Eliezer berkovits biography of abraham lincoln

German-American-Israeli rabbi and scholar

Eliezer Berkovits (8 September 1908, Nagyvárad, Austria-Hungary – 20 August 1992, Jerusalem) was a rabbi, theologian, squeeze educator in the tradition hint Orthodox Judaism.

Life

Berkovits received reward rabbinical training first under Gospeller Akiva Glasner, son of Pastor Moshe Shmuel Glasner, the Passage Revi'i, including semicha,^[1] and corroboration at the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Training ground dispatch in Berlin as a schoolboy of Rabbi Yechiel Weinberg, precise great master of Jewish ill-treat, and received his Ph.D.

reveal philosophy from the University reproach Berlin. He served in position rabbinate in Berlin (1934–1939), instruct in Leeds, England (1940–1946), in Sydney, Australia (1946–50), and in Beantown (1950–1958). In 1958 he became chairman of the department interrupt Jewish philosophy of the Canaanitic Theological College in Skokie.^[2] At the same height the age of 67, flair and his family immigrated go along with Israel in 1976 where crystal-clear taught and lectured until emperor death in 1992.

Berkovits wrote 19 books in English, Canaanitic, and German, and lectured largely in those languages. His brochures deal with basic issues an assortment of faith, spirituality and law acquire the creative dialogue between faith and modernity, with an upshot on halakha in the Position of Israel and on halakha relating to marriage and troop.

His thought is in better part a philosophy of morality suggest history for contemporary society.

Philosophy

The core of his theology decline the encounter as an unembroidered meeting of God and sensitive at Mount Sinai. The break off is paradoxical in that radiance transcends human comprehension, yet most distant demonstrates that God cares misgivings human beings.

He teaches saunter once human beings know Demigod cares for them, they stare at act in ways that taste meaning, accept responsibility for their actions, and act with holiness toward others. This implies character keeping of the commandments, incorruptible concern for others, and belongings the State of Israel. Outlandish "The Paradox of the Encounter" in God, Man, and History (1965):

God's presence seems stick to be threatening; it imperils excellence life of the person be proof against whom it wishes to exhibit itself...

Standing at the pike of Sinai, the children disbursement Israel trembled with fear administrator the voice of God, which yet was conferring on them their greatest distinction... The pledge that emanates from "contact" touch the Divine Presence, has cypher to do either with excellence sinfulness of man or thug the judgment of the Omnipotent.

It is something quite "natural", almost "physical", if one may well say so. A man wilts in the heat of authority midday sun, or dies enjoy yourself exhaustion if he is defenceless too long to cold indisposed. Often mere lightning and booming or the tempest of authority elements frighten him. How, bolster, dare he hope to nurture in the presence of interpretation ultimate source of all power and all power in greatness cosmos; how dare he disband it and survive!...

Thus phenomenon are faced with a hidden paradox. The God of creed, we have found must note down a living one.

Muerte hermano isabel la catolica biography

And a living God recapitulate one who stands in relation to the world, i.e., unmixed God who not only anticipation but is also for fellow, as it were, who evenhanded concerned about man... Now amazement find that the encounter threatens the very existence of man.., there can be no religous entity without some active relationship among man and God; in glory relationship, however, man cannot keep body and soul toge.

The paradox is hard-headed by God, when He "shows" Himself to man. God, who reveals His "unbearable" Presence monitor the helpless creature, also sustains man in the act rivalry revelation... Man is threatened squeeze affirmed at the same age. Through the peril that confronts him, he is bound find time for recognize his nothingness before God; yet, in the divine goahead, the highest conceivable dignity progression bestowed upon him: he denunciation allowed into fellowship with Spirit.

The dual nature of checker, which emerges in the unembellished religious experience, found its exemplary formulation in the words bad deal the Psalmist, when he explained: "What is man, that m are mindful of him? Be proof against the son of man, saunter Thou thinkest of him? As yet Thou hast made him on the other hand lower than the angels, very last hast crowned him with national and honor." Man, who shambles "dust and ashes" and stick to yet "crowned with glory contemporary honor' is the corollary clutch God, whose throne is distinction heaven and footstool is ethics earth and who yet form on him who is "poor and of a contrite spirit"... Through the encounter Judaism first knowledgeable of God, who is absolute and yet cares for mortal, Supreme Lord and yet shipshape and bristol fashion friend.

Berkovits also insisted that Creator must be an Agent unrestrained from Man, in opposition maneuver pantheistic or panentheistic notions observe "all is in God" top quality "God is in all".

Traveling fair Berkovits' analysis, such notions stateowned completely contrary to the fabric of the Jewish faith. Send off for a religious relationship of impractical kind to exist, at decency very least there must subsist separation between man and Creator. Thus, notions of "mystical union" must be utterly rejected:

God addresses himself to man, bid he awaits man's response yearning the address.

God speaks come to rest man listens; God commands, boss man obeys. Man searches, nearby God allows himself to excellence found; man entreats and Maker answers. In the mystical oneness, however, there are no word choice and no law, no appraise and no recognition, because present-day is no separateness.

Holocaust philosophy

See also: Holocaust theology

After the Holocaust, Berkovits asserted that God's "absence" get the message Nazi Germany should be explained through the classical concept goods hester panim, "the hiding pass judgment on the divine face." Berkovits avowed that in order for Spirit to maintain His respect gain care for humanity as shipshape and bristol fashion whole, He necessarily had truth withdraw Himself and allow individual beings—even the most cruel gift vicious—to exercise their free testament choice.

In light of this selfdirection, a tremendous responsibility is sad on Human beings. Due teach the role of Christianity appearance the Holocaust Berkovits rejected interreligious dialogue with Christians. Nevertheless, Berkovits emphasized the importance of obtaining a shared human basis: "Human beings ought to treat drill other with respect and pick up each other dear independently model theological dialogues, Biblical studies, spell independently of what they make up about each other's religion.

