Jewish book reviews

To put Leaves of Faith into context, it is worth dwelling briefly on Lichtenstein's background. Born in 1933 in France, his family escaped the Holocaust and fled to the States, ultimately coming to study under Rabbi JB Soleveitchik, of whom he became a lifelong talmid (and son-in-law) of. He also completed a PhD at Harvard University in English Literature, a subject that continued to influence his religious works, outlook and style, explicitly and implicitly. He then lived and worked in Israel as head of a talmudic college for over four decades; lecturing, mentoring and writing. Leaves of Faith is a unique two volume work on Jewish learning and living, made up of the extraordinary intellectual contribution of the thought of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, one of the greatest twentieth century post-war thinkers. The author is not at all scared of tackling the most fundamental questions in Jewish life, and he does so with style, humility and rigour. Volume 1, 'The World of Jewi

One cannot overstate the great intellectual heights reached by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, one of the greatest of the twentieth century Rabbis. He came from a background stooped in religious and secular greatness, coming from the infamous 'Brisk' tradition of talmudic analysis and biblical exegesis of Rabbi JB Soleveitchik, and a PhD in English Literature from Harvard University. In this beautiful work, touching both the mind and the soul, a collection of essays, culled from the infamous talks (sichot) of Rabbi Lichtenstein, are presented. Essentially, it is a collection of his thought on the issue of divine service. But don't be fooled! This is interpreted in the broadest possible sense, encompassing 'classic' questions like modes of serving God, and also more probing issues like the role of faith (bitachon), mutual responsibility (aravut) and character refinement. A breathaking range of issues that will be of pertinent interest especially to religious Jews, but I

One of the most outstanding pieces of scholarship I have ever read, Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View is the product of a long and intensive period of research and analysis by one of the top Judaic scholars in the UK. Rapoport manages to succinctly combine research and information coming from both Jewish and secular (especially psychological) sources to create an orthodox Jewish approach to sexual ethics. Prefaced with a foreword by the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, and endorsed by well known figures in the Jewish world like Dayan Berkowitz, Rapoport has divides his book into sensible chapters, each tackling the issue from a different perspective. It begins with a biblical approach to the subject, quoting from the contemporary Halachik authorities, to build a timeless perspective. On every page, you can 'read between the lines' to sense Rapoport's highly sensitive and nuanced approach, both from an intellectual and relationships-based perspective.  Eac

Moshe Halbertal is one of those rare scholars, and this book reflects his uniqueness as a scholar and most of all as a writer.  'Maimonides Life and Thought'  contains both biographical and academic information of one of the most influential medieval philosophers and thus offers a refreshing perspective on the magnitude of Maimonides' academic achievements given his tumultuous upbringing. Firstly, it may be said that the title is a little misleading: the book is much more about Maimonides' thought than his life. Whilst it is probably Maimonides' fascinating and broad thought that motivates the reader rather than biographical details, the title would seem to imply that Halbertal gives equal weight to his life and thought. In fact, out of eight chapters, only one is dedicated entirely to Maimonides' life, but this chapter is surprisingly comprehensive: 68 pages long and covers his entire life, including his time in Spain, North Africa and Egypt. I feel as if Hal

Maimonides, unquestionably one of the greatest medieval philosophers of his time, is also one of the most difficult to write about. For instance, The Guide for the Perplexed requires a background in Aristotelian philosophy to be fully grasped, and the 'Mishneh Torah' a familiarity with Jewish law! Such broad skills make a true Maimonidean out of reach for all but the very few. Menachem Kellner has dedicated his life and career to understanding this enigmatic Jewish scholar and philosopher, and the 'confrontation with mystircism' no doubt adds to his impressive portfolio of commentary and analysis. Well done to 'The Littman Library of Jewish Civilisation' as well for bringing out so many classic and contemporary titles in the nuanced field of Jewish Studies. You get the feeling that Kellner aims to provide an all-round education to the reader in addition to specifically dealing with the Maimonides/mystercism problem. The text covers so many areas in order to

A small, surprising book, Shapiro benefits greatly from the fantastic forward by Rabbi Shachter-Shalomi, a Hasidic scholar  par excellence  who draws on his own personal religious experience to discuss some of the aspects of the Tanya that stand out to him. Shapiro begins by introducing the key philosophical ideas in the Tanya - the mystical, the metaphysical, the technical and the spiritual. As you would expect, the mystical concept of 'the five worlds' is looked at closely as well as the more traditional theological positions such as divine non-duality ('simplicity'). This is a much needed 'toolkit' in order to understand the chapters that come afterwards. The way the chapters are written themselves are a little bizarre, and requires some getting used to! Basically, each chapter is titled with the 'headline' of the corresponding chapter in the Tanya itself. For example,  chapter 32 is 'love your neighbour', since love between man and his fell