Gersonides Judaism within the Limits of Reason By Seymour Feldman The Littman Library, 2010, 254 pages Levi ben Gershom, Gersonides in Latin, (1288-1344), was one of several great Jewish rationalistic philosophers. He lived in Provence, France, and wrote books on philosophy, science, and Bible commentary. He wasn’t as deep a thinker as Maimonides and [...]
The Eichmann Trial By Deborah E. Lipstadt Nextbook, 2011, 237 pages This is an easy to read, must-read history that everyone should know. It is arguably the best non-fiction book of 2011. Its author, Emory University Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt, wrote another award-winning history book about one of her own experiences. She made the front [...]
Think about it. Many holidays occur when the event they commemorate didn’t happen. The American Indians and the Pilgrims didn’t meet for a turkey meal on the last Thursday in November and President George Washington wasn’t born on the third Monday in February. In Christianity, Jesus’ mother did not give birth on December 25 [...]
The Mysterious Stranger By Mark Twain Mark Twain (1835-1910) uses this novel to mock the conventional ideas about God: that God is a loving ever-present entity who wants to help people and reward people who do what he wants done and punishes people who disobey him. He sets his parable in Austria hinting that Austria [...]
The God Upgrade Finding your 21st Century Spirituality in Judaism’s 5000 Year Old Tradition By Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold Jewish Lights Publishing, 2011, 143 pages Rabbi Korngold may be a pantheist. She writes that she believes what she understands Spinoza did that God is found in nature. She runs religious adventure outings and takes [...]
The Fire and the Cloud Contemporary Reflections on the Weekly Torah Reading By David Bigman Gefen Publishing House, 2011, 160 pages David Bigman’s reflections on the meaning of the Torah are a pleasure to read. They are sensible, intelligent, and interesting biblical interpretation, presented clearly, orderly, and concisely, covering 54 different biblical portions in just [...]
The Origin of the Seder The Passover Rite and early Rabbinic Judaism By Baruch M. Bokser Jewish Theological Seminary Press, 2002, 188 pages This reprint of the 1984 classic by Professor Bokser explains the origin of the Passover Seder meal ritual. He notes that the Pascal sacrifice was an important part of Jewish ritual [...]
The Bible’s Secret By Israel Drazin The ancients knew that it is impossible to tell the truth to the general public. Most people lack the ability to understand because they are taught wrong ideas by teachers who were not taught the truth. This misinformation became the basis of everything they know. Telling them that [...]
Review by Israel Drazin New Jewish Feminism Probing the Past, Forging the Future Edited by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein Forward by Anita Diamant Jewish Lights Publishing, 2009, 439 pages It is outrageous to think that God relegated women to second class citizenship and outlawed them from a real relationship with the [...]
The Sages Character, Context & Creativity Volume 1: The Second Temple Period Translated by Michael Prawer By Rabbi Binyamin Lau Maggid Books, 2010, 383 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin There is a tradition that God commanded the Oral Law at Sinai. Some Jews take the statement literally. Others understand that it says that [...]
Persecution and the Art of writing By Leo Strauss The University of Chicago Press, 1980, 204 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin This book, first published in 1952, is a classic that is quoted frequently when people ask: do philosophers say what they really believe or do they hide the truth? Strauss explains [...]
Subversive Sequels in the Bible How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other By Judy Klitsner Maggid Books, 2011, 204 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin Judy Klitsner introduces readers to a new, eye-opening, and interesting way of understanding biblical narratives in her book, which won the National Jewish Book Award. She reads the [...]
Torah in the Observatory: Gersonides, Maimonides, Song of Songs By Menachem Kellner Academic Studies Press, 2010, 374 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin Menachem Kellner is one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Maimonides and Gersonides, the author of many books and articles about them and philosophy generally, and his new book is a [...]
Between Rashi and Maimonides Themes in Medieval Jewish Thought, Literature and Exeg Edited by E. Kanarfogel and M. Sokolow Ktav Publishing House, 2010, 341 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin This is a collection of fifteen scholarly articles discussing the two great sages Rashi (1040-1105) and Maimonides (1138-1204) who lived almost exactly a century [...]
An Intelligent Person is not Moral By Israel Drazin Morals are rules of proper conduct, what is good and what is bad. They inform people how to live a proper and safe life. Moral deeds seem to be what all people should do. But is this true? Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) seems [...]
