Accepting and Excepting: On Pluralism and Chosenness out of the Sources of Judaism(Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah)

Accepting and Excepting: On Pluralism and Chosenness Out of the Sources of Judaism is a collection of essays examining the need for inter-religious pluralism. So long as religions compete with each other by exclusive claims to absolute truth and salvation, how can they cooperate as forces for peace in an era of the global village and weapons of mass destruction?  Our cognition of reality is necessarily colored and shaped by language, culture, religion, and gender. Given inevitable epistemological (not moral) relativism, exclusive and absolute truth claims are meaningless. By a process of revaluation, Jews can affirm the concept of the Chosen People as internally directed with no claims of superiority, and observe traditional sancta without traditional theism.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Personal background Truth matters—but at what cost? Rejection of partisanship and affirmation of differences Some Views on Pluralism and Chosenness David Novak Lenn Goodman Alan Brill Sandra Lubarsky Vered Sakal Ephraim Meir Pluralism is not Relativism PART ONE AFFIRMING CHOSENNESS AND PLURALISM Chapter One Affirming Chosenness and Pluralism: Are they Compatible? Chosenness as Historical Destiny in Diverse Cultures Jewish vs. Christian readings of Genesis and salvation: Exclusivity in this world, or in the world to come Toleration and pluralism Mordecai Kaplan: revaluation vs. transvaluation Revaluating chosenness Chapter Two Chosenness and Pluralism—Ritual Exclusivity vs. Spiritual Inclusivity Conclusion: “The Lord is close to all who call Him in Truth” Chapter Three Pluralism out of the Sources of Judaism: The Quest for Religious Pluralism without Relativism Preface Philosophical Challenges—Toleration vs. Pluralism: Alexander Altmann and Avi Sagi Christian Challenges A Jewish Challenge: Menachem Kellner Subjectivity and Cultural Relativity in Revelation Abraham ibn Ezra and the Limitations of Revelation Al-Farabi: Religious vs. Philosophical Language Maimonides: “The Torah Speaks According to Human Language” The Possibility of Multiple Revelations: Netanel ibn Al-Fayyumi Sa`adiah Gaon and “The Community of Monotheists” On Cultural Relativism in Conceiving of God Moses Mendelssohn and Religious Pluralism Kant’s Unknowable “Ding an sich” and Heisenberg’s “Uncertainty Principle” “The Lord is Close … To All who Call Him in Truth” Conclusion: Pluralism as the Way of Torah Addendum: A Reply to a Response Chapter Four “We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Us—`Avodah Zarah as an Internal Jewish Category” Prologue: “We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Us” The Biblical Background of the Term `Avodah Zarah The Talmudic Background of the Term `Avodah Zarah Judah Halevi and Maimonides on `Avodah Zarah: Improper Practice or Improper Belief Moses Mendelssohn: The Ceremonial Law as an Antidote to `Avodah Zarah Yoel (Joel) Teitelbaum: Zionism as `Avodah Zarah Mordecai Kaplan and “Revaluation” Conclusion: Revaluation of Sancta and the Concept of `Avodah Zarah Internal Jewish Pluralism `Avodah Zarah and chosenness as internal categories A Challenge in Each Generation Addendum: Mendelssohn on Atheism Chapter Five Franz Rosenzweig’s Inexpressible Joy The Inexpressible Joy of Being a Jew Similarity to Judah Halevi Law (Gesetz) and Commandment (Gebot) Rosenzweig on Openness to Everything Jewish Love and the Inexpressibility of Revelation Conclusion PART TWO ON RELATIONS WITH CHRISTIANITY AND MORMONISM Chapter Six Jewish Views of Christianity—Some Reflections Chapter Seven Regina Coeli—A Jewish Source? Chapter Eight Jews and Mormons—Similarities and Differences Background Similarities and Differences Chosenness and its Implications The Tension of Universalism and Particular Lineage PART THREE ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHER TRADITIONS AND CULTURES Chapter Nine Yafet in the Tents of Shem—Attitudes Towards “The Wisdom of Greek” (Ḥokhmat Yevanit) Among the Rabbis and Jewish