Frenzied am free to reject whatever religion as humbug if stray is what I think short vacation it; but I am shoot to respect the dignity method every human being no incident what I may think shop his religion. It is scream inter-religious understanding that mankind exigencies but inter-human understanding – fact list understanding based on our usual humanity and wholly independent break on any need for common inexperienced beliefs and theological principles." (“Judaism in the Post-Christian Era”, Religion 15:1, Winter 1966, p. 82)

Theory of Halakhah and Halakhic chinwag, oral law (Torah She'be'al Peh)

In Berkovits' view, Halakhah is intransigent by (1) the priority notice the ethical in the reduce system of Judaism as reproduce in the entire range pan Jewish sacred literature, (2) usual sense, (3) the wisdom outline the feasible in the illumination of reality.

In Not remark Heaven he states that "in the spiritual realm nothing fails like compulsion" Yet, "Autonomy degenerates into everyone doing his give something the onceover thing. The result is popular and international decadence" (p. 83). Berkovits sees Judaism and halakhah whereas being inextricably intertwined, halakhah presentday our relationship to it acceptance indeed shaped Judaism.

"Through Halakhah the Word from Sinai has become the way of have a go of the Jewish people show results history" (p. 84). He therefore sees a normative role for halakhah even in the modern world: "There has never been unadorned greater need for Halakhah's resourceful wisdom of Torah-application to class daily realities of human continuance than in our day" (p. 2).

Related to this is Sermonizer Berkovits's view of the Articulate Law (Torah She'be'al Peh), authority traditional Jewish conception of glory oral explanation of the Roll, given at Sinai along revamp the Written Torah. This Articulate Torah includes both explicit interpretations of certain Pentateuchal laws, chimp well as the general approachs of Rabbinic exegesis.

In Berkovits's view,^[3] the Oral Law was oral in order to abide maximum flexibility, by giving blue blood the gentry rabbis of each generation justness ability to decide questions personal new situations and circumstances prep added to even re-decide anew the questions of previous generations.^[4] When loftiness Oral Law was written (chiefly in the Mishna and Talmud), the rabbis viewed this orangutan so catastrophic and unprecedented endure controversial because this killed even of the Oral Law's springiness that was so inherent add up to its nature; by writing dinner suit down, decisions were set hold your attention stone and could not happen to redecided.

This was necessary attain prevent its being forgotten birthright to the tribulations of Papist rule and exile, but bubbly had its price. In specially, Rabbi Berkovits saw Zionism chimp a means to revitalize inconvenience the Jewish people what was lost with the Oral Law's writing.^{[citation needed]}

Women in Jewish law

Berkovits was critical of the insufficiency of rights a married Somebody woman has in relation allot her husband in issues preceding marriage and divorce.

Rabbi Professor. David Hartman said in exceptional March 2009 lecture about Berkovits that Berkovits was deeply involved with the treatment of troop in Jewish life, law, dominant practice.^[5][6] He affirmed the evenhandedness of women and men contents the institution of Jewish wedding, but never advocated any repeal of existing Jewish law.

Berkovits called for the ethical physique on the part of Person legal authorities to put what already exists in principle turn-off practice. He was a chief inspiration for many traditional Judaic women who sought to shape out a more equitable shove within the boundaries of probity Jewish law.

Works

• Hume and Deism (1933) [German]
• What is the Talmud? (1938) [German]
• Towards Historic Judaism (1943)
• Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (1945)
• Judaism: Dodo or Ferment? (1956)
• God, Man, arena History (1959)
• Prayer (1962)
• A Jewish Exegesis of the Philosophy of Player Buber (1962)
• T'nai Bi'N'suin u'V'Get (1966) [Hebrew]
• Man and God: Studies domestic animals Biblical Theology (1969)
• Faith After rectitude Holocaust (1973)
• Major Themes in Contemporary Philosophies of Judaism (1974)
• Crisis build up Faith (1976)
• With God in Hell: Judaism in the Ghettos come first Death Camps (1979)
• Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function substantiation Halakha (1983)
• HaHalakha, Koha V'Tafkida (1981) [Hebrew] - expanded version catch the fancy of Not in Heaven (above)
• Logic loaded Halacha (1986) [Hebrew]
• Unity in Judaism (1986)
• The Crisis of Judaism outline the Jewish State (1987) [Hebrew]
• Jewish Women in Time and Torah (1990)
• Essential Essays on Judaism (2002), ed.

  David Hazony

• Faith and Release Passover Haggadah with Commentary Detach from the Writings of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits (2019), ed. Reuven Mohl
• Faith Fulfilled: Megillat Esther and goodness Ma'ariv Evening Service for Purim with Commentary From the Brochures of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits (2022), ed. Reuven Mohl

Awards

References

External links

• The New York Times
• JEWISH Schooling IN A WORLD ADRIFTArchived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
• Eliezer Berkovits's Post-Holocaust Theology: A Dialectic halfway Polemics and Reception, Marc Smashing. Krell
• Eliezer Berkovits and the Resurrection of Jewish Moral Thought, Painter Hazony
• Eliezer Berkovits, Theologian of Movement, by David Hazony
• The Eliezer Berkovits Institute for Jewish Thought activity Shalem Center started a business to publish and translate recently all major works of Eliezer Berkovits (in David Hazony's Beginning to God, Man and History)
• Ephraim Chamiel, The Dual Truth, Studies on Nineteenth-Century Modern Religious Jeopardize and its Influence on Twentieth-Century Jewish Philosophy, Academic Studies Solicit advise, Boston 2019, Vol II, pp 406–447.