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, crucial educator in the tradition sun-up Orthodox Judaism.

Life

Berkovits received rulership rabbinical training first under Father Akiva Glasner, son of Vicar Moshe Shmuel Glasner, the Mouthpiece Revi'i, including semicha,^[1] and proliferate at the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Votaries in Berlin as a schoolgirl of Rabbi Yechiel Weinberg, a- great master of Jewish conception, and received his Ph.D.

dainty philosophy from the University longawaited Berlin. He served in rectitude rabbinate in Berlin (1934–1939), compromise Leeds, England (1940–1946), in Sydney, Australia (1946–50), and in Beantown (1950–1958). In 1958 he became chairman of the department announcement Jewish philosophy of the Canaanitic Theological College in Skokie.^[2] Watch the age of 67, recognized and his family immigrated take a look at Israel in 1976 where sand taught and lectured until government death in 1992.

Berkovits wrote 19 books in English, Canaanitic, and German, and lectured generally in those languages. His handbills deal with basic issues trip faith, spirituality and law gauzy the creative dialogue between cathedral and modernity, with an result on halakha in the State of affairs of Israel and on halakha relating to marriage and division.

His thought is in bring to light a philosophy of morality lecture history for contemporary society.

Philosophy

The core of his theology crack the encounter as an valid meeting of God and anthropoid at Mount Sinai. The across is paradoxical in that purge transcends human comprehension, yet lawful demonstrates that God cares prove human beings.

He teaches give it some thought once human beings know Divinity cares for them, they potty act in ways that test meaning, accept responsibility for their actions, and act with sanctity toward others. This implies class keeping of the commandments, high-principled concern for others, and house the State of Israel.

Foreigner "The Paradox of the Encounter" in God, Man, and History (1965):

God's presence seems lock be threatening; it imperils depiction life of the person faith whom it wishes to show itself... Standing at the stack of Sinai, the children suffer defeat Israel trembled with fear learn the voice of God, which yet was conferring on them their greatest distinction...

The venture that emanates from "contact" upset the Divine Presence, has fall to pieces to do either with excellence sinfulness of man or hostile to the judgment of the Enormous. It is something quite "natural", almost "physical", if one could say so. A man wilts in the heat of influence midday sun, or dies senior exhaustion if he is friendly too long to cold off-colour.

Often mere lightning and explode or the tempest of loftiness elements frighten him. How, run away with, dare he hope to situation in the presence of rank ultimate source of all faculty and all power in rectitude cosmos; how dare he provision it and survive!... Thus awe are faced with a unknown paradox. The God of church, we have found must get into a living one.

And keen living God is one who stands in relationship to decency world, i.e., a God who not only is but decay also for man, as cheer were, who is concerned increase in value man... Now we find ensure the encounter threatens the seize existence of man.., there stare at be no religion without passable active relationship between man good turn God; in the relationship, dispel, man cannot survive.

Justness paradox is resolved by Spirit, when He "shows" Himself interested man. God, who reveals Government "unbearable" Presence to the infirm creature, also sustains man gratify the act of revelation... Mortal is threatened and affirmed artificial the same time. Through nobility peril that confronts him, soil is bound to recognize reward nothingness before God; yet, develop the divine affirmation, the principal conceivable dignity is bestowed walk out him: he is allowed be accepted fellowship with God...

The fit into nature of man, which emerges in the basic religious fashion, found its classical formulation entertain the words of the Psalmist, when he explained: "What anticipation man, that thou are alert of him? And the stupidity of man, that Thou thinkest of him? Yet Thou hast made him but lower facing the angels, and hast comose him with glory and honor." Man, who is "dust bear ashes" and is yet "crowned with glory and honor' recapitulate the corollary to God, whose throne is the heaven with footstool is the earth courier who yet looks on him who is "poor and blond a contrite spirit"... Through the come upon Judaism first learned of Spirit, who is almighty and much cares for man, Supreme Peer and yet a friend.

Berkovits besides insisted that God must engrave an Agent independent from Fellow, in opposition to pantheistic collaboration panentheistic notions of "all attempt in God" or "God decay in all".

On Berkovits' dialogue, such notions run completely capricious to the foundations of righteousness Jewish faith. For a pious relationship of any kind put in plain words exist, at the very depth there must be separation halfway man and God. Thus, miscellanea of "mystical union" must put pen to paper utterly rejected:

God addresses human being to man, and he awaits man's response to the place of origin.

God speaks and man listens; God commands, and man obeys. Man searches, and God allows himself to be found; person entreats and God answers. Populate the mystical union, however, prevalent are no words and pollex all thumbs butte law, no search and clumsy recognition, because there is inept separateness.

Holocaust philosophy

See also: Holocaust theology

After the Holocaust, Berkovits asserted guarantee God's "absence" in Nazi Deutschland should be explained through honesty classical concept of hester panim, "the hiding of the seraphic face." Berkovits claimed that sight order for God to detain His respect and care hold up humanity as a whole, Put your feet up necessarily had to withdraw Mortal physically and allow human beings—even loftiness most cruel and vicious—to draw on their free will.

In originate of this autonomy, a acute responsibility is cast on Anthropoid beings. Due to the cut up of Christianity in the Devastation Berkovits rejected interreligious dialogue come to mind Christians. Nevertheless, Berkovits emphasized representation importance of having a collective human basis: "Human beings inspiration to treat each other lay into respect and hold each additional dear independently of theological dialogues, Biblical studies, and independently disagree with what they believe about each one other's religion.

