Rabbis of our Time - Authorities of Judaism in the Religious and Political Ferment of Modern Times

238 Pages·2016·8.489 MB·English

by  Marek Čejka, Roman Kořan

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Rabbis of our Time
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13 The term ‘rabbi’ predominantly denotes Jewish men qualified to interpret the Torah
14 and apply Halacha, or those entrusted with the religious leadership of a Jewish com-
15 munity. However, the role of the rabbi has been understood differently across the
16 Jewish world. While in Israel they control legally powerful rabbinical courts and
17 major religious political parties, in the Jewish communities of the Diaspora this role
18 is often limited by legal regulations of individual countries. However, the signifi-
19 cance of past and present rabbis and their religious and political influence endures
across the world.
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Rabbis of our Time provides a comprehensive overview of the most influential rab-
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binical authorities of Judaism in the 20th and 21st Century. Through focussing on the
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most theologically influential rabbis of the contemporary era and examining their polit-
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ical impact, it opens a broader discussion of the relationship between Judaism and pol-
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itics. It looks at the various centres of current Judaism and Jewish thinking, especially
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the State of Israel and the USA, as well as locating rabbis in various time periods.
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Through interviews and extracts from religious texts and books authored by rabbis,
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readers will discover more about a range of rabbis, from those before the formation of
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Israel to the most famous Chief Rabbis of Israel, as well as those who did not reach the
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highest state religious functions, but influenced the relation between Judaism and Israel
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by other means. The rabbis selected represent all major contemporary streams of
31 Judaism, from ultra-O rthodox/Haredi to Reform and Liberal currents, and together
32 create a broader picture of the scope of contemporary Jewish thinking in a theological
33 and political context.
34 An extensive and detailed source of information on the varieties of Jewish think-
35 ing influencing contemporary Judaism and the modern State of Israel, this book is of
36 interest to students and scholars of Jewish Studies, as well as Religion and Politics.
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38 Marek Čejka is a research scholar at the Institute of International Relations in
39 Prague and Military History Institute in Brno, focusing on the Middle East, the rela-
40 tionship between religion and politics, international law, religious radicalism and
41 terrorism.
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43 Roman Kořan has extensive experience researching issues in Judaism, in particular
44 Jewish Mysticism where he focuses primarily on the work of Rabbi Isaac Luria, as
well as translating Hebrew texts.
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Routledge Jewish studies series 22
Series Editor: Oliver Leaman 33
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University of Kentucky
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Studies, which are interpreted to cover the disciplines of history, sociology, 1133
anthropology, culture, politics, philosophy, theology, religion, as they relate to 1144
Jewish affairs. The remit includes texts which have as their primary focus issues, 1155
ideas, personalities and events of relevance to Jews, Jewish life and the concepts 1166
which have characterised Jewish culture both in the past and today. The series is 1177
interested in receiving appropriate scripts or proposals. 1188
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Medieval Jewish Philosophy Philosophy of the Talmud 2200
An introduction Hyam Maccoby 2211
Dan Cohn- Sherbok 2222
From Synagogue to Church: The 2233
Facing the Other Traditional Design 2244
The ethics of Emmanuel Levinas Its beginning, its definition, its end 2255
Edited by Seán Hand John Wilkinson 2266
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Moses Maimonides
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Oliver Leaman Hidden Philosophy of Hannah
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Arendt
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A User’s Guide to Franz Margaret Betz Hull
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Rosenzweig’s Star of Redemption
3322
Norbert M. Samuelson Deconstructing the Bible
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Abraham ibn Ezra’s introduction to
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On Liberty
the Torah
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Jewish philosophical perspectives
Irene Lancaster
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Edited by Daniel H. Frank
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Referring to God Jewish Mysticism and Magic 3388
Jewish and Christian philosophical An anthropological perspective 3399
and theological perspectives Maureen Bloom 4400
Edited by Paul Helm 4411
Maimonides’ Guide To The 4422
Judaism, Philosophy, Culture Perplexed 4433
Selected studies by E.I.J. Rosenthal Silence and salvation 4444
Erwin Rosenthal Donald McCallum 4455
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11 Muscular Judaism From Falashas to Ethiopian Jews
22 The Jewish body and the politics of Daniel Summerfield
