Voices from Exile: Delving into Jewish Theology, History, and Folklore

The differences between Ashkenazim and Sephardim of the medieval period extend to a whole host of areas including their liturgical practices, approaches to the Biblical and Talmudic study, manner of dress, and of course differences in Hebrew pronunciation. The differences often resulted in identity struggles which manifested themselves in conflict and animosity towards each other. The differences were in part reflective of very different cultural surroundings and the impact of the dominant political and religious cultures of Christianity and Islam.

Theological debates between two different theological systems are generally pointless in my opinion. Why? Because typically the nature of each theological system generally dismisses the validity of the other theological system from the start. One side is bent on showing the other how wrong or foolish they are. If theological debates are pointless, then what is appropriate and what is beneficial. Discussion. A genuine theological discussion affords each the legitimacy of each tradition for its adherents. A discussion doesn't mean approbation, acceptance, or even admiration. It simply means that we try to understand each other.

A number of Jewish historical works were written during the sixteenth century including Sefer Yuhasin by Abraham Zacuto at the beginning of the century and Semah David by David Gans at the end of the century. The former preceded Dei Rossi’s Me’or Einayim and was intended for the accomplished Talmudic scholar while the latter was intended for the masses.3 While they differ in content and theme, both of these historical works emphasized the precise knowledge of the rabbis with the underlying goal of preserving the authority of the tradition. Zacuto’s work affirms the literal truth of all rabbinic accounts, including those with a legendary or mythical tone to them. For Zacuto, history is not an end in itself but must instead serve to strengthen trust in G-d’s power and providence. The history of the Jewish people fulfills the words of the Torah to “remember the days of old.” Both works include a review of non-Jewish history but view it as separate, and both works view any disagreements or discrepancies between Jewish sources and non-Jewish sources are decided by the former.4 For Gans, writing after Dei Rossi and in response to many of his stances, any account that did was not divinely inspired could not be trusted absolutely. Like Zacuto, Gans affirmed the position rejecting any historical source that contradicted or called into question even the smallest detail of Talmudic Aggadah.

A great many Jewish holidays and practices, in their earliest understanding, reflect the great innovation of Israelite religion. The Bible emphasized historical events in contrast to nature. Other ancient Near Eastern religions stressed the latter. As Rabbi Abra-ham Joshua Heschel noted, in the Jewish tradition, faith is memory. The observances of Jewish holidays and various Jewish practices articulate theological ideas reflective of collective Jewish memory.

It's hard to believe that Hasidism as we see it in the 21st century was once considered heretical in quarters of traditional orthodoxy. The rise of Hasidism precipitated a strong reaction by a range of prevailing religious authorities. The accusations and basis for concern were quite varied as the edicts of excommunication issued by the Gaon of Vilna and others ultimately revealed. One recurring accusation against the growing number of Hasidim was the deprecation of Torah study among its adherents. The accusation levied against Hasidism eventually dissipated in the 19th century, but such assertions plagued the origins of the movement during its first and second generation.

The Sayings of the Fathers provide us with a unique but limited portal to the world of emerging rabbinic thought in the late Second Temple and the subsequent era following its destruction. While the Sages’ words are primarily focused on ethical and moral concerns, they also reflect the complex and changing political environments of their day and the delicate relationship existing between Jewish communities in a post-exilic world dominated by foreign powers.

Despite the proven relationship of Karaites and Rabbanites at the highest level, the theological differences between the two communities remained and would ultimately manifest itself in attempts by some Rabbanites to excommunicate them. But while some worked to excommunicate them, others were perfectly fine with forging alliances and marrying them.

While the two groups may have been theological opposed to each other, day to day interaction could include practical engagement with one another. If documented relationships that existed between Karaites and Rabbanites, i.e., rabbinic Jews, can be explained as simple business realities, the associations between the Karaites and the yeshivot of Jerusalem and Babylon reveal an astonishing measure of cooperation and support.

We continue our discussion on Moshe idel's work titled Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism. Here Idel begins to consider the elements which appear to have been critical in the development of the thought patterns that were eventually accepted into nascent Christianity. While our discussion will not reach this period yet, these elements are critical to understanding the existence of various ideas that reappear in later Jewish thought in the medieval period.

We continue our discussion the phenomenal and no doubt controversial work of Moshe Idel titled Ben: Sonship and Divine Sonship and Jewish Mysticism. In this episode we explore the challenges of understanding sonship in the Second Temple period with an emphasis on the Angel of the Lord. The goal of this discussion is to understand the variety of Jewish thought on the topic and also understand the point of departure between emerging rabbinic thought and nascent Christianity.