Jewish Studies Commons^™

Reading Strauss On Maimonides: A New Approach, Alan Verskin

Journal of Textual Reasoning

No abstract provided.

In Defense Of Negative Theology: A Reply To Steven Kepnes, Kenneth Seeskin

Journal of Textual Reasoning

No abstract provided.

Four Critiques Of Crescas Against Maimonides And The Relationship Of Intellect And Practice In Religion, Alexander Green

Journal of Textual Reasoning

No abstract provided.

The Inexhaustible Metaphor Of Light: Illuminating The Fault Lines Between Crescas And Maimonides, James A. Diamond

Journal of Textual Reasoning

Moses Maimonides’ (1138-1205) Guide of the Perplexed, and his later philosophical and theological arch-nemesis Hasdai Crescas’ (circa 1340-1412) Light of the Lord, are works of philosophical theology intended in a core sense as primers on how to properly understand God’s revealed word. Since metaphor and allegory are the primary instruments of philosophical exegesis my paper focuses on light as a root metaphor which illuminates an array of the challenges Crescas mounts against Maimonides. Their different uses of light imagery capture what is the core issue that informs the opposition between them across the theological spectrum. For Maimonides reason is the …

Hasdai Crescas's Philosophical Biblical Exegesis, Roslyn Weiss

Journal of Textual Reasoning

In this paper I present several examples of Crescas’s biblical exegesis in which his unique understanding of the text in question informs his philosophic ideas. We shall consider first a Crescasian interpretation of a biblical text in which there is a pointed and explicit departure from a Maimonidean interpretation: trials in general and the Aqeidah, the Binding of Isaac, in particular. What we shall see is that for Crescas, the purpose of this trial is to increase Abraham’s love for God, since, on Crescas’s understanding, the purpose of doing deeds—whether in the form of specific trials or in fulfilling commandments …

Collaborative Constructions: Designing High School History Curriculum With The Lost & Found Game Series, Owen Gottlieb, Shawn Clybor

Articles

This chapter addresses design research and iterative curriculum design for the Lost & Found games series. The Lost & Found card-to-mobile series is set in Fustat (Old Cairo) in the twelfth century and focuses on religious laws of the period. The first two games focus on Moses Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, a key Jewish law code. A new expansion module which was in development at the time of the fieldwork described in this article that introduces Islamic laws of the period, and a mobile prototype of the initial strategy game has been developed with support National Endowment for the Humanities. The …

Playing At The Crossroads Of Religion And Law: Historical Milieu, Context And Curriculum Hooks In Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This chapter presents the use of Lost & Found – a purpose-built tabletop to mobile game series – to teach medieval religious legal systems. The series aims to broaden the discourse around religious legal systems and to counter popular depiction of these systems which often promote prejudice and misnomers. A central element is the importance of contextualizing religion in period and locale. The Lost & Found series uses period accurate depictions of material culture to set the stage for play around relevant topics – specifically how the law promoted collaboration and sustainable governance practices in Fustat (Old Cairo) in twelfth-century …

Applying Maimonides’ Hilkhot Teshuvah–Laws Of Repentance – In The Criminal Law System Of The State Of Israel: An Israeli Judge’S Perspectives, Moshe Drori

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Is “Vital Motion” A Halakhic Concept?, Ira Bedzow, Noam Stadlan, John Loike

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Legal Significance Of Custom In The Halakhic Jurisprudence Of Rabbi Yechiel Mikhel Epstein’S Arukh Hashulchan, Shlomo C. Pill, Michael J. Broyde

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prosocial Religion And Games: Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Articles

In a time when religious legal systems are discussed without an understanding of history or context, it is more important than ever to help widen the understanding and discourse about the prosocial aspects of religious legal systems throughout history. The Lost & Found (www.lostandfoundthegame.com) game series, targeted for an audience of teens through twentysomethings in formal, learning environments, is designed to teach the prosocial aspects of medieval religious systems—specifically collaboration, cooperation, and the balancing of communal and individual/family needs. Set in Fustat (Old Cairo) in the 12th century, the first two games in the series address laws in Moses Maimonides’ …

Finding Lost & Found: Designer’S Notes From The Process Of Creating A Jewish Game For Learning, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This article provides context for and examines aspects of the design process of a game for learning. Lost & Found (2017a, 2017b) is a tabletop-to-mobile game series designed to teach medieval religious legal systems, beginning with Moses Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (1180), a cornerstone work of Jewish legal rabbinic literature. Through design narratives, the article demonstrates the complex design decisions faced by the team as they balance the needs of player engagement with learning goals. In the process the designers confront challenges in developing winstates and in working with complex resource management. The article provides insight into the pathways the team …

Maimonides On Teshuvah: The Ways Of Repentance, Henry M. Abramson

Lander College of Arts and Sciences Books

Teshuvah: from the Hebrew root “to return” and often translated as “repentance,” teshuvah represents an answer to spiritual or intellectual challenge, just as a question requires a response and a home awaits a return. Maimonides on Teshuvah is a translation and commentary on The Ways of Repentance, the first comprehensive study of teshuvah in Jewish literary history.