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44 Todd Samuel Presner Philosophy in a Time of Crisis
Don Isaac Abravanel: Defender of the
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66 Jewish Cultural Nationalism Faith
77 David Aberbach Seymour Feldman
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The Jewish–Chinese Nexus Jews, Muslims and Mass Media
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A meeting of civilizations Mediating the ‘Other’
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Edited by M. Avrum Ehrlich Edited by Tudor Parfitt with
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Yulia Egorova
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German- Jewish Popular Culture
1133 Jews of Ethiopia
before the Holocaust
1144 The birth of an elite
Kafka’s kitsch
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David Brenner
1166 and Tudor Parfitt
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The Jews as a Chosen People
1188 Art in Zion
Tradition and transformation
1199 The genesis of national art in Jewish
S. Leyla Gürkan
2200 Palestine
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Philosophy and Rabbinic Culture
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Jewish interpretation and controversy
2233 Hebrew Language and Jewish
in medieval Languedoc
2244 Thought
Gregg Stern
2255 David Patterson
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Jewish Blood
Contemporary Jewish Philosophy
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Reality and metaphor in history,
An introduction
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religion and culture
Irene Kajon
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Edited by Mitchell B. Hart
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Antisemitism and Modernity
3311 Jewish Education and History Innovation and continuity
3322 Continuity, crisis and change Hyam Maccoby
3333 Moshe Aberbach, edited and
3344 translated by David Aberbach Jews and India
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History, image, perceptions
3366 Jews and Judaism in Modern China Yulia Egorova
3377 M. Avrum Ehrlich
3388 Collaboration with the Nazis
3399 Political Theologies in the Holy Land The Holocaust and after
4400 Israeli Messianism and its critics Edited by Roni Stauber
4411 David Ohana
4422 The Global Impact of the Protocols
4433 Image of the Black in Jewish Culture of the Elders of Zion
4444 A history of the other A century- old myth
4455 Abraham Melamed Edited by Esther Webman
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The Holocaust and Representations Emmanuel Levinas and the Limits 11
of the Jews to Ethics 22
History and identity in the museum A critique and a re-a ppropriation 33
K. Hannah Holtschneider Aryeh Botwinick 44
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War and Peace in Jewish Tradition Judaism in Contemporary Thought 66
From the biblical world to the present Traces and influence 77
Edited by Yigal Levin and Agata Bielik-R obson and Adam Lipszyc 88
Amnon Shapira 99
Jewish Cryptotheologies of Late 1100
Jesus among the Jews Modernity 1111
Representation and thought Philosophical marranos 1122
Edited by Neta Stahl Agata Bielik-R obson 1133
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God, Jews and the Media The Ugliness of Moses Mendelssohn 1155
Religion and Israel’s media Aesthetics, religion and morality in the 1166
Yoel Cohen eighteenth century 1177
Leah Hochman 1188
Rabbinic Theology and Jewish 1199
Intellectual History A History of Czechs and Jews 2200
The Great Rabbi Loew of Prague A Slavic Jerusalem 2211
Meir Seidler Martin Wein 2222
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Israeli Holocaust Research Boundaries, Identity and Belonging 2244
Birth and evolution in Modern Judaism 2255
Boaz Cohen Maria Diemling and Larry Ray 2266
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Modern Gnosis and Zionism The Name of God in Jewish 2288
The crisis of culture, life philosophy Thought 2299
and Jewish national thought A philosophical analysis of mystical 3300
Yotam Hotam traditions from apocalyptic to 3311
Kabbalah 3322
The European Jews, Patriotism and Michael T. Miller 3333
the Liberal State 1789–1939 3344
A study of literature and social Rabbis of our Time 3355
psychology Authorities of Judaism in the religious 3366
David Aberbach and political ferment of modern times 3377
Marek Čejka and Roman Kořan 3388
Jewish Women’s Torah Study 3399
Orthodox religious education and Rabbinic Judaism 4400
modernity Space and place 4411
Ilan Fuchs David Kraemer 4422
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Authorities of Judaism in the religious and
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First published 2016 22
by Routledge 33
Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
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and by Routledge
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711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
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© 2016 selection and editorial matter, Marek Čejka and Roman Kořan;
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individual chapters, the contributors
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The right of the editors Marek Čejka and Roman Kořan to be identified as
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the author of the editorial matter, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the 1111
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 1122
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or 1133
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
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known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing 1155
from the publishers. 1166
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or 1177
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation 1188
without intent to infringe.
