The Kuzari: In Defense of the Despised Faith

by Yehuda HaLevi, N. Daniel Korobkin (Translator)

Written by Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi over a period of twenty years and completed in 1140, The Kuzari has enthralled generations of Jews and non-Jews alike with its clear-cut presentation on Judaism, and its polemics against Greek philosophy, Christianity, Islam, and Karaitism. Part historical novel, The Kuzari records a dialogue between Bulan, the eighth-century King of the Khazars (a powerful people occupying the region which is now southeast Russia between the Black and Caspian Seas), and a rabbi. The story is told that the righteous king was plagued by a recurring dream in which an angel told him "Your intentions are desirable to the Creator, but not your deeds." This prompted him to summon a Greek philosopher, a Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew to his palace to guide him on the proper religious path. He was dissatisfied with each theologian until he heard what the rabbi had to say. The king debated with the rabbi, and finally conceded that Judaism was the one true and correct religion. History records that Bulan and his entire kingdom then converted to Judaism. Never before in Jewish history had an entire nation of non-Jews embraced Judaism. The Kuzari describes the theological struggles of King Bulan and the convincing arguments of the rabbi which led to this mass conversion. Using this premise and the dialogue format as his vehicle, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi succeeds in presenting, in a passionate and convincing fashion, some of the most important fundamentals of Judaism, including the different levels of creation, how God interacts with the physical world, the holiness of the land of Israel, and the sanctity of the Sabbath and other holy days. Only two other English translations of The Kuzari were ever published. One, originally produced in 1905, is written in an archaic style, and the other compiles the information in The Kuzari by topic, but does not convey the original excitement of the question-and-answer dialogue between the rabbi and the king. With an introduction that includes a brief history of the Khazars and biographical information on the author, this new volume fills a gap in Jewish literature. As modern readers are drawn into the centuries-old debate, they will join the Khazar king in discovering the beauty, truth, and wisdom of Judaism.

Genres: Judaism, Philosophy, Religion, Jewish, Judaica, Nonfiction, History

507 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1140

About the author

Yehuda Halevi was an 11th/12th century Andalusian Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died in Jerusalem in 1141, at that time under Crusader rule.

Halevi is considered one of the greatest Hebrew poets, celebrated both for his religious and secular poems, many of which appear in present-day liturgy. His greatest philosophical work was The Kuzari.

Reviews

[Dunie]

A awakening & Prophetic book

Only if we learn and do, what tradagies we would have prevented.
This book Like many of our great books, is prophetic.
Many of the ancient questions posed in this book and their answers are still being asked today.

[Daniel]

Read parts of it for a course on Classic Jewish Philosophy mainly covering this book and the Rambam's Guide of the Perplexed. I decided to finish it, but it was not rewarding, especially when compared to the Guide. If, on the one hand, it is more subtle about its criticisms against (Aristotelian) philosophers, not being overly anti-philosophical as I've heard this described, but more seeing the philosophical perspective as incomplete, and I do appreciate the tensions and dialectical movement that the dialogical format provides; on the other hand, the arguments that it states with so much authority and certainty are so flawed that it makes it hard to take it that seriously. More specifically, lots of arguments base themselves on the certainty of the science of HaLevi's time that now are completely undermined by knowing that that science was wrong. Other arguments are based on simply prefering the premise that God exists and created the universe as less absurd as any philosophical or religious alternative he criticizes. But the arguments he provide to believe in revelation are not convincing. He has a certain historical-empiricist line of argumentation that would certify the certainty of the Torah on a line of unbroken tradition that is utterly wrong when faced with historical, documental and archaeological evidence. If we go by this empiricist route to believe in tradition, HaLevi ultimately disproves himself. Despite my disagreements with the Rambam, I feel that his work has way better arguments that can be further developed than what HaLevi has to offer.

[Jordon Gyarmathy]

This was a book that I was very anxious about approaching. I have been studying Judaism for a while, getting deep into history, sociology, anthropology and theology, but philosophy of the religion had always been daunting to me. HaLevi's approach, using a dialogue between a king and rabbi proved quite helpful and accessible, easy to comprehend more lofty philosophical ideas. There were times where subjects of philosophy were explored that I did not buy into but I greatly delighted in reading the book as a whole.

[Nathan Lyubarsky]

One of the greatest texts I’ve read. The translation I read was very understandable (kudos to the translators because Medieval English is very challenging to read). The book spent little time refuting Islam and Christianity which was fine because the arguments against philosophy and arguments for the existence of the oral law were where the book shined. Unlike Rabbi Moses Ben Maimonides who seeks to reconcile faith with philosophy, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi argues that philosophy is irrelevant, and only mass revelation stands as a true testament to the truthfulness of Hebrew claims.

[Charles Cohen]

This book kept coming up in different classes I've taken, mostly around the connection between Jews in the Diaspora and the land of Israel between the destruction of the second Temple and the advent of modern Zionism. And for that, it was...not *quite* worth reading, but hey, I got to read pages and pages of old-timey science and astronomy.

[Sarah]

I really enjoyed reading the explanations of different questionable aspects of Judaism in the context of a dialogue. I think the Kuzari could've been more of a devil's advocate (i.e. press the Rabbi a little harder), but overall it was a good classic Jewish book.

[Rgusterman]

Did not manage to finish - heavy read (and over 8 centuries old)....

[Julie-Anne Borgias]

The arguments are presented at various levels of intellect to allow any reader to find something in it.

[Shmu]

Read an English translation unless you read Judeo-Arabic. Solid read. Gives a lot of convincing arguments. Good Chevruta book during night Seder. Vive la france.

[George Bernstein]

Excellent edition. Recommended for all Jews and interested non-Jews.

[Hilton Neves]

Fantastic! Contains a lot of wisdom. Gives us a better understanding of Tohu va Vohu and Astkasa'at; moreover, shows Plato treasures life in community, which is a Jewish costume too; and compliments Aristotle on his turning himself to study prime matter.

[Sunny]

brilliant. I need to read about a page a week to really let the arguments sink in, but M enjoying it now. I suspect this book will take me years to complete.

[Jeremy Tibbetts]

Books II and IV were great. I, III and V were very dense. A classic, but difficult to work through

[Robert Cymbala]

I appreciate this book for giving me a new perspective on philosophy & dialectics... *

[Michel Van Goethem]

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[Mark Uraine]

An excellent dialogue between a Khazari and a Rabbi regarding philosophy, theology, and belief.