God, Man and History examines the underpinnings of Judaism as a whole, from theology to law to the meaning of Jewish nationhood.
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"God, Man and History is cause for celebration in the Jewish and academic worlds" -- Dr. David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College
"David Hazony has done a remarkable service to the Jewish world by re-issuing Eliezer Berkovits’ masterwork." -- Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union
"Hazony has done a great service to a new generation of Jews concerned with the central issues of our time." -- David Novak, J.Richard and Dorothy Shiff Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Toronto
"David Hazony has done a remarkable service to the Jewish world by re-issuing Eliezer Berkovits’ masterwork." -- Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union
"Hazony has done a great service to a new generation of Jews concerned with the central issues of our time." -- David Novak, J.Richard and Dorothy Shiff Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Toronto
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Please remove David Hazony's blog from this book details page. Thanks Marina Pilipodi Managing Editor The Shalem Press
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By givbatam3
Format:Paperback
In the years since the passing of Rabbi Dr Eliezer Berkovits, his stature as one of the great thinkers of modern Orthodox/Traditionalist Judaism has only grown. Although Orthodox Judaism has undergone a great revival in the years since the Second World War after 200 years of decline culminating in the destruction of the centers of Jewish religious life in Europe, it seems that Orthodox Jewish intellectual thought has not kept pace with modern ways of looking at philosophical questions and many Orthodox Jews, although attracted to renewed vigor in religious observance, simply turn inwards and ignore the questions that challenge Jewish thought from the outside world. Rav Berkovitz is one of the few who has risen to the challenge.
This important volume takes on basic questions in religous philosophy and is written in style fitting for an educated layman. This distinguishes Rav Berkovits's work from that of one of the other giants of modern Orthodox Jewish thought, Rav Joseph D Soloveitchik, whose writings contain a lot of terms and ideas that are accessible only to someone who has a background in advanced philosophical thought. This makes Rav Berkovits' book much more accessible, in my opinion.
Rav Berkovits deals with eternal questions about how finite man can encounter the "infinite G-d", how G-d's creation of the universe both shows and hides his presence, how a perfect G-d creates an imperfect universe through self-limitation (tzimtzum), why man must be created free and why this freedom must be accompanyed by the possibility of evil, the sources of the ethics that man must follow, why the Torah must give man a comprehensive system of "mitzvot" (commandments) in order for man to be truly free and ethical, why justice demands that there be an afterlife and why G-d gave his special revelation of the Torah to a particular people (the Jewish people, "Am Israel") and not to all of mankind.
Important points Rav Berkovits makes is his explanation for why it was not enough for man, particularly the Jew, to be commanded to be "good" and "ethical" to his fellow man, it was also necessary to give the Jew a comprehensive set of mitzvot that regulate not only his interpersonal relations (which appear to be "logical" to the human mind) but also his eating, sleeping, marital relations, speech, and activities on the Sabbath and Holy Days. Many modern Jews, particularly in the non-Orthodox trends among the Jewish people have thought it is adequate to either downgrade the importance of these "ritual mitzvot" or abolish them entirely. Rav Berkovits clearly shows that giving man only "ethical" demands (a la Immanual Kant) has failed throughout history, culminating in the horrors of the 20th century, and that in order to train man to be ethical as he should be, he must be constantly reminded of G-d's presence in ALL of his activities, thus "training" man (like a soldier in Rav Berkovits's example) to be aware of the divine imperative at all times and in all conditions and not simply to be "religious" (as is common in the Western Christian world) one day a week and "secular" the rest of the time.
Rav Berkovits also shows that without man having a conciousness of responsibility to G-d, his behavior can often go out of control, leading to the subversion not only of one's persons, but entire nations, as again was seen in the 20th century. Rav Berkovits shows the folly of the views of those like Plato who said people will act "good" if they are educated properly, and Marx who said people will act "good" if their material circumstances are adequate and there is an enforced "equality" in society. Adolph Eichmann quoted Kant's categorial imperative in justifying his actions in the Holocaust (obviously an "educated man" according to Plato), and everyone knows the montrous Communist regimes that were created in the name of Marxism). Man can only really behave responsibily to his fellow man if he knows he is accountable to his Creator.
Although these points might seem obvious to a religiously observant Jew, I have observed that many highly learned people have not really absorbed the lessons about man and his relationship to G-d that Rav Berkovitz outlines in this book. This became apparent to me during the period when Israel's Leftist government was trying to get support from religious Jews for its disastrous Oslo Agreements when it was decided to bring Arafat, a mass murderer to Israel and to arm him. Oslo's proponents claimed that "really" Arafat was merely after power and money (something like Marx would say) and even though he had killed many people, once Israel gave him money and power, he would behave. Of course, this is not what happened...he took the money and weapons given him and murdered Jews with them, exactly as he had promised. I couldn't believe how some highly learned Orthodox Jews fell into the trap Oslo's proponents used in justifying their actions by using classic Marxist arguments, even though, as Rav Berkovits has shown, they do not correspond to the reality of the world G-d had created. I hope more Jews will read Rav Berkovits's writings which will bring them to a clearer understanding of what Judaism and the Torah really are and how they relate to the modern world we live in.
