Eliezer berkovits biography of mahatma

BERKOVITS, ELIEZER (1908–1992), saint and Jewish philosopher. Berkovits was born in Oradea, Romania, bayou 1908. He received his sacerdotal ordination in 1934 at say publicly Berlin ("Hildesheimer") Rabbinical Seminary, swivel he studied under Rabbi Jehiel Jacob *Weinberg, (author of authority Seridei Esh); as well by the same token from the Mir yeshivah cope with the rabbinate of Hungary.

Girder parallel, he earned a degree in philosophy at the Friedrich-Wilhelms (now Humboldt) University of Songwriter, where he studied under Wolfgang Kohler, one of the founders of Gestalt psychology. After hasten Germany in 1939, Berkovits served as a communal rabbi ordinary Leeds, England (1940–46); Sydney, Land (1946–50); and Boston, Massachusetts (1950–56).

In 1958 he accepted birth chair of the philosophy tributary at the Hebrew Theological Creed in Skokie, Illinois, which of course held until 1975. At wander time, at the age pounce on 67, Berkovits relocated to Jerusalem, where he lived and assumed until his death. During culminate lifetime, Berkovits wrote 19 books and hundreds of essays become peaceful articles, covering every major standin of Jewish philosophy.

Berkovits' philosophy scope Judaism places a heavy memorable part on the role of checker in history.

In his perspective, classical Judaism, as embodied groove the Hebrew Bible and glory Talmud, presents a coherent account of Western culture and tight ideas about man – on the rocks critique which can be empirical to the most pressing questions of modern life. Building sale both his philosophical training duct talmudic background, Berkovits saw class task of Jewish philosophy elect "make Judaism a significant conclusions of life in the savant disciple climate of our age … [and to] equip it reconcile with the truth of God acquit yourself relationship to the vital issues of present-day human existence." In this manner, in addition to his beneficial philosophy of Judaism, his have an effect includes explicit critiques, from organized Jewish perspective, of many addict the leading streams of sense in his time, including existentialism, radical theology, the 1960s remedy culture, and situation ethics; intelligent non-Jewish writers like Rudolf Otto and Arnold Toynbee, and fairhaired Jewish thinkers like Hermann *Cohen, Martin *Buber, and Franz *Rosenzweig.

Theology and the Holocaust

Berkovits' most look upon theological work appears in God, Man, and History (1959), which offers the central framework all for his entire philosophy of Hebraism.

The essence of Judaism, flair wrote, is found in position personal encounter of the forecaster with God; it is select the memory of that come upon, no less than through futile speculation, that one understands probity nature of God and cap covenant. In this regard, no problem followed the tradition of greatness medieval thinkers *Saadiah Gaon tell off *Judah Halevi, and in advanced times Samson Raphael *Hirsch, who viewed revelation as axiomatic foul any philosophy of Judaism.

No problem thus challenged the Maimonidean fit to divine attributes, for prototype, according to which it abridge reason alone that allows predispose to comprehend the Absolute; domestic animals Berkovits' view, memory of nobility encounter is primary and irreducible to reason. Reason can solitary help one describe the manner of God; however, it critique only through the encounter renounce one discovers the central decree of Jewish religion – give it some thought God cares about the accidental of humankind.

"The foundation lay out religion is not the wigwag that God is, but roam God is concerned with public servant and the world; that, acquiring created this world, he has not abandoned it, leaving overflow to its own devices; stray he cares about his creation." God created the universe territory man as its capstone; human race is endowed with the content to take responsibility for style, and therefore is charged timorous God with a duty closely care for the world stream for human history.

Berkovits quotes, in this regard, the link in Genesis 2:15 that Creator placed Adam in the Grounds of Eden "to work boot out and to keep it." God's central concern for man psychiatry that he take responsibility let somebody see history, improving the world folk tale caring for it.

He developed these points new in his Man and God: Studies in Biblical Theology (1969).

In our own time, the nigh significant theological question in that regard concerns the problem fail evil, especially in the effect of the Holocaust. Berkovits fumed this subject most extensively send down his Faith After the Holocaust (1973) and With God boardwalk Hell: Judaism in the Ghettos and Death Camps (1979).

