Speaking infinities: God and language in the teachings of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezritsh
"Dov Ber of Mezritsh is a figure shrouded in mystery. Although he is widely regarded as one of the most important and creative Jewish thinkers of the eighteenth century, his theology is exceptionally difficult and complex. Scholars and historians of religion have long attempted to make sense of...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subito Delivery Service: | Order now. |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania Press
[2020]
|
| In: | Year: 2020 |
| Edition: | 1st edition |
| Series/Journal: | Jewish culture and contexts
|
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Dov Baer, of Mezhirech -1772
/ Language
/ Knowledge
/ Faith
/ Hassidism
|
| RelBib Classification: | BH Judaism |
| Further subjects: | B
Dov Baer of Mezhirech (-1772)
B Mysticism Judaism B Language and languages Religious aspects Judaism B Hasidism |
| Summary: | "Dov Ber of Mezritsh is a figure shrouded in mystery. Although he is widely regarded as one of the most important and creative Jewish thinkers of the eighteenth century, his theology is exceptionally difficult and complex. Scholars and historians of religion have long attempted to make sense of his laconic homilies and penetrate his obtuse mystical symbolism. They have struggled to piece together his biography and better understand his place in the development of Hasidism. Indeed, interest in Dov Ber extends far beyond the walls of the academy. A wide range of Jewish seekers, thinkers, and philosophers have turned to Dov Ber's sophisticated devotional teachings as holding the seeds for a renewal of contemporary Jewish life. Present-day Hasidic leaders have been captivated by his mysterious teachings, seeing them as a remedy for a religious movement that has lost much of its spiritual momentum. His writings and indeed his outsize religious personality have had an enormous impact on the most important renewal movement of Jewish modernity. This book argues that Dov Ber's reflections on the nature of language and the power of human speech rest at the heart of his allure. Abraham Joshua Heschel, a modern Jewish mystic who drank deeply from the wellsprings of Hasidism, argued that restoring the power and dignity of language was the key to human flourishing after the unspeakable tragedies of the twentieth century. "The renewal of man," claimed Heschel, "involves a renewal of language." The noted philosopher Charles Taylor has suggested that the experience of modernity demands that we "return to, while reexamining, Aristotle's definition of the human being as 'Zwon echon logon'." Reclaiming our identity as "speaking beings," individuals for whom the word is constitutive as well as communicative, is a crucial step in reckoning with the nature of what it can mean to be human"-- |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| ISBN: | 0812252187 |