This important volume takes on basic questions in religous philosophy and is written in style fitting for an educated layman. This distinguishes Rav Berkovits's work from that of one of the other giants of modern Orthodox Jewish thought, Rav Joseph D Soloveitchik, whose writings contain a lot of terms and ideas that are accessible only to someone who has a background in advanced philosophical thought. This makes Rav Berkovits' book much more accessible, in my opinion.
Rav Berkovits deals with eternal questions about how finite man can encounter the "infinite G-d", how G-d's creation of the universe both shows and hides his presence, how a perfect G-d creates an imperfect universe through self-limitation (tzimtzum), why man must be created free and why this freedom must be accompanyed by the possibility of evil, the sources of the ethics that man must follow, why the Torah must give man a comprehensive system of "mitzvot" (commandments) in order for man to be truly free and ethical, why justice demands that there be an afterlife and why G-d gave his special revelation of the Torah to a particular people (the Jewish people, "Am Israel") and not to all of mankind.
Important points Rav Berkovits makes is his explanation for why it was not enough for man, particularly the Jew, to be commanded to be "good" and "ethical" to his fellow man, it was also necessary to give the Jew a comprehensive set of mitzvot that regulate not only his interpersonal relations (which appear to be "logical" to the human mind) but also his eating, sleeping, marital relations, speech, and activities on the Sabbath and Holy Days. Many modern Jews, particularly in the non-Orthodox trends among the Jewish people have thought it is adequate to either downgrade the importance of these "ritual mitzvot" or abolish them entirely. Rav Berkovits clearly shows that giving man only "ethical" demands (a la Immanual Kant) has failed throughout history, culminating in the horrors of the 20th century, and that in order to train man to be ethical as he should be, he must be constantly reminded of G-d's presence in ALL of his activities, thus "training" man (like a soldier in Rav Berkovits's example) to be aware of the divine imperative at all times and in all conditions and not simply to be "religious" (as is common in the Western Christian world) one day a week and "secular" the rest of the time.
Rav Berkovits also shows that without man having a conciousness of responsibility to G-d, his behavior can often go out of control, leading to the subversion not only of one's persons, but entire nations, as again was seen in the 20th century. Rav Berkovits shows the folly of the views of those like Plato who said people will act "good" if they are educated properly, and Marx who said people will act "good" if their material circumstances are adequate and there is an enforced "equality" in society. Adolph Eichmann quoted Kant's categorial imperative in justifying his actions in the Holocaust (obviously an "educated man" according to Plato), and everyone knows the montrous Communist regimes that were created in the name of Marxism). Man can only really behave responsibily to his fellow man if he knows he is accountable to his Creator.
Although these points might seem obvious to a religiously observant Jew, I have observed that many highly learned people have not really absorbed the lessons about man and his relationship to G-d that Rav Berkovitz outlines in this book. This became apparent to me during the period when Israel's Leftist government was trying to get support from religious Jews for its disastrous Oslo Agreements when it was decided to bring Arafat, a mass murderer to Israel and to arm him. Oslo's proponents claimed that "really" Arafat was merely after power and money (something like Marx would say) and even though he had killed many people, once Israel gave him money and power, he would behave. Of course, this is not what happened...he took the money and weapons given him and murdered Jews with them, exactly as he had promised. I couldn't believe how some highly learned Orthodox Jews fell into the trap Oslo's proponents used in justifying their actions by using classic Marxist arguments, even though, as Rav Berkovits has shown, they do not correspond to the reality of the world G-d had created. I hope more Jews will read Rav Berkovits's writings which will bring them to a clearer understanding of what Judaism and the Torah really are and how they relate to the modern world we live in.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Asher Gabbay
Format:Paperback
This is the second time I'm reading God, Man and History. I read it a few years ago but felt that it deserved a second, much slower, read. So I left it on my desk at the synagogue, and for the past few weeks I've been reading a few pages at a time every shabbat, trying to absorb this masterpiece of Jewish thought more thoroughly.
Eliezer Berkovits is one of the less-known Jewish thinkers of the past century, and the Shalem Institute in Jerusalem should be commended for publishing several of his works in new editions. This edition of God, Man and History was the first book to be published in this series, and rightly so, as it is considered Berkovits' keystone work. It is a small volume (just over 150 pages) and yet it manages to explain in clear language some of the most fundmental questions of Jewish theology.
The book has three sections, corresponding to the title of the book. The first, and most detailed section, deals with the encounter with God which is the core of Berkovits' philosophy. It lays the foundations for the rest of the book. The second section deals with ethics, that is the practical translation of the encounter into Jewish law and deeds (mitzvot). The last, and shortest section, is about the manifestation of God in history (or rather, lack thereof), particularly the history of the people of Israel. As Berkovits himself states in the introduction, the book follows the footsteps of that "most Jewish of Jewish philosophers", Yehudah HaLevi, the 12th-century Spanish philosopher and poet who sought to define Judaism from within (particularly in The Kuzari).
