and Control Human Behavior” issues of halakha and hashkafa are addressed, as the authors use the latest advances in science to propose “that there might be a molecular/cellular understanding, based on epigenetics, of how a lifestyle devoted to doing mitzvot can enhance this capacity to control behavior.”

Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought: (Volume 27)

Bedzow, Ira

Reichman, Edward

Triebitz, Meir

Goldman, David P.

Herczeg, Yisrael Isser Zvi

Loike, John D.

Tendler, Moshe D.

This volume of Ḥakirah emerges amidst a period of uncertainty, unease, and change, both in the world in general and in the Jewish world in particular. The articles in this issue deal with the challenges of responding to changing times and circumstances, both historically and in our own era. 
Our Jewish Thought section deals with Israel’s response to change and to modernity in general. Our opening article, “Maimonides on the Messianic Era: The Grand Finale of Olam Ke-Minhago Noheg,”shows that Rambam’s core messianic teaching is an outgrowth of his entire religious perspective “which eschews divine intervention and promotes human initiative.” The second article, “For the Love of Humanity: The Religious Humanism of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch,” looks closely at Hirsch’s universalist vision and seeks to use it as a guide for dealing with modernity. In “The Search for the Elusive Center: Norman Lamm and American Orthodoxy,”the authorexplains that Rabbi Lamm’s goal in renaming Modern Orthodoxy as Centrist Orthodoxy was to clarify the movement’s ideology and enhance its attractiveness. He contends, however, that “the failure of the attempted rebranding illustrates the internal contradictions of an Orthodox Judaism open to the intellectual and social currents of the wider world” and then points out new challenges that still need to be faced. 
A collection of the private correspondence of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zẓ”l, opens a window into the Rav’s views on a host of issues. Of special interest are letters dealing with his relationship to the State of Israel. While the Rav never ceased his great support for the State of Israel—one letter confirms his support for Mizrachi—other letters show he also recognized secular Zionism’s anti-religious trends and sought to oppose them. Ultimately, he refuses to vie for the chief rabbinate, explaining that the time dedicated to politics would not enable him to learn and teach Torah properly, and concluding, “I am a melamed.”In yet another letter, “A Letter from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik to Aaron Zeitlin,”the Rav speaks of his belief—in direct opposition to that of Israel’s leaders—that the new State of Israel must be guided by the philosophy that emerges from halakhah and that, indeed, the entire world needs to be guided by it. Rambam’s messianic view lies at the heart of the Rav’s vision of a New World Order emerging from the sources of halakhah. 
In our Jewish Law section, in “Tax Ethics in Rashba’s Responsa to Saragossa,”we see the universalist potential of halakhah, as the insights of one of our greatest rishonim are echoed much later by the legendary justice, Judge Learned Hand. Another article in this section, “Criminal Proceedings Against a Jew in a Non-Jewish Court for Get Refusal: The Effect on the Validity of the Get,” argues that modern government institutions can be used to aid Jewish courts in preventing the state of igun.

Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought (Volume 32)

Warburg, A. Yehuda

Diamond, James A.

Zelcer, Mark

Krakowski, Eliyahi

Leibowitz, Atyeh

Loewenberg, F. M.

Zuckier, Shlomo

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