Jewish God Question

Andrew Pessin is professor of philosophy at Connecticut College. In addition to his occasional appearances as “The Genius” on the Late Show with David Letterman, he is the author of a number of books, including The God Question: What Famous Thinkers from Plato to Dawkins Have Said about the Divine and The 60-Second Philosopher.Samuel Lebens is a research fellow in philosophy at the University of Haifa. He is chairperson of the Association for the Philosophy of Judaism.

This impressive summation of a huge wealth of material will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Jewish thought.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPART I: PHILO–IBN DAUD (c. 20 BCE–1180 CE)Introduction to Part IPhilo (c. 20 BCE–c. 50 CE)1.On Beginning with “The Beginning”On the Law, creation, and the cosmos2.The People of the Book, and the Book of (All) the PeopleThe Torah expresses a universal philosophy for everyoneSaadia Ben Joseph Gaon (882–942)3.What a Long, Strange Trip It Hasn’t BeenThe cosmos must have had a first moment of creation4.Two Ways of Being OneThere is just one god, who is “one,” all the way throughIsaac Israeli (c. 855–955)5.The Descent, and Ascent, of ManCosmology and psychology illuminate the way to eternal blissSolomon Ibn Gabirol (1021–58)6.On the Matter of the SoulAll objects, physical or spiritual, are a combination of matter and form,and that is the secret to blessednessBachya Ibn Paquda (c. 1050–1120)7.Do the Right Thing—for the Right ReasonsDuties of the limb are imperfect unless accompanied by duties of the heartAbraham Bar Chiyya (1065–1136)8.And God Did Not Say, “Let There Be Man”Both scripture and philosophical reasoning demonstrate the immortality of the soulJoseph Ibn Tzaddik (?–1149)9.In the Beginning Was the Beginning—of TimeHow to reconcile the eternal unchanging nature of God’s will with His creating the cosmosJudah Halevi (c. 1075–1141)10.The Philosopher’s GodThe God who does not hear or care is not the God of the Hebrew Bible11.The Spiritual LighthouseThe children of Israel were chosen for the mission of spreading the divine light12.Home Is Where the Heart IsThe children of Israel belong in the Land of IsraelAbraham Ibn Ezra (1089–1164)13.The History over the MysteryWhy God prefaces the Ten Commandments with a history lesson Abraham Ibn Daud (Rabad) (1110–80)14.The Unmoved MoverPhilosophical principles prove the existence of the nonphysical God of Judaism 15.What God Does Not Know, Despite Knowing EverythingAlthough our free actions cannot be foreknown, there is no lack in God’s knowledgePART II: MAIMONIDES–SFORNO (1135–c. 1550)Introduction to Part IIMaimonides (1135–1204)16.Not That Many Are CalledVery few people are properly prepared to study the philosophical truths of religion17.Speaking of God . . .On what can, and cannot, be said about God18.And Behold, It Still Is Pretty GoodHow the perfectly good, all-powerful God could make a world containing so much evilMoses Ben Nachman (Nachmanides, Ramban) (1194–1270)19.Though the Messiah May Tarry, We Should NotThe Torah obligates the Jew to return to the Land of Israel20.The Messiah Still Tarries—Contrary Opinions NotwithstandingContra the Christian claim, Jews do not believe the messiah has yet appearedHillel Ben Samuel (1220–95)21.The Ultimate Meeting of the MindsIn defense of personal immortality from the challenge of the universal intellectMoses De Leon (1240–1305)22.Sex as a Mystical ExperienceJewish mysticism sees a cosmos in which God battles dark forces, and seeks our assistanceAbraham Abulafia (1240–c. 1292)23.What’s in a Name? Only EverythingProphetic Kabbalah leads the way to spiritual perfection and redemptionIsaac Albalag (late thirteenth century)24.Agree to DisagreeSometimes both scripture and philosophy are true—even where they disagreeAbner of Burgos (1270–1347)25.Voluntary Actions in a Predetermined WorldHuman freedom can be preserved even in a world where everything is causedIsaac Pollegar (d. c. 1330)26.It Really Is “Up to You”Human freedom refutes causal predeterminismJoseph Ibn Kaspi (1279–1331)27.Distance Makes the Heart Grow HarderReading the Bible literally and naturally is preferableLevi Ben Gerson (Gersonides) (1288–1344) 