This book explores how modern religious thought and religious Zionism have addressed the profound question of evil, with a particular focus on the Holocaust. It delves into the theological and philosophical challenges posed by absolute, undeniable, and inexplicable primal evil. The awareness of this primal evil serves as the foundation connecting the chapters, which trace the perspectives of influential thinkers such as Rabbis Zvi Yehuda Kook, Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, and Eliezer Berkowitz,...

A comprehensive study of Jewish magic in the late antiquity and the early Islamic period—the phenomenon, the sources, and method for its research, and the history of scholarly investigation into its nature and origin."Magic culture is certainly fascinating. But what is it? What, in fact, are magic writings, magic artifacts?" Originally published in Hebrew in 2010, Jewish Magic Before the Rise of Kabbalah is a comprehensive study of early Jewish magic focus...

Dov Schwartz’s The Philosophy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik: A Conciliatory Perspective. Reflections on His Late Thought explores the later thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993), focusing on his writings from the 1960s onward. It shows how Rav Soloveitchik modulated his earlier themes of existential loneliness, shifting toward communal engagement and integrating diverse philosophical influences. Based largely on posthumously published works, it reveals his evolving...

An epidemic such as COVID-19 challenges life’s very order and meaning, interferes in our relations with others, and breaks apart our routine. It raises many questions in the realms of ethics, politics, theology, psychology, and beyond. Perhaps more than anything else, it prompts us to ponder: what does this encounter with widespread anguish and distress imply about the human self-perception as sovereign rulers of Earthly life?In this book, renowned thinker Avi Sagi explores the exi...

The Return of the Absent Father offers a new reading of a chain of seven stories from tractate Ketubot in the Babylonian Talmud, in which sages abandon their homes, wives, and families and go away to the study house for long periods. Earlier interpretations have emphasized the tension between conjugal and scholarly desire as the key driving force in these stories. Haim Weiss and Shira Stav here reveal an additional layer of meaning to the father figure's role within the family str...

The Return of the Absent Father offers a new reading of a chain of seven stories from tractate Ketubot in the Babylonian Talmud, in which sages abandon their homes, wives, and families and go away to the study house for long periods. Earlier interpretations have emphasized the tension between conjugal and scholarly desire as the key driving force in these stories. Haim Weiss and Shira Stav here reveal an additional layer of meaning to the father figure's role within the family str...

Religious Zionism is a major component of contemporary Israeli society and politics. The author reviews the history of religious Zionism from both a historical and ideological-theological perspective. His basic assumption is that religious Zionism cannot be fully understood solely through a historical description, or even from social, political, and philosophical vantage points. This book is the first study on this subject to be published in English.

What does it mean to be a Jew? How does one begin to answer so extensive a question?In this insightful and completely updated tome, esteemed rabbi and bestselling author Joseph Telushkin helps answer the question of what it means to be a Jew, in the largest sense. Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism. In 352 sho...

Is Islam a religion of peace or of violence?Islam is a religion we can no longer afford to ignore. It is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. Newspapers and television news regularly bring stories from the Middle East, but more importantly, the Muslim world has come to us. Between 5 and 7 million Muslims currently live in America, and that number is growing.Recognizing the importance of understanding Islam, R. C. Sproul and Abdul Saleeb had a series of convers...

Why is the Middle East in such turmoil?Is the modern State of Israel in the plan of God?Can and should Christians do more than pray for Israel?Does God's Word contain instructions to Christians regarding the treatment of Jewish people?In the near-thirty years John Hagee has been a lover of Israel, he has grappled with each of these questions. Most Christians today don't know much about the Jewish faith or the history of the Jewish nation. They d...

Is Israel worth saving, and if so, how do we secure its future?The Jewish State must end, say its enemies, from intellectuals like Tony Judt to hate-filled demagogues like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Even average Israelis are wondering if they wouldn't be better off somewhere else and whether they ought to persevere. Daniel Gordis is confident his fellow Jews can renew their faith in the cause, and in Saving Israel, he outlines how.2009 National Jew...

"Powerful" essays from a founder of the Peace Now movement and advocate for a two-state solution ( Library Journal).The haunting poetry of [Oz's] prose and the stunning logic of his testimony make a potent mixture." — Washington Post Book WorldAmos Oz was one of the first voices of conscience to advocate for a two-state solution. As a founding member of the Peace Now movement, Oz has spent over thirty-five years speaking out on this issue, a...