Halakha, theology, practice, and the inner life of Jewish observance.
Rambam, Maimonides, Abu Imran, or the Ra”m ba”r Maza”l, as he was variously known, was not just a legal scholar and judge, not just a doctor and a philosopher, but a contemplative mystic on the path of prophecy, not just practicing conceptual-emotional quietude through meditative prayer but actively living a life of self-abnegation, service, and … Read more
Go to yourselfFrom what you wereTold you areFrom your father’sHopes and dreamsFrom the limitsOf those around youTo the land thatI will show youWithin your soulBeyond the horizonOf your waking worldTo the sacred soilOf your questing heartSearching for meBefore I called Go for yourselfGo for your freedom, your beloved, your truthCross over the abyssBetween what is … Read more
From his Islamic context, R Abraham b haRambam drew the obvious conclusion – if our traditional laws describe ideas and prescribe practices, and it’s accepted in the prevailing milieu to discuss those ideas and do those practices, then why aren’t we? Food for thought from the modern Middle East.
As someone approaching the subject from the Maimonidean angle, it amazes me how people attribute innovations to Rambam’s son that are actually earlier described in Rambam’s works, and much of which is first mentioned in the classical rabbinic literature. Many things that they attribute to Islamic Sufi influence are clearly revivals of the documented earlier … Read more
I respect Haredim. I think that their counter-cultural ethos is inspirational and the construction of a lifestyle revolving around the study and observance of Torah is admirable. I, too, value the study of Torah and in fact I think that it can be a valid form of national service, on par with army service, in … Read more
I’ll go one step further and argue that the origins and historical trajectories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can not be adequately understood from within the framework of Jewish Studies and require the updated framework of Israelite Studies for proper analysis, explanation, and theory.
Elephantine. Idumea. Himyar. Kaifeng. Samaritans. Bené Anusím. Bene Israel. Beta Israel. Bene Menashe. Igbo. Qaraites. Amazighs. Palestinians. Ashkenaz. Sepharad. Teiman. Paras. Jewish Studies is an outdated discipline. It’s time to get serious about Israelite Studies.
The Igbo culture always surprises me. Today I learned that those Igbos that still pray according to the ways of Omenana, convene an additional service steeped in tradition (after they recite together the tephilloth that they have learned from Jewish sources) with the invocation: “Whom do Igbos serve?” “Yah!” I don’t think we’re talking about … Read more
Zion is mentioned 196 times in Isaiah. 64 times in Jeremiah. 130 times in the Twelve Prophets. 152 times in Tehillim. 441 times in the Talmuds (374 in the Zohar!) 98 times in the Ashkenazi liturgy. 228 times in the Mizrahi liturgy. Over 1400 times in the most popular collections of responsa literature. But yes, … Read more
A valued friend privately messaged me to take issue with my personal insult to Yosef Mizrachi in a previous post. He felt it was in conflict with the overarching principle of politeness in the Religious way. I agree with the importance of politeness (although Lord knows my tongue sometimes gets ahead of my filter, mea … Read more