Devotional Intelligence And Jewish Religious Thinking

This volume introduces an original philosophy of Jewish religious thinking as devotional intelligence. It establishes the intellectual warrant of such thinking in light of two related principles: relativity v. intelligence—the metaphysical principle that knowing is of being—and the normative principle of sacral attunement.

This study aims to establish, on philosophical grounds, the intellectual legitimacy of Jewish religious thinking. Moving away from the modern western focus on reason, Stambovsky builds on the work of Aristotle, Maimonides and Hegel to situate Jewish devotional thinking within a 'science of knowing'. It will be of interest to scholars of Judaism, theology and philosophy of religion.

"Judaism, like all the great religions, has a strand within it that sees inward devotion as an opening of the human heart to God's presence. This voice is not always easy to hear in a tradition where so much attention is devoted to the how rather than the why of religious living. The devotional claim, certainly a key part of Judaism's biblical heritage, has reasserted itself in the teachings of individual mystics and in the emergence of religious movements over the long course of Jewish history. This volume represents Rabbi Arthur Green's own quest for such a Judaism, both as a scholar and as a contemporary seeker. This collection of essays brings together Green's scholarly writings, centered on the history of early Hasidism, and his highly personal approach to a rebirth of Jewish spirituality in our own day. In choosing to present them in this way, he asserts a claim that they are all of a piece. They represent one man's attempt to wade through history and text, language and symbol, an array of voices both past and present, while always focusing on the essential question "What does it mean to be a religious human being, and what does Judaism teach us about it?" This, the author considers to be the heart of the matter." -- Publisher's description.

This 30 day devotions book is a collection of thoughts and prayers gathered over the course of several years. They are written from a Hebraic perspective; understanding that the Father is calling us back to the Hebrew roots of Christianity. A return to keeping the Feasts of the Lord and His Sabbaths. Sometimes they were my conversations with God. Some days I would pour out my thoughts. Other days I would listen. Some days you will see just those thoughts that I had. But on the days when my Beloved chose to say something in return to me I wrote that also. Those words I have put in italics so as to distinguish them from my thoughts and words. Are these words prophetic? Only time will tell. I believe that all the words that Yahweh speaks to us are prophetic in that they have the power to change us if we will listen. So I humbly submit them to you. I hope you are blessed as I was blessed receiving them.

Choosing My Religion is a luminous memoir, crafted with the eye of a journalist and the art of a novelist by New York Times Magazine writer and editor Stephen J. Dubner. By turns comic and heartbreaking, it tells the story of a family torn apart by religion, sustained by faith, and reunited by truth.

This book by prominent rabbi Kaufmann Kohler explains the beliefs, traditions and history of the Jewish faith. Detailed yet accessible explanations of the tenets of the religion are offered by Kohler, whose decades spent in devotion and study of Judaism imbue the pages with an authentic and intimate knowledge of the faith from ancient times onward. First published in 1918, this account of the Jewish religion was praised by Kohler's contemporaries in the American Jewish community. Kaufmann Kohler was a Jewish intellectual and rabbi who rose to prominence after emigrating to the USA at a young age after formal education in various schools in Germany. Over decades, he became a respected public figures advocating Reform Judaism, and influenced the development and public prominence of the Jewish religion. A frequent committee member and speaker at various rabbinic conferences, Kohler was also enthusiastic about science, using his writing skills to contribute articles to various scientific journals.

A collection of 140 essays by renowned figures on the fundamental concepts, beliefs and movements in historical and contemporary Jewish thought. Charity, chosen people, death, culture, family, freedom, history, love, immortality, myth, prayer, science, tradition and Torah are among the subjects addressed in this handbook of Jewish experience and thought.