This is the fifth edition of this work.

Lost & Found: Order In The Court -- The Party Game, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Presentations and other scholarship

Lost & Found is a strategy card-to-mobile game series that teaches medieval religious legal systems with attention to period accuracy and cultural and historical context.

The Lost & Found games project seeks to expand the discourse around religious legal systems, to enrich public conversations in a variety of communities, and to promote greater understanding of the religious traditions that build the fabric of the United States. Comparative religious literacy can build bridges between and within communities and prepare learners to be responsible citizens in our pluralist democracy.

The second game in the series, Lost & Found: Order in the Court …

Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber, Kelly Murdoch-Kitt

Presentations and other scholarship

Lost & Found is a strategy card-to-mobile game series that teaches medieval religious legal systems with attention to period accuracy and cultural and historical context.

The Lost & Found games project seeks to expand the discourse around religious legal systems, to enrich public conversations in a variety of communities, and to promote greater understanding of the religious traditions that build the fabric of the United States. Comparative religious literacy can build bridges between and within communities and prepare learners to be responsible citizens in our pluralist democracy.

The first game in the series is a strategy game called Lost & …

Book Review: Maimonides: Life And Thought, David B. Levy

Touro College Libraries Publications and Research

The author reviews the book Maimonides: Life and Thought.

Hermann Cohen, Maimonides, And The Jewish Virtue Of Humility, Robert Erlewine

Scholarship

This paper explores Hermann Cohen’s engagement with, and appropriation of, Maimonides to refute the common assumption that Cohen’s endeavor was to harmonize Judaism with Western culture. Exploring the changes of Cohen’s conception of humility from Ethik des reinen Willens to the Ethics of Maimonides and Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism, this paper highlights the centrality of the collective Jewish mission to bear witness against the dominant order of Western civilization and philosophy in Cohen’s Jewish thought.

This article was published as part of a special issue of the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, "Ancients and …

Hermann Cohen, Maimonides, And The Jewish Virtue Of Humility, Robert Erlewine

Robert Erlewine

This paper explores Hermann Cohen’s engagement with, and appropriation of, Maimonides to refute the common assumption that Cohen’s endeavor was to harmonize Judaism with Western culture. Exploring the changes of Cohen’s conception of humility from Ethik des reinen Willens to the Ethics of Maimonides and Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism, this paper highlights the centrality of the collective Jewish mission to bear witness against the dominant order of Western civilization and philosophy in Cohen’s Jewish thought. This article was published as part of a special issue of the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, "Ancients and …

Two Rabbinic Views Of Christianity In The Middle Ages, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper compares and contrasts two rabbinic views of Christianity that arose in the Middle Ages and was presented at the 45th International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 14, 2010.

Significant Dynamics Of Masorah As Attested In Early Rabbinic Texts, Qumran Pesharim And The Teachings Of Jesus, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper outlines the significant dynamics of the classical masoretic text of the Bible as demonstrated in early rabbinic texts, Qumran pesharim and the teachings of Jesus. This paper was presented at the Twenty-First Congress of the International Organization for Masoretic Studies in conjunction with the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Boston, MA on November 24, 2008.

Sabbath Controversy: Ibn Ezra And Rashbam In The Twelfth Century, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper examines the mid-twelfth century controversy that arose over the issue of whether the Sabbath begins at evening or in the morning and was presented at the 43rd International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 8, 2008.

A Jewish Law View Of World Law, Michael J. Broyde

Faculty Articles

This paper will explore two basic Jewish law questions which reflect on the technical issues related to Professor Berman's world law proposal. The first question asks how Jewish law views public international law and whether public international law can be incorporated into the corpus of Jewish law. The second question asks how Jewish law generally incorporates domestic (municipal) law into Jewish law and if this classical paradigm of integration assists in formulating a Jewish law view of world law. To the best of my knowledge, the first matter is a question of nearly first impression in the Jewish law literature.

Rabbinic Hermeneutics Of Medieval Jewish-Christian Polemics, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper compares and contrasts rabbinic hermeneutics of Jewish-Christian polemics during the twelfth and thirteen centries and was presented at the 39th International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 6, 2004.

Medieval Massorah’S Impact On Hebrew Philology, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper examines the impact the Medieval Massorah had on the development of Hebrew philology and was presented at the 37th International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 2, 2002.

Standardization Of The Biblical Text And The Massoretic Tradition Of The Leningrad Codex, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper analyzes the standardization of the biblical text and the massoretic tradition of the Leningrad Codex and was presented at the 36th International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 3, 2001.

The Other And The Stranger In Biblical And Rabbinic Tradition, Asher Finkel

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.