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The rest is Commentary...
Every month, Commentary explores a key Jewish thinker or writer, with a brief biography, an introduction to their major works, and suggestions for further reading. Enjoy!
Author of the Month for June
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Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-72) was Professor of Ethics and Mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He fled eastern Europe in 1939, leaving the Hasidic Jewish world in which he was raised--a world soon to be destroyed in the Holocaust. A scholar, author, activist, and theologian. |
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Heschel grew up as part of an important Hasidic dynasty. As a child he was considered an Ilui, a prodigy. His father would stand the young Heschel on the table and sages would gather round and ask him questions.
When Heschel travelled to America, he began an extraordinary spiritual journey. He taught in the conservative Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and became deeply involved in ecumenical issues and civil rights, walking with Martin Luther King to Capitol Hill.
Heschel managed to combine old-world learning and moral sensitivity with a deep commitment to the issues of the day; a Hasidic master immersed in the Twentieth century, alive to the enriching encounter between faith and modernity. He was a wonderful, poetic writer, and philosopher, whose books capture the spirit of their subjects and awaken a deeper understanding in the reader, both intellectually and emotionally.
Essential Reading
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The Sabbath "The Sabbath is not for the sake of the weekdays, the weekdays are for the sake of the Sabbath… it is a palace in time which we build anew every week" £9.95 |
One of the most beautiful reflections and meditations on the Sabbath ever written. A great introductory text for anyone interested in Judaism, this book really gives a sense of the flavour and joy of the Sabbath, as well as its rituals and traditions. Heschel explains that all of the traditions and customs of the Sabbath enable us to create a palace in time, a space and window from which to contemplate and experience the divine in our lives. The book is also richly illustrated with allusive woodcuts.
see also - The Miracle of the Seventh Day: A Guide to the Spiritual Meaning, Significance, and Weekly Practice of the Jewish Sabbath by Adin Steinsaltz
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God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism "Religion is an answer to man's ultimate questions," £16.95 |
In many ways this is Heschel's magnum opus, his most searching exploration of the nature of religion and religious thought and life. Religion that forgets its roots in humanity's lived experience, religion that inadequately addresses the earthly realities of life, Heschel says, is false religion. And yet, Heschel asserts that religion is not a vehicle by which humanity draws closer to God; it is always God who reaches out to humanity through religion. "Judaism is God's quest for man." Detailed analyses of "Awe," "Wonder," and "Glory" stand alongside discourses on religion and time, the nature of prophesy, and the problem of evil. This is a book to dip in to, to return to time and again for inspiration and insight.
See also: I and Thou by Martin Buber
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Man is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion £16.95  |
A companion to God in Search of Man, this is a profound, beautifully written examination of the ingredients of faith: how we can sense God's presence, explore it, accept it, and found our lives upon it. Abraham Joshua Heschel's philosophy of religion is not a philosophy of doctrine or the interpretation of a dogma. He erects his carefully built structure of thought upon foundations which are universally valid but almost generally ignored.
See also: The Star of Redemption by Franz Rozensweig
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Man's Quest for God: Studies in Prayer and Symbolism "Prayer doesn't save us, it makes us worth saving…to pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of mystery" £14.99 |
In Man's Quest for God, Heschel illuminates Jewish ideas and practices of prayer, from a deeply mystical, Hasidic perspective. Heschel analyses many of the major Hasidic thinkers on Prayer, and poetically explores the symbolism and psychological aspects and goals of prayer, from a living, personal perspective. This is no dry "how to" book, but something to dip in to for inspiration and a renewed understanding of what prayer is and how to get the most from it.
See also: Your Word Is Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer, edited by Barry Holtz and Arthur Green
and: The Three Pillars of Judaism: A Search for Faith and Values by Jonathan Wittenberg
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Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity £13.95 |
Susannah Heschel has compiled, edited, and written a biographical introduction to this first collection of the essays of her father, spanning the gamut of his wide-ranging interests, both spiritual and political. The issues of his day resonate with those of our own; and Heschel brings his unique insight and way with language, people and ideas. He explores what it means to be a Jew, the moral dimension of everyday life, and the need for dialogue with those of other faiths.
See also: The Eternal Journey: Meditations on the Jewish Year by Jonathan Wittenberg.
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The Prophets They are "some of the most disturbing people who have ever lived," and yet they are also "the men whose image is our refuge in distress, and whose voice and vision sustain our faith." £17.99 |
According to the popular definition, a prophet is one who accurately predicts the future. But in the Jewish tradition, as Abraham Joshua Heschel explains in The Prophets, these figures earn their title by witnessing the world around them with outstanding passion. Prophets are those whose "life and soul are at stake" in what they say about "the mystery of [God's] relation to man." T Heschel's book conveys the power and significance of each of the prophetic books, illuminating their central themes, their view of God, and the parallels between their books and those of prophets in other faiths. This is one of the basic Jewish books everyone should have.
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A Passion for Truth £13.95 |
A remarkable imaginary dialogue between one of the giants of jewish thought, the acerbic Hasidic wisdom master, the Kotsker Rebbe, and the existential thinker Soren Kierkegaard. Heschel explores the foundations of Hasidic thought, a tradition of which he was a living part, in the work of the legendary Ball Shem Tov, the master of (God's) good name. He examines its parallels and conflicts with existentialism, and uncovers the way it addresses similar issues and dilemmas to existentialism, but from a wholly different perspective. This book acts as a model for the way a deeply thinking and spiritual Jew engages with the wisdom and thought of the wider world, and demonstrates the way this dialogue enriches both worlds.
Previous
Authors of the Month
Cynthia Ozick
Also
Recommended:
Martin Buber
Arthur Green
Jonathan Wittenberg
Adin Steinsaltz
Eli Weisel
