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The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement
The Jewish intellectual tradition has a long and complex history that has resulted in significant and influential works of scholarship. In this book, the authors suggest that there is a series of common principles that can be extracted from the Jewish intellectual tradition that have broad, even life-changing, implications for individual and societal achievement. These principles include respect for tradition while encouraging independent, often disruptive thinking; a precise system of logical reasoning in pursuit of the truth; universal education continuing through adulthood; and living a purposeful life. The main objective of this book is to understand the historical development of these principles and to demonstrate how applying them judiciously can lead to greater intellectual productivity, a more fulfilling existence, and a more advanced society.
- GenresJudaism
400 pages, Hardcover
Published March 9, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 5, 2021
As I was reading The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement (Academic Studies Press), I thought of an observation from Rabbi Hershel Schachter. He observed that the Jewish people have long been at the forefront of rational and intellectual thought since the time of Abraham. It then occurred to me that the rise of anti-vaxxers and those engaging in new-age movements within the Orthodox community are completely antithetical to this long intellectual tradition.
It is well documented that Jews have an extraordinarily high rate of Nobel prizes, Fields Medal, amongst other awards, given their meager percentage of the overall popular. In this highly engaging and innovative work, authors Dr. Alan Kadish, MD (Touro College President), Dr. Michael Shmidman (Touro College Dean), and Dr. Simcha Fishbane (Professor of Jewish Studies at Touro College) try to identify what it is from the Jewish intellectual tradition that can be used for the betterment of people and society as a whole.
The authors have isolated these principles, namely: respect for tradition while encouraging independent thinking; a precise system of logical reasoning in pursuit of the truth; and a universal and never-ending education. The book shows how these principles are fundamental to intellectual productivity, leading to making a better society. And the proof is in the Nobel prizes and Fields Medals.
While the term People of the Book is, in fact, an Islamic pejorative referring to Jews, the Jewish intellectual tradition has its base in the Chumash and Talmud, where education and learning are axiomatic.
The book has two parts. In part 1, they detail the history of Jewish intellectuals from Abraham to current times. In part 2, they list 11 recommendations to apply the principles of the Jewish intellectual tradition. Perhaps the most compelling is not to fear innovative ideas but to ground creativity in the mastery of prior research. This is a similar idea Nathaniel Deutsch, and Michael Casper make in A Fortress in Brooklyn: Race, Real Estate, and the Making of Hasidic Williamsburg (Yale University Press). That notion of innovation grounded in tradition is what enabled the Satmar Rav to change without changing. Furthermore, this change without changing enabled Satmar to completely reinvent themselves in the golden medina of America.
Other recommendations include an appreciation of the written word, training with a master mentor, acquiring regular study partners, insisting upon the highest possible formal education standards for children, and more.
As Covid rages on, the Internet is ablaze with anti-intellectuals spouting nonsense. This is not the Jewish intellectual tradition that the authors discuss, nor the tradition we expect from a nation long-steeped in the rational approach. In The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement, the authors discuss the tradition that has long sustained us and certainly can use a boost today.
The three authors, all scholars in their own right, have detailed this amazing intellectual tradition that should be a source of immense pride not to just every Jew but every human being. This intellectual tradition is under fierce attack today. And those who do not appreciate this intellectual tradition and strive for the truth it promotes will be victims to those who should have.
It is well documented that Jews have an extraordinarily high rate of Nobel prizes, Fields Medal, amongst other awards, given their meager percentage of the overall popular. In this highly engaging and innovative work, authors Dr. Alan Kadish, MD (Touro College President), Dr. Michael Shmidman (Touro College Dean), and Dr. Simcha Fishbane (Professor of Jewish Studies at Touro College) try to identify what it is from the Jewish intellectual tradition that can be used for the betterment of people and society as a whole.