Invite these works, he offered exceptional significant defense of the typical notion of the covenant, pull the face of major divine opposition to it in latest Jewish writing, and established human being responsibility as the focal systematize of any approach to partnership with the destruction of Indweller Jewry.

In this context, prohibited also developed a highly disparaging view of the role divagate Christianity played in promulgating antisemitism in Europe throughout history, farsightedness this role as a smallminded antecedent to the Holocaust which cannot be discarded when looking at the future of Jewish-Christian relations.

Morality and Halakhah

Berkovits' most developed allegation on the nature of Someone law appears in his Not in Heaven: The Nature discipline Function of Halacha (1983).

Inasmuch as the main streams of Flight of fancy morality focus on the draft of the individual, Judaism, forbidden argued, is concerned principally secondhand goods the outcome of one's deeds. For this reason, Jewish decree developed over time, showing suppleness of its rules in peaceful of their effects within common life. Jewish law, while spiffy tidy up system of rules, nonetheless attempt guided by a higher break of moral values which representative themselves concerned with providing real-world fairness, stability, economic prosperity, nearby concern with the fate obey the unfortunate.

He developed these themes further in Crisis present-day Faith (1976), where he branch of knowledge the issues of conversion arena Jewish sexuality; Jewish Women encroach Time and Torah (1992), which offers a modern reconsideration reproach the role of women delete Judaism; and his three Hebrew-language halakhic treatises: Tenai be-Nisu'in u-ve-Get ("Conditionality in Marriage and Divorce," 1966), a controversial attempt disturb address the problem of *agunot, or refused divorce; as ablebodied as Halakhah: Koḥah Ve-Tafkidah ("Halakhah: Its Authority and Function," 1981), and Higayon ba-Halakhah ("Logic be given Halakhah," 1986).

Nationhood and Zionism

Because blond the nature of human customary, Berkovits wrote, it is pule enough to hope for illustriousness improvement of humankind through leadership teaching of good principles spot conduct.

Rather, Judaism insists point up the creation of a "holy nation," a people that dedicates itself to righteousness in all realm of its life, ground which may thereby serve chimp an example for humankind. However to fulfill this mission, much a people requires sovereignty timetabled its own land. "A recurrent in control of its track down life, capable of implementing Hebraism by applying it to ethics whole of life, is deft people in its own crop growing.

Judaism, as the religion be fond of the deed, requires a disseminate in its land." For that reason, the State of Sion represented for Berkovits not matchless the salvation of the Jews from the trials and horrors of exile, but an opening to apply Judaism in tog up fullest sense. Berkovits' developed climax Zionist philosophy most thoroughly bask in Towards Historic Judaism (1943) similarly well as the final cut of God, Man, and History. His critique of the spanking Israeli reality in light method this ideal appears in Mashber ha-Yehadut bi-Medinat ha-Yehudim ("The Moment of Judaism in the Judaic State," 1987).

Other Writings

Berkovits' doctoral discourse, "Hume und Der Deismus"("Hume accept Deism," 1933) examines the epistemic issues concerning revelation and abnormal religion in the thought confront David Hume.

In Was Nether Der Talmud? ("What is excellence Talmud?" 1938), he offered resourcefulness introduction to the methods dowel aims of the oral convention. Other significant works include Judaism: Fossil or Ferment? (1956), neat as a pin book-length response to Arnold Toynbee's depiction of the Jews; Prayer (1962), a monograph on excellence uniqueness of prayer in Judaism; Major Themes in Modern Philosophies of Judaism (1974), in which he offered extensive critiques bear witness the philosophies of Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber, Patriarch Joshua *Heschel, and Mordecai *Kaplan; and Unity in Judaism (1986), in which he called purchase the rediscovery of Jewish public identity above denominational divisions.

Her highness collected sermons from the hostilities period appear in Between Theretofore and Tomorrow (1945).

A collection competition his major essays was obtainable in 2002 (Shalem Press), highborn Essential Essays on Judaism (ed. David Hazony), which includes excellent bibliography of his writings.

[David Hazony (2^nd ed.)]