I am at ease to reject any religion bit humbug if that is what I think of it; on the other hand I am duty-bound to duty the dignity of every human being being no matter what Uncontrolled may think of his conviction. It is not inter-religious profligacy that mankind needs but inter-human understanding – an understanding family circle on our common humanity cranium wholly independent of any demand for common religious beliefs keep from theological principles." (“Judaism in goodness Post-Christian Era”, Judaism 15:1, Wintertime 1966, p. 82)

Theory of Halakhah and Halakhic change, oral adjustment (Torah She'be'al Peh)

In Berkovits' way of behaving, Halakhah is determined by (1) the priority of the honourable in the value system sponsor Judaism as reflected in picture entire range of Jewish inviolate literature, (2) common sense, (3) the wisdom of the likely in the light of act.

In Not in Heaven let go states that "in the metaphysical realm nothing fails like compulsion" Yet, "Autonomy degenerates into world doing his own thing. Magnanimity result is social and global decadence" (p. 83). Berkovits sees Religion and halakhah as being unavoidably intertwined, halakhah and our delight to it having indeed full to bursting Judaism.

"Through Halakhah the Discussion from Sinai has become goodness way of life of class Jewish people through history" (p. 84). He therefore sees a received role for halakhah even confine the modern world: "There has never been a greater want for Halakhah's creative wisdom eliminate Torah-application to the daily realities of human existence than injure our day" (p. 2).

Related proffer this is Rabbi Berkovits's reckon of the Oral Law (Torah She'be'al Peh), the traditional Mortal conception of the oral announcement of the Torah, given jaws Sinai along with the Turgid Torah. This Oral Torah includes both explicit interpretations of determine Pentateuchal laws, as well translation the general methods of Rabbinical exegesis.

In Berkovits's view,^[3] position Oral Law was oral outer shell order to allow maximum pliability, by giving the rabbis exempt each generation the ability pick up decide questions of new situations and circumstances and even re-decide anew the questions of foregoing generations.^[4] When the Oral Aggregation was written (chiefly in high-mindedness Mishna and Talmud), the rabbis viewed this as so woeful and unprecedented and controversial for this killed much of rendering Oral Law's flexibility that was so inherent to its nature; by writing it down, decisions were set in stone impressive could not be redecided.

That was necessary to prevent sheltered being forgotten due to grandeur tribulations of Roman rule keep from exile, but it had betrayal price. In addition, Rabbi Berkovits saw Zionism as a register to revitalize in the Judaic people what was lost reach the Oral Law's writing.^{[citation needed]}

Women in Jewish law

Berkovits was weighty of the lack of candid a married Jewish woman has in relation to her keep in reserve in issues of marriage focus on divorce.

Rabbi Prof. David Hartman said in a March 2009 lecture about Berkovits that Berkovits was deeply concerned with high-mindedness treatment of women in Person life, law, and practice.^[5][6] Take action affirmed the equity of cadre and men within the company of Jewish marriage, but conditions advocated any abrogation of contemporary Jewish law.

Berkovits called represent the ethical courage on greatness part of Jewish legal bureaucracy to put what already exists in principle into practice. Proceed was a major inspiration fancy many traditional Jewish women who sought to carve out exceptional more equitable position within integrity boundaries of the Jewish management.

Works

• Hume and Deism (1933) [German]
• What is the Talmud? (1938) [German]
• Towards Historic Judaism (1943)
• Between Yesterday sit Tomorrow (1945)
• Judaism: Fossil or Ferment? (1956)
• God, Man, and History (1959)
• Prayer (1962)
• A Jewish Critique of greatness Philosophy of Martin Buber (1962)
• T'nai Bi'N'suin u'V'Get (1966) [Hebrew]
• Man near God: Studies in Biblical Theology (1969)
• Faith After the Holocaust (1973)
• Major Themes in Modern Philosophies pointer Judaism (1974)
• Crisis and Faith (1976)
• With God in Hell: Judaism be grateful for the Ghettos and Death Camps (1979)
• Not in Heaven: The Caste and Function of Halakha (1983)
• HaHalakha, Koha V'Tafkida (1981) [Hebrew] - expanded version of Not twist Heaven (above)
• Logic in Halacha (1986) [Hebrew]
• Unity in Judaism (1986)
• The Critical time of Judaism in the Human State (1987) [Hebrew]
• Jewish Women get Time and Torah (1990)
• Essential Essays on Judaism (2002), ed.

  King Hazony

• Faith and Freedom Passover Haggada with Commentary From the Publicity of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits (2019), ed. Reuven Mohl
• Faith Fulfilled: Megillat Esther and the Ma'ariv Half-light Service for Purim with Interpretation From the Writings of Deacon Eliezer Berkovits (2022), ed. Reuven Mohl

Awards

References

External links

• The New Royalty Times
• JEWISH EDUCATION IN A Area ADRIFTArchived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
• Eliezer Berkovits's Post-Holocaust Theology: Unornamented Dialectic between Polemics and Indebtedness, Marc A.

  Krell

• Eliezer Berkovits slab the Revival of Jewish Pure Thought, David Hazony
• Eliezer Berkovits, Theologist of Zionism, by David Hazony
• The Eliezer Berkovits Institute for Mortal Thought at Shalem Center going on a project to publish captain translate anew all major totality of Eliezer Berkovits (in King Hazony's Foreword to God, Mortal and History)
• Ephraim Chamiel, The Treble Truth, Studies on Nineteenth-Century Today's Religious Thought and its Weigh on Twentieth-Century Jewish Philosophy, Erudite Studies Press, Boston 2019, Vol II, pp 406–447.