The authors have isolated these principles, namely: respect for tradition while encouraging independent thinking; a precise system of logical reasoning in pursuit of the truth; and a universal and never-ending education. The book shows how these principles are fundamental to intellectual productivity, leading to making a better society. And the proof is in the Nobel prizes and Fields Medals.
While the term People of the Book is, in fact, an Islamic pejorative referring to Jews, the Jewish intellectual tradition has its base in the Chumash and Talmud, where education and learning are axiomatic.
The book has two parts. In part 1, they detail the history of Jewish intellectuals from Abraham to current times. In part 2, they list 11 recommendations to apply the principles of the Jewish intellectual tradition. Perhaps the most compelling is not to fear innovative ideas but to ground creativity in the mastery of prior research. This is a similar idea Nathaniel Deutsch, and Michael Casper make in A Fortress in Brooklyn: Race, Real Estate, and the Making of Hasidic Williamsburg (Yale University Press). That notion of innovation grounded in tradition is what enabled the Satmar Rav to change without changing. Furthermore, this change without changing enabled Satmar to completely reinvent themselves in the golden medina of America.
Other recommendations include an appreciation of the written word, training with a master mentor, acquiring regular study partners, insisting upon the highest possible formal education standards for children, and more.
As Covid rages on, the Internet is ablaze with anti-intellectuals spouting nonsense. This is not the Jewish intellectual tradition that the authors discuss, nor the tradition we expect from a nation long-steeped in the rational approach. In The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement, the authors discuss the tradition that has long sustained us and certainly can use a boost today.
The three authors, all scholars in their own right, have detailed this amazing intellectual tradition that should be a source of immense pride not to just every Jew but every human being. This intellectual tradition is under fierce attack today. And those who do not appreciate this intellectual tradition and strive for the truth it promotes will be victims to those who should have.
April 21, 2023
The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement (Academic Studies Press, 2022) by Alan Kadish, Michael A. Shmidman, & Simcha Fishbane
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein (Rachack Review)
The Jewish intellectual tradition is a rich and complex tapestry woven from centuries of study, contemplation, and creative expression. The literary output produced by that tradition broadly spans many different genres, including the study of Talmud (Halacha and Aggadah), Kabbalah, Morality/Ethics, Philosophy, Language, and Science (including Physics, Astronomy, and Medicine) — not to mention creative writing in prose and poetry. In this book, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of Jewish history as a story of learning and scholarly achievement, exploring the ways in which Jewish thinkers, scholars, and artists have shaped the course of Western civilization.
In the first part of the book, the authors trace the place of learning and intellectual achievement from the High Middle Ages to contemporary times. In doing so, they highlight various key figures (some more well-known than others), like Rabbi Shmuel HaNaggid (993–1056), Nachmanides (1194–1270), Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh de Modena (1571-1648), Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808–1880), and Dr. Harry A. Wolfson (1887–1974). In doing so, the authors use a refreshing literary device of imagining to document the personal libraries of these famous historical figures, and contemplating what works might have been there and how they may have affected the figures in question. The authors would also hone in on one particular event in the biographies of these figures by painting a complete picture of that moment and the context in which it transpired.
In this book, some important genres of Jewish intellectual tradition are given the short shrift, even though they are fundamental to some parts of the greater community. There are even some genres in which there was ample output within the Jewish intellectual tradition, yet the authors chose to omit them entirely, like the folk magic/segulah literature (as a separate field from Kabbalah), polemics (like the many anti-Christian works produced), and homilies (especially those that focus on the weekly Parashah or holidays).
One recurring theme in this work is the balancing act in which Jewish intellectuals throughout the ages had to engage. On the hand, reverence and awe of tradition and precedent are long-established values in Jewish thought. Yet on the other hand, intellectual thinkers are always creative and innovative in ways that do not necessarily jibe with the past. Especially in the realm of religion, new ideas have to come in communion with old ideas already in place. The authors show how the various scholars discussed in this work grappled with this issue in different ways.
