New and Noteworthy Books
Berel Dov Lerner, Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Covenants and Cross-Purposes (Routeledge)
This book employs a close reading of Jewish texts in conjunction with Western philosophy, in order to provide a fresh approach to the age-old questions of God’s responsibility for human suffering, His interaction with history and the human world, the intersection of religion and politics, and the tension between divine commands and morality. Berel Dov Lerner proposes the idea that God and humankind have independent moral worldviews that do not necessarily coincide, and are nevertheless bound together by a covenant.
Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man: 40th Anniversary Edition, translated from Hebrew with a new preface, introduction, annotations, and glossary by Lawrence J. Kaplan (JPS)
Halakhic Man, the iconic work of twentieth-century Jewish religious thought written by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, expertly synthesizes philosophy and halakha through the exploration of religious psychology and phenomenology as well as the critique of mysticism and romanticism. This 40th-anniversary edition of the pivotal work includes a translator’s preface and introduction to the work’s importance in modern society, an extremely useful glossary of key philosophical terms, a bibliography, translator’s annotations, and indexes of sources and topics covered. The new additions will provide a fuller view of the meaning of this pivotal work of religious philosophy.
An Ode to Joy: Judaism and Happiness in the Thought of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Beyond, edited by Erica Brown and Shira Weiss (Palgrave Macmillan)
In the spirit of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathon Sacks, the Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University has compiled a collection of reflections on the importance of joy in Judaism. The topic was prominently discussed throughout R. Sacks’ work, and his writings provided universal messages that spanned beyond exclusively the Jewish world. The 46 chapters in An Ode to Joy highlight traditional Jewish primary sources from Biblical and Rabbinic sources to art and history, as well as positive psychology, and the writings of R. Sacks himself to enforce the idea of the significance of joy.
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook, Orot HaTorah, translated and annotated by Chanan Morrison (Independent)
Orot HaTorah explores the inherent relationship between the Jewish people, on an individual and national level, and the Torah, revealing the connection between Torah knowledge and the collective fate of the Jewish people. Rav Kook additionally contends with the harmonizing of one’s own interests and values with those of the Torah. He further explores the idea of learning lishmah, and gaining an appreciation for the intricacies within halakha. A section of this new book appeared originally in TRADITION (Winter 2020).
Doron Perez, The Jewish State From Opposition to Opportunity: A Vision for Unity in Israel and Why the World Needs It (Gefen Publishing)
R. Doron Perez addresses the pressing issues facing the contemporary Religious Zionist. He draws upon both historical and contemporary teachings, from those of Rav Kook and the Vilna Gaon to Rabbi Sacks and Robert Wistrich, in order to cover the topics of the dichotomy of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, the goals of a Jewish State in the modern world, and diversifying the Israeli population.
Zuzanna Krzemien, Shaping the Jewish Enlightenment: Solomon Dubno (1738-1813), An Eastern European Maskil (Academic Studies Press)
Kremzien, a promising young scholar who passed away prematurely in 2021, weaves a variety of sources together in order to create a rich tapestry of the connection between the Haskalah and Eastern European Jewish culture. The book provides insight into the life of Solomon Dubno (1738—1813), analyzing his connection to Moses Mendelssohn and the reasoning behind their divergence. It also highlights his masterful poetry, reflecting the diverse and often conflicting voices and perspectives of the Haskalah [sample a preview].
Emet le-Ya‘akov: Facing the Truths of History: Essays in Honor of Jacob J. Schacter, edited by Zev Eleff and Shaul Seidler-Feller (Academic Studies Press)
In celebration of the immense impact Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter’s work as a rabbi, professor, and scholar has made on the Jewish community, both in America and internationally, Emet le-Ya’akov is a compendium of essays centered around the topic of seeking historical truth and maintaining intellectual integrity. The essays raise poignant questions of historiography and facing uncomfortable truths, and are divided into three sections: Textual Traditions; Memory and Making of Meaning; and (Re)creating a Usable Past. The book additionally includes a biographical component, outlining Schachter’s life and key writings [preview the book here].
Debby Koren, Responsa in a Historical Context: A View of Post-Expulsion Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Communities through Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Responsa (Academic Studies Press)
This book explores the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish experience following expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Through the analysis of responsa written by contemporary halakhic authorities, Debby Koren provides a deep understanding of the rejuvenation of Spanish-Portuguese Jewish communal life during an otherwise tragic period of Jewish history. The book delves into issues that the people of the time grappled with, such as excommunication, agunot, inheritance in relation to Conversos, heresy, contracts, and the pressure to inform to the Venetian Inquisition [read an excerpt].
Hannan Hever, Hasidim, Haskalah, Zionism: Chapters in Literary Politics (University of Pennsylvania Press)
Hasidism, Haskalah, Zionism provides a rich analysis of the literary political landscape of the nineteenth-century Jewish experience, accounting for the disparities between Hasidic, Maskilic, and Zionist ideologies. Hannan Hever reveals how literature was employed as a nationalistic tool of hostility between Jewish communities, with which to assert dominance, status, and control for the competing ideologies of each. The book posits the ultimate point of conflict at the core of the three movements’ literature: the extreme difficulty in differentiating the theological aspects of contemporary Jewish discourse from national identity.
Shmuel Philips, Talmud Reclaimed: An Ancient Text in the Modern Era (Mosaica Press)
Talmud Reclaimed tackles pressing questions facing halakhists in the modern world, such as when Talmudic law can be amended and what makes it legally binding, which sections of the Talmud were directly received at Sinai, and how to view academic Talmud scholarship. The book additionally addresses key issues including evolution in regards to Talmudic study and the methodological differences in approach to Talmud study between Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions.
Pinkhes-Dov Goldenshteyn, The Shochet: A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea, presented and translated by Michoel Rotenfeld (Touro University Press)
The Shochet tells the tale of a traditional Jewish boy’s life in Tsarist Russia, eliciting discussions about communal life, religious beliefs, local politics, interactions between Jews and other communities, epidemics, migration, war, poverty, the encounter with modernity, and the impending threat of secularization during that period. Through Goldenshteyn’s autobiographical account, the larger tale of the Jewish struggle for survival under the oppression of the Russian Empire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is revealed. This newly translated edition of The Shochet makes this primary source accessible to a wider audience than the small circle of Yiddish-speaking scholars who have been able to study it until this point.
Compiled with the assistance of Hannah Shapiro. Appearance here does not preclude review in our print journal or on TraditionOnline.org. Publishers can contact our editor to submit titles.