Rosenzweig and Heidegger: Between Judaism and German Philosophy (Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism, 33)

364 Pages·2003·1.28 MB·English

by  Peter Eli Gordon

th(cid:18)e s.(cid:18) mark(cid:18) taper f(cid:18)oundation
imprint(cid:18) in (cid:18)jewish s(cid:18)tudies
by t(cid:18)his e(cid:18)ndowment
the (cid:18)s. m (cid:18)ark t(cid:18)aper f(cid:18)oundati o(cid:18)n supports
the (cid:18)appreciation(cid:18) an(cid:18)d understanding
of th (cid:18)e r(cid:18)ichness(cid:18) and (cid:18) diversit (cid:18)y of
jewish (cid:18)life and(cid:18) culture
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous
contribution to this book provided by the Jewish
Studies Endowment of the University of California
Press Associates, which is supported by a major gift
from the S. Mark Taper Foundation.
Rosenzweig and Heidegger
WEIMAR AND NOW: GERMAN CULTURAL CRITICISM
Edward Dimendberg, Martin Jay, and Anton Kaes, General Editors
Rosenzweig
and Heidegger
Between Judaism and German Philosophy
Peter Eli Gordon
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
Publication costs for this book were offset by a
generous grant from the Koret Foundation.
The quotation from the Paul Celan poem “Sprachgitter,” in the
collectionSprachgitter,© 1959 S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am
Main, appears by permission of the publisher.
Portions of chapter 1 originally appeared in “Science, Finitude, and
Infinity: Neo-Kantianism and the Birth of Existentialism,”Jewish
Social Studies6, no. 1 (Spring 2000), 30–53.
Portions of chapter 5 originally appeared in “Rosenzweig and
Heidegger: Translation, Ontology, and the Anxiety of Affiliation,”
New German Critique77 (Spring–Summer 1999), 113–48.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2003 by the Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gordon, Peter Eli.
Rosenzweig and Heidegger : between Judaism and German
philosophy / Peter Eli Gordon.
p. cm.—(Weimar and now ; 33)
Includes index.
isbn0-520-23611-4 (alk. paper).
1. Judaism and philosophy. 2. Judaism—Germany—
20th century. 3. Philosophy, Jewish—Germany—20th century.
4. Jews—Germany—1918-1933. 5. Rosenzweig, Franz, 1886-
1929—Criticism and interpretation. 6. Heidegger, Martin,
1889–1976—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. II. Series.
b154 .g67 2003
181’.06—dc21 2002012603
Manufactured in Canada
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and totally
chlorine-free (tcf). It meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (r1997)(Permanence of Paper). (cid:2)(cid:2)
To my parents, Milton and Elaine,
to my sister and brother, Karen and David,
l’’z
and to the memory of my sister Nancy ( ).

Ben Zoma says, Who is wise? He who learns from every person.
As it is said, “From all my teachers I grew wise.”
—Pirkei Avoth, IV
(Wär ich wie du. Wärst du wie Ich.
Standen wir nicht
unter einemPassat?
Wir sind Fremde.)
[Were I like you. Were you like me.
Did we not stand
beneath a singletrade wind?
We are strangers.]
paul celan
— , “Sprachgitter”