Customer Reviews

Or hara'ayon = The Jewish Idea, Volume 2, indexes to both volumes

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In The Jewish Idea, volume two, Rabbi Kahane tells it like it is. He writes in his usual dynamic, forceful style, but this time his scholarly credentials come to the fore, with citations from rabbinical literature that back up his views.

This is must reading!

If you want to delve into Jewish theology, this is the book for you. Volume Two of The Jewish Idea covers aspects of Jewish thought not covered in Volume One and most important, the index by subject and rabbinic source citations at the end of the this volume covers Volume One, too.

Note that Volume One is not indexed separately because it is only half of the original Hebrew, so anyone who wants to be able to search by subject, needs both volumes.

I highly recommend this set.

Volume Two of the Jewish Idea tackles topics that only Rabbi Kahane dared to deal with. Where volume one deals primarily with topics in Jewish theology for their own sake, volume two applies the principles he has developed to "politics."

Among the topics Rabbi Kahane discusses in volume two are the Messianic period, the destiny of the Jewish People and of Israel.

For anyone who wants to know what Rabbi Kahane really espoused -- this book tells all!

In this second volume of "The jewish Idea" Rabbi Kahane once again shows his breathtaking Torah knowledge and logical argumentation.He goes through several important issues of judaism, including very polemical ones, like redemption, the land of Israel, the jewish government, wars and the non-jews in Israel.This book is essential for who read the first volume, once it exposes the practical aplication of the concepts teached in the first book. However, if you didn't read the first volume, this book it's also worthy bacause previous knowledge is not required to understand the topics covered in this one. Indeed, it's a very good and enjoyable reading.

...........Rabbi Kahane ZT'L put the liberal Jews in their place by backing up every principal of JDL and right wing Jewish values, to the Torah. Rabbi Kahane ZT'L was a champion of Jewish rights, and Torah values. We lost our beloved Rabbi in 1990, and this book is more important and relevant today than ever before... If you are a proud Jew, and believe in Israel you should run to get a copy today.....

Very great books. Have read this and the first volume multiple times. This copy purchased here was actually my second purchase of them (purchased to donate to a shul).

Very well written, straight to the point. Brings source after source after source after sources from Chazal for the points and topics presented, but at the same time its very well written and some what easy to read. Something both the simple and the very learned will benefit from.

Also discusses Jewish topics and ideas that are many times rarely discussed today by others. Isn't afraid to tell the truth and the laws of G-D.

I'll offer a few comments on Rabbi Meir Kahane's Or Hara`Ayon The Jewish Idea. Kahane`s books have a layout somewhat similar to the Mesillat Yesharim (The Path of the Just) by Rav Moshe Chayim Luzzatto in the sense that there is a style of focus of: defining the desired trait, the division of its elements, the manner of obtaining it within, and the factors that detract from obtaining the trait. Kahane follows an authentic Jewish intellectual process to outline and define the stages to a desired outcome. Of course Kahane's focus is not Luzzatto's focus. Luzzatto's aims are for the private metaphysical benefit of the reader and he stays in that direction. Kahane's aims are for the private, communal and secular application benefits of the reader, this clearly places Kahane in a North American Yiddishkite and separates him from the historic Euro Yiddishkite. It makes Kahane so singular and appear to be so out of sync with the mainstream of the orthodox. But Kahane is well grounded in Torah and is not off course at all, and he provides the bridge for Jews to link with authentic Torah without the timid culture of the Diaspora shtetle which due to a long exile had prevailed over the Jewish intelligentsia. These books explain why the orthodox base and secular Jews have always been wary of Kahane and it was quite evident by his own words that he understood their angst. Kahane represents empowerment, courage, and independence attractive to the youth, whereas the orthodox and secular communities are conditioned towards accommodation and compromise, more a norm for those older weighed with commitments or benefiting materially from their status quo, no wonder he really scared the willies out of them. It is now more clear to me, why the Israeli elites and media so misaligned and defamed him. Because Kahane wanted a reform in Yiddish culture, and had conceived how to keep it linked to Torah, they really did have a serious reason to fear him, because for many of those Israelis he represented a potential psychological revolution should he attract the young back to the "grandpa's religion" they ran away from and now relentlessly misrepresent. The loss of Kahane have left many who shared his dreams of a real Jewish sovereign Torah based nationalism which is not an aping of the non Jewish nationalism without a guide, these books are a poor substitute for the power in the man himself.