28.What We Talk about When We Talk about GodOur ordinary language does apply to God despite the great gap between God and ordinary things29.If God Only KnewDivine foreknowledge really is incompatible with human freedom, and so must be rejectedAaron Ben Elijah of Nicomedia (c. 1328–69)30.You Should Get That in WritingOn privileging the written Law over the oral LawMoses Ben Joshua of Narbonne (Narboni) (d. c. 1362)31.Don’t Do Everything PossibleGod knows the cosmos by knowing Himself, and thus makes room for human freedomChasdai Ben Judah Crescas (c. 1340–1410/11)32.Love of God over Love of WisdomContra the philosophers, it is not knowledge of but love of God that confers immortality33.Keep On Keeping OnEven an eternal cosmos requires God to create it—and to keep it in existence34.Determined to Be FreeThere is foreknowledge and causal predeterminism—and freedom and moral responsibility Joseph Albo (1380–1444)35.Back to BasicsThere are just three basic principles to Judaism, which also has the surest claim to divine origin Yochanan Alemanno (c. 1435–1504)36.It’s in the Stars—and in the TorahOn astrology and the Hebrew BibleAbraham Bivach (Bibago) (mid-fifteenth century)37.It’s Reasonable to Believe on FaithKnowledge based on faith is superior to rational knowledge Isaac Abravanel (1437–1508)38.All or NoneEvery commandment, large or small, and every word of scripture is equally important Elijah Del Medigo (1458–93)39.Disagree to DisagreeThere’s only one truth, and scripture always has it—except when it doesn’t Leone Ebreo (Judah Abravanel) (c. 1460–after 1523) 40.All You Need Is LoveLove is all you need Moses Ben Baruch Almosnino (c. 1515 – c. 1580)41.Where There’s a Will, There’s a WayThe goal is to align not our intellect with God’s but our willObadiah Sforno (c. 1470–c. 1550)42.Do the Right Thing (Which Requires Knowing What That Is) Moral perfection is an aspect of intellectual perfection, so both are required for the good Jewish lifePART III: SPINOZA–PINSKER (1632–1891)Introduction to Part IIIBaruch Spinoza (1632–77)43.One with God—LiterallyEverything is God; and neither we, nor God, acts freely 44.Gazing at Eternity with Fresh EyesThe modern age requires a rethinking of the nature of the Bible, starting with a rejection of the supernatural Moses Mendelssohn (1729–86)45.Have Your Kosher Cake (and Eat It Too)An observant Jew can also be a full citizen of the nation in which s/he lives Solomon Maimon (1753–1800)46.Don’t Belong to Any Club That Has You for a MemberSpinoza is not an atheist, and Mendelssohn wrongly thinks you can reject Jewish Law yet remain part of the Jewish communitySaul Ascher (1767–1822)47.To Everything There Is a Season—Including Traditional JudaismModern times require a reformulation of Judaism, from a religion of law to one of belief Leopold Zunz (1794–1886)48.Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Cannot, StudyModern scholarship (or “science”) is essential for Jews to become full members of societySolomon Steinheim (1789–1866)49.Ya Gotta Believe!The metaphysical doctrine of creation ex nihilo is part of Judaism’s essence Abraham Geiger (1810–74)50.The More Things Change, the More They Stay the SameThe unchanging essence of Judaism itself dictates Judaism’s modern reformSamuel Holdheim (1806–60)51.Love Your Compatriot as You Love YourselfThe spiritual mission of Judaism is best served by its radical reformMoses Sofer (Hatam Sofer) (1762–1839)52.Same as It Ever WasContra “reform,” one should change nothing in Judaism unless absolutely necessaryZacharias Frankel (1801–75)53.Goldilocks JudaismReform jettisons too much, Orthodoxy jettisons too little; the middle ground is just right Nachman Krochmal (1785–1840)54.The Light unto the NationsThe Jews are a nation, with a spirit and history, but one with a special spirit and historySamson Raphael Hirsch (1808–88)55.When Progress Amounts to RegressThe movement to “reform” Judaism amounts to the rejection of Judaism56.Positively InauthenticThe “positive-historical” school is no more authentic Judaism than is the Reform schoolIsrael Salanter (1810–83)57.The Only Thing I Can’t Resist Is TemptationThe righteous life requires methods of moral instruction and