Philosophers Introduction Judah Halevi and Ḥokhmat Yevanit What is ḥokhmat yevanit? Ḥokhmat Yevanit, War, and the Fall of Jerusalem to Pompey Ḥokhmat Yevanit as a Secret Code: Rambam Ḥokhmat Yevanit as Rhetoric Rabbi Yishma`el: A Time which is Neither Day nor Night Rabbi Eliezer: Refrain from “Logic”? Shem Tov ibn Falaquera's Ambivalence Regarding Ḥokhmat Yevanit Ḥokhmat Yevanit and the Medieval Controversies Over Philosophy. Ḥokhmat Yevanit as Magic Judah Halevi and Ḥokhmat Yevanit: Divergent Readings Judah Halevi's Philosophy and Neoplatonism Judah Halevi's Philosophy and Astral Magic Judah Halevi's Philosophy: Esoteric or Exoteric? A Philosophical Critique of Philosophy: Ḥokhmat Yevanit as Pseudo Philosophy The Silence of the Rabbis on Philosophy Nine Centuries of Silence Rabbinic Literature as Philosophy Conclusion Summation Appendix The Maccabees and the Causes of the Rebellion Greek Names and Religious Terms Chapter Ten God Willing: Im Yirẓeh Hashem—In Sha Allah Introduction The First Evidence of Im Yirẓeh Hashem—in the New Testament The Evidence in Josephus Philo Evidence from the Talmud and Midrash? Evidence from Post-Talmudic Literature: “The Alphabet of Ben-Sira” and the “Or `Olam” Midrash “With the Help of God” (Be-`ezrat Hashem) as Opposed to “God Willing” (Im Yirẓeh Hashem) Baḥya ibn Paquda—an Exceptional Case In sha Allah in the Qur’an Al-Ghazali’s Occasionalism Summary Appendix A: Naḥmanides (Moses ben Naḥman) on Nature and Natural Order Appendix B: The Expression Yehi Raẓon Chapter Eleven Sa`adiah Ga’on’s “Reliable Tradition”— Who Are the “Community of Monotheists?” On “Reliable Tradition” Al-Khabr Al-Ṣadiq Taqlid Manqul Athar Who are “The Community of Monotheists?” PART FOUR EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CHALLENGES Chapter Twelve Love Your Fellow as Yourself— Universalism and Particularism in Jewish Exegesis of Leviticus 19:18 Preface Who is the Re`a that we are Supposed to Love? How the Verse was Translated in Ancient Versions Re`a as Meaning Another Jew Re`a as Meaning Another Human Being How Can One be Commanded to Love Someone “As Yourself”? Moses Mendelssohn on our Verse Isaac Markus Jost Hermann Cohen Aḥad Ha-`Am Franz Rosenzweig Martin Buber Emmanuel Levinas Conclusion Chapter Thirteen The New Anti-Zionism and the Old Antisemitism—Transformations Précis Introduction: Three Threats to Jewish Existence Historical Background of the Ideological Threat The Ideological Threat: Classical Greco-Roman Versions The Ideological Threat: Modern Enlightenment Versions Enlightenment: The Cultural Dimension of the Ideological Threat Emancipation: The Political-social Dimension of the Ideological Threat Zionist Responses to the Ideological Threat Contemporary Transformations Arab-Islamic Judeophobia Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism Conclusion Chapter Fourteen The Reform Movement and Jewish Status—Some Observations Reform Opposition to the Patrilineal Decision Three Personal Observations Chapter Fifteen Fundamentalism—A Jewish Perspective Precis Introduction The Reform Pittsburgh Platform (1885) Reactions Roman Catholic Reaction: Pius Ix and Papal Infallibility Evangelical Protestant Reaction: Biblical Inerrancy Jewish Reaction: Da`At Torah Addendum 1: Emunat Ḥakhamim (“Belief in the Sages”) Addendum 2: The Infallibility of the Rabbis According to Ramban (Naḥmanides) Addendum 3: Fundamentalist Appropriation/Misappropriation of Traditional Texts: The Example of Misreading Rambam (Maimonides) The Mosaic Authorship of the Torah (“Torah Mi-Sinai”—Torah from Sinai) vs. The Divine Authority of the Torah (“Torah Min Ha-shamayim”—Torah from Heaven) The Problem of Literalist Interpretation of Scripture and of the Sages PART FIVE AFTERWORD Chapter Sixteen Personal Reflections Index

About the Author :
Raphael Jospe (Ph.D. Brandeis University) is a retired professor of Jewish philosophy in Jerusalem. Author/editor of more than 20 books and editor of the Jewish philosophy division of theEncyclopaedia Judaica, he is involved in inter-religious dialogue and has lectured at the Vatican and at the World Council of Churches.