I will not even attempt to summarise Berkovits' philosophy here. But I will highlight one theme that permeates throughout the whole book, that of man's responsibility for his actions. Berkovits solves the paradox of the encounter between God and man by ultimately demonstrating that God cares for His creation and is engaged in its progress and survival. God is not an indifferent supreme being that leaves the world to its own devices (Aristotle), nor is He the pantheistic "God of nature" (Spinoza). However, there exists, and must exist, a separation between God and man, as such separation is vital for man.
The doubts about the existence of God, which derive from the fact that the encounters between God and man in history were extremely rare and brief, are essential for safeguarding man's freedom. God hides from man in order to enable man to believe in Him without compulsion. There can be no intellectual proof of God's existence as such proof would "put the human intellect in chains". We would have no choice but to believe in God; faith would be redundant. For the same reason, there can be no evident and continuous intervention by God in the world (e.g. by preventing evil) as such intervention would crush man's responsibilities and he would be nothing more than a puppet.
This is a most profound idea. We all know to repeat the mantra of man's "freedom of choice". Yet most of us wish for God to be more present, for Him to resolve the problem of theodicy and to govern the world through miracles. Understanding the concept of the "hidden God" and why it is vital for our existence as human beings, is an important step forward in accepting our reponsibilities in this world.
If I were ever asked to make the impossible choice of recommending one book, and one book only, on Jewish thought, God, Man and History would most definitely make it to the short list.
Eliezer Berkovits is one of the less-known Jewish thinkers of the past century, and the Shalem Institute in Jerusalem should be commended for publishing several of his works in new editions. This edition of God, Man and History was the first book to be published in this series, and rightly so, as it is considered Berkovits' keystone work. It is a small volume (just over 150 pages) and yet it manages to explain in clear language some of the most fundmental questions of Jewish theology.
The book has three sections, corresponding to the title of the book. The first, and most detailed section, deals with the encounter with God which is the core of Berkovits' philosophy. It lays the foundations for the rest of the book. The second section deals with ethics, that is the practical translation of the encounter into Jewish law and deeds (mitzvot). The last, and shortest section, is about the manifestation of God in history (or rather, lack thereof), particularly the history of the people of Israel. As Berkovits himself states in the introduction, the book follows the footsteps of that "most Jewish of Jewish philosophers", Yehudah HaLevi, the 12th-century Spanish philosopher and poet who sought to define Judaism from within (particularly in The Kuzari).
I will not even attempt to summarise Berkovits' philosophy here. But I will highlight one theme that permeates throughout the whole book, that of man's responsibility for his actions. Berkovits solves the paradox of the encounter between God and man by ultimately demonstrating that God cares for His creation and is engaged in its progress and survival. God is not an indifferent supreme being that leaves the world to its own devices (Aristotle), nor is He the pantheistic "God of nature" (Spinoza). However, there exists, and must exist, a separation between God and man, as such separation is vital for man.
The doubts about the existence of God, which derive from the fact that the encounters between God and man in history were extremely rare and brief, are essential for safeguarding man's freedom. God hides from man in order to enable man to believe in Him without compulsion. There can be no intellectual proof of God's existence as such proof would "put the human intellect in chains". We would have no choice but to believe in God; faith would be redundant. For the same reason, there can be no evident and continuous intervention by God in the world (e.g. by preventing evil) as such intervention would crush man's responsibilities and he would be nothing more than a puppet.
This is a most profound idea. We all know to repeat the mantra of man's "freedom of choice". Yet most of us wish for God to be more present, for Him to resolve the problem of theodicy and to govern the world through miracles. Understanding the concept of the "hidden God" and why it is vital for our existence as human beings, is an important step forward in accepting our reponsibilities in this world.
If I were ever asked to make the impossible choice of recommending one book, and one book only, on Jewish thought, God, Man and History would most definitely make it to the short list.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Ben Uziel
Format:Paperback
This is a masterful and insightful theological treatise. Berkovits brilliantly explains the foundation that revelation is to jewish understanding of its relation to a supreme being. The encounter between man and God is experiential knowledge that transcends reason. He goes further to the actual implications of a deity that would relate itself to its creation in such a fashion.
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 40
books:
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8
books
cite this book:
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- The Guide of the Perplexed, Vol. 1 by Moses Maimonides on 11 pages
- The Book of Doctrines and Beliefs by Saadya Gaon on 6 pages
- Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone (Torchbooks) by Immanuel Kant on 6 pages
- A History of Philosophy by Wilhelm Windelband on 5 pages
- Critique of Pure Reason (The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant) by Immanuel Kant in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 40 books this book cites
- Between Man and God: Issues in Judaic Thought (Contributions to the Study of Religion) by Martin Sicker on page 125, page 228, and Back Matter
- Beyond Auschwitz: Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought in America by Michael L. Morgan in Back Matter
- El Libro Judio Del Por Qué (Spanish Edition) by Alfred J. Kolatch in Back Matter
- Beyond Auschwitz: Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought in America by Michael L. Morgan in Back Matter
- Judaism in America (Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series) by Marc Lee Raphael on page 192
See all 8 books citing this book
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