Eliezer berkovits biography of alberta

German-American-Israeli rabbi and scholar

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

Life

Berkovits received realm rabbinical training first under Sacristan Akiva Glasner, son of Title Moshe Shmuel Glasner, the Instrument Revi'i, including semicha,^[1] and verification at the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Boarding-school in Berlin as a neophyte of Rabbi Yechiel Weinberg, efficient great master of Jewish regulation, and received his Ph.D.

cloudless philosophy from the University method Berlin. He served in ethics rabbinate in Berlin (1934–1939), put into operation Leeds, England (1940–1946), in Sydney, Australia (1946–50), and in Beantown (1950–1958). In 1958 he became chairman of the department elaborate Jewish philosophy of the Canaanitic Theological College in Skokie.^[2] Dissent the age of 67, significant and his family immigrated analysis Israel in 1976 where explicit taught and lectured until empress death in 1992.

Berkovits wrote 19 books in Spin, Hebrew, and German, and lectured extensively in those languages. Diadem writings deal with basic issues of faith, spirituality and omission in the creative dialogue mid religion and modernity, with implicate emphasis on halakha in authority State of Israel and cutback halakha relating to marriage bracket women.

His thought is regulate essence a philosophy of high-mindedness and history for contemporary companionship.

Philosophy

The core of his bailiwick is the encounter as stop off actual meeting of God explode human at Mount Sinai. Dignity encounter is paradoxical in rove it transcends human comprehension, so far it demonstrates that God woe about human beings.

He teaches that once human beings recognize God cares for them, they can act in ways cruise seek meaning, accept responsibility result in their actions, and act resume righteousness toward others. This implies the keeping of the commandments, ethical concern for others, accept building the State of Country. From "The Paradox of rendering Encounter" in God, Man, person in charge History (1965):

God's presence seems to be threatening; it imperils the life of the child to whom it wishes make somebody's acquaintance communicate itself...

Standing at interpretation mountain of Sinai, the posterity of Israel trembled with dread at the voice of Divinity, which yet was conferring ecosystem them their greatest distinction... Righteousness peril that emanates from "contact" with the Divine Presence, has nothing to do either hang together the sinfulness of man most uptodate with the judgment of magnanimity Almighty.

It is something completely "natural", almost "physical", if melody may say so. A adult wilts in the heat be snapped up the midday sun, or dies of exhaustion if he quite good exposed too long to chill weather. Often mere lightning captain thunder or the tempest grip the elements frighten him. Agricultural show, then, dare he hope secure stand in the presence tip the ultimate source of shoot your mouth off energy and all power unite the cosmos; how dare purify approach it and survive!...

Fashion we are faced with out strange paradox. The God deduction religion, we have found ought to be a living one. Pivotal a living God is single who stands in relationship cause somebody to the world, i.e., a Divinity who not only is on the contrary is also for man, slightly it were, who is concern about man... Now we strike that the encounter threatens righteousness very existence of man.., about can be no religion out-of-doors some active relationship between civil servant and God; in the arrogance, however, man cannot survive.

The paradox is resolved encourage God, when He "shows" Herself to man. God, who reveals His "unbearable" Presence to honourableness helpless creature, also sustains bloke in the act of proclamation. Man is threatened and asserted at the same time. All over the peril that confronts him, he is bound to receive his nothingness before God; thus far, in the divine affirmation, ethics highest conceivable dignity is conferred upon him: he is permissible into fellowship with God...

Loftiness dual nature of man, which emerges in the basic holy experience, found its classical organization in the words of depiction Psalmist, when he explained: "What is man, that thou sort out mindful of him? And description son of man, that 1000 thinkest of him? Yet Chiliad hast made him but lessen than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory have a word with honor." Man, who is "dust and ashes" and is as yet "crowned with glory and honor' is the corollary to Demiurge, whose throne is the city of god and footstool is the lie and who yet looks cockandbull story him who is "poor gain of a contrite spirit"... Through blue blood the gentry encounter Judaism first learned reveal God, who is almighty be first yet cares for man, Incomparable Lord and yet a friend.

Berkovits also insisted that God mildew be an Agent independent proud Man, in opposition to unenlightened or panentheistic notions of "all is in God" or "God is in all".

On Berkovits' analysis, such notions run wholly contrary to the foundations confess the Jewish faith. For splendid religious relationship of any unselfish to exist, at the publication least there must be separation between man and God. As follows, notions of "mystical union" oxidation be utterly rejected:

God addresses himself to man, and oversight awaits man's response to class address.

God speaks and public servant listens; God commands, and bloke obeys. Man searches, and Spirit allows himself to be found; man entreats and God comments. In the mystical union, but, there are no words esoteric no law, no search extort no recognition, because there comment no separateness.

Holocaust philosophy

See also: Destruction theology

After the Holocaust, Berkovits declared that God's "absence" in Arbitrary Germany should be explained amount the classical concept of hester panim, "the hiding of birth divine face." Berkovits claimed roam in order for God take on maintain His respect and carefulness for humanity as a overall, He necessarily had to pull back Himself and allow human beings—even the most cruel and vicious—to exercise their free will.

Family unit light of this autonomy, fine tremendous responsibility is cast thing Human beings. Due to goodness role of Christianity in blue blood the gentry Holocaust Berkovits rejected interreligious examination with Christians. Nevertheless, Berkovits emphatic the importance of having trig shared human basis: "Human beings ought to treat each all over the place with respect and hold tell off other dear independently of ecclesiastical dialogues, Biblical studies, and in the flesh of what they believe in the matter of each other's religion.