Torah Umaddah By Rabbi Norman Lamm Maggid Books, 2010, 247 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin Should religious people shun everything secular, even science? This question bothered many religious people for centuries. Some solved it by living in isolation, wearing clothes that distinguish them and keep them apart, and insisting that their children not [...]
The Treaties of the Pool By Obadyah son of Abraham son of Maimonides Translated with commentary by Paul Felton The Octagon Press, 1981, 146 pages Maimonides (1138-1204), was the rationalist par excellence, the greatest Jewish thinker. Yet neither his son Abraham nor grandson Obadyah, who wrote this book, nor any of his descendants, [...]
Readers of Gil Yehuda's review of my book Maimonides: Reason Above All will understand why I like it better than all the other reviews about my writings. I enjoying Dr. Israel Drazin’s book, Maimonides: Reason Above All, and I wanted to share this review. First I’ll summarize the structure and content of the book. Then I’ll [...]
The Concept of the Soul and the After-Life By Israel Drazin Many people are afraid of death. Although there is no indication, not even a hint, in the Hebrew Bible about a soul, life after death, and an abode for people in a place called heaven, they convince themselves that [...]
Why We Pray What We Pray The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer By Rabbi Dr. Barry Freundel Urim Publications, 2010, 313 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin Rabbi Dr. Barry Freundel, Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of America, reveals the fascinating history of six significant Jewish prayers in six well researched, informative, [...]
On Changes in Jewish Liturgy Options and Limitations By Daniel Sperber Urim Publications, 2010, 221 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin This is the second recent volume where Daniel Sperber, professor, rabbi, author of thirty books and more than four hundred articles, a leading expert on Jewish laws and customs, addresses what many consider [...]
Women and Men in Communal Prayer Halakhic Perspectives Edited by Chaim Trachtman, MD Ktav Publishing House, 2010, 418 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin One of the great world tragedies is the systematic exclusion of women from many activities and positions, making them, in essence, only partial citizens, reminiscent of blacks being considered only three-fifths [...]
Where’s My Miracle Exploring Jewish Traditions for Dealing with Tragedy By Morey Schwartz Gefen Publishing House, 2010, 191 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin Schwartz examines the many answers that Jewish sages offered to the age-old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” He writes in easily understandable English with full, but [...]
Edward F. Campbell, Jr. Ruth The Anchor Bible Reviewed by Israel Drazin Doubleday, 1975, 188 pages The biblical book Ruth is one of the most delightful books of the Bible. Jews read its four short chapters, totaling only 85 sentences, entirely each year in synagogues during the holiday of Shavuot, known in English [...]
Chapter 1 Sarah Shendel wanted to be Jewish Six year old Sarah Shendel wanted to be Jewish. This is something she always wanted, ever since she was a child. Sarah Shendel’s father and two brothers were Jewish, but her mother Chisha Malka was not. Sarah Shendel had no [...]
A Jewish Understanding of the New Testament By Rabbi Samuel Sandmel Jewish Lights Publishing, 2005, 336 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin This classic study should be read by everyone, Jew and non-Jew. It is a respectful scholarly analysis of the New Testament, first published in 1956 and republished twice, written in simple English [...]
Why was the first Passover different from all other Passovers? By Israel Drazin The Israelites’ first Passover, celebrated in Egypt just prior to the exodus and described in Exodus 12:1-11, was radically different from the Torah mandated holiday observed after the exodus. Exodus 12, which describes the Egyptian ceremony, raises many [...]
Hayy ibn Yaqzan By Ibn Tufayl Translated with introduction by Lenn E. Goodman University of Chicago Press, 2003, 260 pages Reviewed by Israel Drazin There are many valuable lessons in the philosopher Ibn Tufayl’s twelfth century masterpiece. But what is most interesting in his parable is his view, a restatement, in clear dramatic [...]
Conversations about Maimonides With Israel Drazin In view of the anniversary of Moses Maimonides’ death on December 27, 2010 – he died in 1204, 806 years ago – a reader of Dr. Israel Drazin’s four books on Maimonides asked him the following questions. Question: People say about Maimonides that “from Moses to Moses there was none [...]
Does the Soul Survive? Jewish Journey to Belief in afterlife, past lives and living with purpose. Author Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz; Book reviewed by Israel Drazin