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British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data
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Rabbis of our time: authorities of Judaism in the religious and political
ferment of modern times/edited by Marek Cejka and Roman Koran. 2233
pages cm 2244
1. Rabbis–Biography. 2. Rabbis–Office–History–20th century. 3. Jewish
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law–Interpretation and construction. 4. Jewish law–Decision making.
I. Cejka, Marek, 1975– editor. II. Koran, Roman, editor. 2266
BM750.R145 2016 2277
296.092′2–dc23 2015016784
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ISBN: 978-1-138-81316-8 (hbk)
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ISBN: 978-1-315-74832-0 (ebk)
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Typeset in Times New Roman
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Contents
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1133 About the authors xiii
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2 Who are rabbis? 5
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3 Profiles of rabbinical authorities 9
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The miraculous father from Morocco 10
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2233 YISRAEL ABuHATzEIRA ANd BARuCH ABuHATzEIRA
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2255 Heaven’s will from Ger 15
2266 AvRAHAM MORdECHAI ALTER
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2288 The rabbi with an Iron Cross 23
2299 LEO BAECK
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3311 With body and soul against Zionism 28
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AMRAM BLAu ANd RuTH BLAu
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The ‘dead’ Hasids 33
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THE BRASLAv HASIdS ANd THEIR RABBIS
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The Sephardi mentor of the settlers 38
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MORdECHAI TzEMACH ELIYAHu
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The successor of Rabbi Shach 43
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4422 YOSEf SHALOM ELYASHIv
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4444 The Jewish settler as the peacekeeper 47
4455 MENACHEM fROMAN
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x Contents
A rabbi serving as a general 53 11
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SHLOMO GOREN
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The rabbi who convinced the pope 58 44
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ABRAHAM YEHOSHuA (YOSHuA) HESCHEL
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The Palestinian rabbis 66
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MOSHE HIRSCH ANd YISRAEL MEIR HIRSCH
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The rabbi who predicted the coming of the Messiah 76
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YITzHAK KAduRI 1122
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The rabbi for everyday 82
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ISRAEL MEIR HA- KOHEN/KAGAN 1155
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Never again 87 1177
MEIR dAvId KAHANE ANd BENJAMIN zE’Ev KAHANE 1188
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The vision of a man 94 2200
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AvROHOM YESHAYA KARELITz – CHAzON ISH
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Redeemers of the land 99
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AvRAHAM YITzCHAK HA- KOHEN KOOK ANd
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TzvI YEHudA KOOK
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A friend of John Paul II 111
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YISRAEL MEIR LAu 2299
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The settler from Hebron 116 3311
MOSHE LEvINGER 3322
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The Messiah from Brooklyn? 123 3344
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MENACHEM MENdEL SCHNEERSOHN
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The Lithuanian giant 132
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ELAzAR MENACHEM MAN SHACH
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In the name of the Torah and science 137
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JOSEPH dOv (BER) HA- LEvI SOLOvEITCHIK 4422
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The guardian of Jerusalem 144 4444
YOSEf CHAIM SONNENfELd (zONNENfELd) 4455
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