correction, based in Torah and psychologyZvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795–1874)58.Not by Miracles, but by SweatThe ingathering of the exiles, through our own efforts, is the first phase of redemptionLeon Pinsker (1821–91) 59.We’ll Do It Our WayJews must emancipate themselves in order to end the scourge of JudeophobiaPART IV: HERZL–LEBENS (1860– )Introduction to Part IVTheodor Herzl (1860–1904)60.If You Will It, It Is No DreamThe only solution to European antisemitism is the establishment of a Jewish stateAhad Ha’am (Asher Ginsberg) (1856–1927)61.More Than the Jews Have Kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath Has Kept the JewsPolitical Zionism seeks to solve the problem of the Jews, but what’s needed is to solve the problem of JewishnessMicah Joseph Berdichevsky (1865–1921)62.Not the Last Jew, but the First HebrewOn the transvaluation of Jewish values, from the power of love to the love of power Shalom Dov Baer Schneersohn (1860–1920) 63.(Don’t Be) Another Brick in the WallRedemption will not come by the Zionists but by the messiah, when the time is ripeHermann Cohen (1842–1918)64.Be ReasonableJudaism is a religion of reason 65.At Home in the ExileJudaism, as a religion of reason, should oppose political ZionismFranz Rosenzweig (1886–1929)66.A People without (Need of) a LandA people with a spiritual mission is not tied to a land, but at home everywhereMartin Buber (1878–1965)67.The Ménage à TroisGod is to be found in the relationship between I and YouHayim Nahman Bialik (1873–1934)68.Building a Modern University with Ancient StonesOn the inauguration of the Hebrew University, and of a renewed national lifeAbraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935)69.The Jew and the Land, as Spirit and FleshOn the foundations of religious ZionismMordecai Kaplan (1881–1983)70.Not as Jews, nor as Americans, but as Jewish-AmericansOn reconstructing Judaism for the modern American JewJoseph Soloveitchik (1903–93)71.From Sinai to Moriah, a Tale of Three AdamsHalachic man partners with God in sanctifying the worldLeo Strauss (1899–1973)72.Reason versus Revelation and the Modern Predicament, Part ICan either be the source of absolute truth, to resist the modern attack onmeaning?73.Reason versus Revelation and the Modern Predicament, Part IIThe past can teach the moderns why we should remain JewsEmmanuel Levinas (1906–95)74.Seeing God in the Face of the OtherWe experience God’s presence in experiencing our moral obligations to other personsAbraham Joshua Heschel (1907–72)75.God in Search of ManThe experience of divine concern is at the heart of authentic religious practiceEliezer Berkovits (1908–92)76.Man in Search of GodThe experience of divine concern is both the foundation and endpoint of JudaismHannah Arendt (1906–75)77.The Banality of EvilHowever evil the Holocaust was, Eichmann’s own evil was not radical but merely banal Emil Fackenheim (1916–2003)78.The 614th CommandmentThe authentic Jew must not give Hitler a posthumous victory Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903–94)79.Idolatry of the 1967 LandsOne should serve God, for the sake of God, and leave politics out of it Hans Jonas (1903–93)80.God after AuschwitzThe existence of evil is ultimately due to God’s revocation of His own powerJudith Plaskow (b. 1947)81.Made in Her ImageFeminist Judaism as a religion for all JewsMichael Wyschogrod (1928–2015)82.The Body and the BloodIt is through God’s preferential love of the Jewish people that He is able to love all humanityEugene Borowitz (1924–2016)83.A Covenant TheologyOn being committed to personal autonomy and God, Israel, and TorahRachel Adler (b. 1943)84.A Covenant for LoversBuilding on the halachic past a foundation for a more egalitarian Jewish futureTamar Ross (b. 1938)85.Expanding the Palace of TorahAn Orthodox approach to feminism Shimon Gershon Rosenberg (Shagar) (1949–2007)86.Postmodern TimesThe need to reconcile Judaism with modernity has become obsolete Samuel Lebens (b. 1983)87.Living the Dream A twenty-first-century solution to the medieval problem of divine unity Afterword: Jewish Philosophy: Past, Present, and Future? by Samuel LebensGlossary of Hebrew TermsSourcesBibliographyIndex