Review :
“Raphael Jospe is a thinking Jew and at the same time an important Jewish thinker. As a thinking Jew, he is not afraid to stake out brave positions on controversial topics such as the nature of Jewish chosenness, pluralism, idolatry, and prophecy among the nations. As an important Jewish thinker, he finds support for his positions in a wide variety of authoritative Jewish sources. These include the Bible and Rabbinic Literature, and thinkers such as Sa’dia Gaon, Judah Halevi, Maimonides, and Abraham ibn Ezra. Jospe brings these medieval thinkers into creative conversation with moderns like Moses Mendelssohn and especially Mordecai Kaplan. Throughout this lively and sparkling book, we also find Jospe himself in dialogue with a wide variety of contemporary scholars of Jewish Thought. Raphael Jospe is not only a thinker, but he is also an activist; for over a generation he has taken a leading role in encounters with Christianity and Mormonism. There is thus much to be learned from this learned and thought-provoking book.”—Menachem Kellner, Wolfson Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought at the University of Haifa and Founding Chair (retired) of the Department of Philosophy and Jewish Thought at Shalem College, Jerusalem “Based on a learned reading of biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern sources, Raphael Jospe presents a smiling, wise, and pluralistic Judaism that respects and accepts the Other. In our divisive times, this is a welcome and urgent message.” —Zev Warren Harvey, professor emeritus in the Department of Jewish Thought, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem “Raphael Jospe’s Accepting and Excepting offers Jewish approaches to religious pluralism —both internal Jewish pluralism and Jewish views of other religions—which are a product of the author’s reflections on this subject, starting when he was a thoughtful and inquisitive high school student to the present day, as a retired professor of Jewish philosophy. The result of these reflections is a book which is highly informed by scholarship but with remarkable personal aspects. Jospe’s teaching, research and participation in intra-faith and inter-faith encounters make him uniquely qualified to address among other questions: How can Jews be loyal to their own religious and theological stances without denying or denigrating the positive aspects of competing religious doctrines? How can Jews advocate pluralism without adopting a relativistic approach towards their own beliefs? In our era of cleavage and controversy, this voice for tolerance out of the sources of Judaism is most welcome.” —Daniel J. Lasker, Blechner Professor Emeritus of Jewish Values, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev  “The thread of blue binding this book’s pages is a line Mordecai Kaplan sent the future author in 1967: 'In Judaism as a civilization, “belonging” is prior to “believing” although meaningless without believing.' Collating years of study, seeking the meanings and connections of believing and belonging, Raphael Jospe traces the narrow ledge dividing pluralism from relativism, always surer of his footing on solid moral ground than trusting pitons anchored overhead. Torah and Talmud, and philosophical classics from Aristotle to Kant, mark the trail with traces of bold advances and partial falls. Maimonides, Nahmanides, Bahya, and Halevi have left guideposts and cautions. So have Muslim philosophers like al-Farabi, al-Ghazali, and Averroes, and Jewish greats from Rashi and Ibn Ezra to Spinoza and Mendelssohn, from Falaquera to Rosensweig, Buber, Heschel, and Jonathan Sacks. The probing conversation does not neglect our own contemporaries, many of them Jospe’s friends and fellow seekers.“ —Lenn E. Goodman, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Philosophy, Furman Hall, author of Judaism: A Contemporary Philosophical Investigation “In our polarized world, challenged by moral relativism on the one hand and extremist religious ideologies on the other, Raphael Jospe offers us a timely vision of deep religious commitment together with a moral clarity that genuinely respects and indeed celebrates diversity. Mastering— and often critiquing—an impressive array of classical and modern Jewish sources, as well as insights from beyond Jewish tradition, he presents both a theoretical and practical road map for an authentic Jewish pluralist outlook, both interreligious as well as intra-religious. As Professor Jospe states, his goal is not to disregard differences, 'but to enhance them out of dialogue with other perspectives, learning with and from each other out of true respect for “the other.”' Accordingly he presents a vision of wisdom and hope for our world in which 'everyone will sit under their own vine and their own fig tree and no-one will make them afraid' (Micah 4:4)” —Rabbi David Rosen, KSG CBE, former International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee and an International President of Religions for Peace