A core part of the authors’ argument is that the same guiding principles that contributed to various religious Jewish intellectual output also influence secular Jewish intellectual output. This point remains unproven but is asserted multiple times by the authors. It essentially means that thoroughly irreligious Jews who helped shape Western civilization, like Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), were influenced by Jewish concepts of education and learning, even though they themselves were not practicing Jews and not continuing in the tradition of their forebearers, per se.
One of the most impressive aspects of the book is the breadth of the authors’ knowledge, which, of course, matches the wide scope of the topic they are writing about. They draw from a vast range of sources — from classical texts to contemporary academic research — to provide a comprehensive overview of the Jewish intellectual tradition. At the same time, they write with precision, clarity, and passion, thus making the material accessible to readers of all levels of expertise.
Overall, this book is an outstanding contribution to the field of Jewish studies, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Jewish intellectual tradition at large. Its insightful and engaging exploration of the ways in which Jewish thought has shaped Western civilization is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers for years to come.
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein (Rachack Review)
The Jewish intellectual tradition is a rich and complex tapestry woven from centuries of study, contemplation, and creative expression. The literary output produced by that tradition broadly spans many different genres, including the study of Talmud (Halacha and Aggadah), Kabbalah, Morality/Ethics, Philosophy, Language, and Science (including Physics, Astronomy, and Medicine) — not to mention creative writing in prose and poetry. In this book, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of Jewish history as a story of learning and scholarly achievement, exploring the ways in which Jewish thinkers, scholars, and artists have shaped the course of Western civilization.
In the first part of the book, the authors trace the place of learning and intellectual achievement from the High Middle Ages to contemporary times. In doing so, they highlight various key figures (some more well-known than others), like Rabbi Shmuel HaNaggid (993–1056), Nachmanides (1194–1270), Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh de Modena (1571-1648), Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808–1880), and Dr. Harry A. Wolfson (1887–1974). In doing so, the authors use a refreshing literary device of imagining to document the personal libraries of these famous historical figures, and contemplating what works might have been there and how they may have affected the figures in question. The authors would also hone in on one particular event in the biographies of these figures by painting a complete picture of that moment and the context in which it transpired.
In this book, some important genres of Jewish intellectual tradition are given the short shrift, even though they are fundamental to some parts of the greater community. There are even some genres in which there was ample output within the Jewish intellectual tradition, yet the authors chose to omit them entirely, like the folk magic/segulah literature (as a separate field from Kabbalah), polemics (like the many anti-Christian works produced), and homilies (especially those that focus on the weekly Parashah or holidays).
One recurring theme in this work is the balancing act in which Jewish intellectuals throughout the ages had to engage. On the hand, reverence and awe of tradition and precedent are long-established values in Jewish thought. Yet on the other hand, intellectual thinkers are always creative and innovative in ways that do not necessarily jibe with the past. Especially in the realm of religion, new ideas have to come in communion with old ideas already in place. The authors show how the various scholars discussed in this work grappled with this issue in different ways.
A core part of the authors’ argument is that the same guiding principles that contributed to various religious Jewish intellectual output also influence secular Jewish intellectual output. This point remains unproven but is asserted multiple times by the authors. It essentially means that thoroughly irreligious Jews who helped shape Western civilization, like Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), were influenced by Jewish concepts of education and learning, even though they themselves were not practicing Jews and not continuing in the tradition of their forebearers, per se.
One of the most impressive aspects of the book is the breadth of the authors’ knowledge, which, of course, matches the wide scope of the topic they are writing about. They draw from a vast range of sources — from classical texts to contemporary academic research — to provide a comprehensive overview of the Jewish intellectual tradition. At the same time, they write with precision, clarity, and passion, thus making the material accessible to readers of all levels of expertise.
Overall, this book is an outstanding contribution to the field of Jewish studies, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Jewish intellectual tradition at large. Its insightful and engaging exploration of the ways in which Jewish thought has shaped Western civilization is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers for years to come.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews