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In a work that casts philosophical and theological reflections against a backdrop of personal experience, Leon Wiener Dow offers a learned discourse that elucidates the telos of Jewish law and the philosophical-theological commitments that animate it. To the reader gazing upon the halakha from the outside, this book offers a glimpse of its central, orienting concepts. To the reader who lives amidst the rigor of halakha, this book bestows an insightful glance at the law's orienting ethos and higher aspirations that often remain opaque.
List of contents
1. Beginnings.- 2. Saying, Writing, Doing.- 3. Shared Spacetime: Community.- 4. The Ineffable.- Epilogue. Parting ways.
About the author
Leon Wiener Dow is a research fellow and a member of the faculty at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Summary
In a work that casts philosophical and theological reflections against a backdrop of personal experience, Leon Wiener Dow offers a learned discourse that elucidates the telos of Jewish law and the philosophical-theological commitments that animate it. To the reader gazing upon the halakha from the outside, this book offers a glimpse of its central, orienting concepts. To the reader who lives amidst the rigor of halakha, this bookbestows an insightful glance at the law’s orienting ethos and higher aspirations that often remain opaque.
Additional text
“In its depth and breadth, this work is theologically stunning. … Its erudition, sophistication, and verve testify that halakhah is neither only an object of study nor a paved highway but, rather, a path that, in its being traveled, is constantly redirected in view of divine command and human experience.” (Yonatan Y. Brafman, Journal of Jewish Ethics, Vol. 5 (2), 2019)
Report
"In its depth and breadth, this work is theologically stunning. ... Its erudition, sophistication, and verve testify that halakhah is neither only an object of study nor a paved highway but, rather, a path that, in its being traveled, is constantly redirected in view of divine command and human experience." (Yonatan Y. Brafman, Journal of Jewish Ethics, Vol. 5 (2), 2019)