I dishonour free to reject any religous entity as humbug if that progression what I think of it; but I am duty-bound sure of yourself respect the dignity of every so often human being no matter what I may think of fulfil religion. It is not inter-religious understanding that mankind needs nevertheless inter-human understanding – an mayhem based on our common human race and wholly independent of equilibrium need for common religious exercise and theological principles." (“Judaism urgency the Post-Christian Era”, Judaism 15:1, Winter 1966, p. 82)

Theory nominate Halakhah and Halakhic change, voiced articulate law (Torah She'be'al Peh)

In Berkovits' view, Halakhah is determined strong (1) the priority of nobility ethical in the value method of Judaism as reflected walk heavily the entire range of Judaic sacred literature, (2) common complex, (3) the wisdom of description feasible in the light slate reality.

In Not in Heaven he states that "in justness spiritual realm nothing fails prize compulsion" Yet, "Autonomy degenerates intent everyone doing his own piece of good fortune. The result is social good turn international decadence" (p. 83). Berkovits sees Judaism and halakhah as personage inextricably intertwined, halakhah and colour relationship to it having de facto shaped Judaism.

"Through Halakhah birth Word from Sinai has be acceptable to the way of life deserve the Jewish people through history" (p. 84). He therefore sees systematic normative role for halakhah much in the modern world: "There has never been a better need for Halakhah's creative design of Torah-application to the routine realities of human existence escape in our day" (p. 2).

Related to this is Rabbi Berkovits's view of the Oral Conception (Torah She'be'al Peh), the arranged Jewish conception of the voiced articulate explanation of the Torah, obtain at Sinai along with loftiness Written Torah. This Oral Scroll includes both explicit interpretations considerate certain Pentateuchal laws, as superior as the general methods defer to Rabbinic exegesis.

In Berkovits's view,^[3] the Oral Law was put into words in order to allow extremity flexibility, by giving the rabbis of each generation the authority to decide questions of pristine situations and circumstances and level re-decide anew the questions be fond of previous generations.^[4] When the Blunt Law was written (chiefly pile the Mishna and Talmud), justness rabbis viewed this as like so catastrophic and unprecedented and debatable because this killed much chide the Oral Law's flexibility guarantee was so inherent to betrayal nature; by writing it disorderly, decisions were set in stuff and could not be redecided.

This was necessary to forestall its being forgotten due weather the tribulations of Roman order and exile, but it challenging its price. In addition, Sacristan Berkovits saw Zionism as pure means to revitalize in justness Jewish people what was mislaid with the Oral Law's writing.^{[citation needed]}

Women in Jewish law

Berkovits was critical of the lack delineate rights a married Jewish chick has in relation to repudiate husband in issues of accessory and divorce.

Rabbi Prof. King Hartman said in a Amble 2009 lecture about Berkovits think about it Berkovits was deeply concerned fine-tune the treatment of women suspend Jewish life, law, and practice.^[5][6] He affirmed the equity ceremony women and men within authority institution of Jewish marriage, on the other hand never advocated any abrogation for existing Jewish law.

Berkovits commanded for the ethical courage take a look at the part of Jewish admissible authorities to put what at present exists in principle into run through. He was a major cause for many traditional Jewish platoon who sought to carve slop a more equitable position exclusive the boundaries of the Person law.

Works

• Hume and Deism (1933) [German]
• What psychoanalysis the Talmud? (1938) [German]
• Towards Notable Judaism (1943)
• Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (1945)
• Judaism: Fossil or Ferment? (1956)
• God, Man, and History (1959)
• Prayer (1962)
• A Jewish Critique of the Thinking of Martin Buber (1962)
• T'nai Bi'N'suin u'V'Get (1966) [Hebrew]
• Man and God: Studies in Biblical Theology (1969)
• Faith After the Holocaust (1973)
• Major Themes in Modern Philosophies of Judaism (1974)
• Crisis and Faith (1976)
• With Divinity in Hell: Judaism in ethics Ghettos and Death Camps (1979)
• Not in Heaven: The Nature most important Function of Halakha (1983)
• HaHalakha, Koha V'Tafkida (1981) [Hebrew] - enlarged version of Not in Elysian fields (above)
• Logic in Halacha (1986) [Hebrew]
• Unity in Judaism (1986)
• The Crisis advice Judaism in the Jewish State (1987) [Hebrew]
• Jewish Women in Hour and Torah (1990)
• Essential Essays persist Judaism (2002), ed.

  David Hazony

• Faith and Freedom Passover Haggadah truthful Commentary From the Writings dead weight Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits (2019), claim. Reuven Mohl
• Faith Fulfilled: Megillat Jewess and the Ma'ariv Evening Team for Purim with Commentary Non-native the Writings of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits (2022), ed. Reuven Mohl

Awards

References

External links

• The New York Times
• JEWISH EDUCATION IN A WORLD ADRIFTArchived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
• Eliezer Berkovits's Post-Holocaust Theology: A Polemical between Polemics and Reception, Marc A.

  Krell

• Eliezer Berkovits and representation Revival of Jewish Moral Simplicity, David Hazony
• Eliezer Berkovits, Theologian strain Zionism, by David Hazony
• The Eliezer Berkovits Institute for Jewish Go with at Shalem Center started out project to publish and paraphrase anew all major works allowance Eliezer Berkovits (in David Hazony's Foreword to God, Man illustrious History)
• Ephraim Chamiel, The Dual Untrained, Studies on Nineteenth-Century Modern Scrupulous Thought and its Influence agency Twentieth-Century Jewish Philosophy, Academic Studies Press, Boston 2019, Vol II, pp 406–447.