Background
Saperstein, Marc Eli was born on September 5, 1944 in New York City. Son of Harold Irving and Marcia Belle (Rosenblum) Saperstein.
(An anthology of medieval and early modern Jewish sermons,...)
An anthology of medieval and early modern Jewish sermons, this book should give insights into the central intellectual issues, spiritual movements, and communal centres during the period 1200-1800. The sermons have been translated, annotated and their historical background described.
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(Wartime sermons reveal how Jews perceive themselves in re...)
Wartime sermons reveal how Jews perceive themselves in relation to the majority society and how Jewish and national values are reconciled when the fate of a nation is at stake. They also illustrate how rabbis guide their communities through the challenges of their times. The sermons reproduced in this book were delivered by American and British rabbis from across the Jewish spectrum - Orthodox to Liberal, Ashkenazi and Sephardi - from the Napoleonic Wars to the attacks of 9/11. Each sermon is prefaced by a comprehensive introduction explaining the context in which it was delivered. Detailed notes explain allusions unfamiliar to a present-day readership and draw comparisons where appropriate to similar passages in contemporary newspapers and other sermons. A general introduction surveys more broadly the distinctive elements of modern Jewish preaching - the new preaching occasions bound up with the history of the countries in which Jews were living, new modes for the dissemination of the sermons (printed pamphlets and the Jewish and general press), and the emergence of women's voices from the pulpit. It also surveys the distinctive themes of modern Jewish sermons, including responses to Jewish suffering, social justice, eulogies for national leaders, Zionism, and war. What Jewish religious leaders said to their congregations when their countries went to war - or in some cases, were considering going to war - raises questions of central significance for both modern Jewish history and religious thinking in the civic context. What evidence do these sermons present concerning the degree of patriotism felt by Jews? Where and when do we find examples of dissent from the policies taken by their governments, or explicit criticism? What theological problems are raised by the preachers in the context of unprecedented and unimagined destruction, and how do they respond to these problems? How is the enemy presented in these texts; how is the problem of Jews fighting and killing other Jews addressed? Are the preachers functioning to articulate traditions that challenge the consensus of the moment, or as instruments of social control serving the needs of governments looking for unquestioning support by their citizenry? In all these areas, this book - now available in paperback - makes an important contribution to American- and Anglo-Jewish history of this period while also making available a collection of mostly unknown Jewish texts produced at dramatic moments of the past two centuries. *** "Probably the world's greatest expert on Jewish homilectics from the medieval period onwards . . . wide-ranging preface . . . Following a magisterial introduction come the sermons, each one introduced, explained, and discussed as well as sensitively and helpfully annotated. The selections are acute and the sermons themselves potent and highly readable." www.Middleburgh.co.uk
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(Harold I. Saperstein served as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El o...)
Harold I. Saperstein served as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of Lynbrook, N.Y., from 1933 until his retirement in 1980. The specific contours of his career reflect a sustained effort to use the pulpit of this suburban temple to communicate a Jewish perspective based on personal encounters with great issues of the day-including the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust, the civil rights era, the McCarthy era, and other turning points in American history. The fifty-two sermons in this book have been selected, introduced, and annotated by Marc Saperstein, whose award-winning books on the history of Jewish preaching have established him as a leading expert on this subject. No other book illustrates as effectively the value of the sermon as a resource for understanding the challenges faced by American Jews at some of the most dramatic moments in the turbulent history of this century.
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(No markings. Bindings are tight, covers and spines are fu...)
No markings. Bindings are tight, covers and spines are fully intact. All edges are clean. Includes notes and index. Very clean, crisp, and tight copy. Not Ex-Library. All books offered from DSB are stocked at our store in Fayetteville, AR. Save on shipping by ordering multiple titles. 84pp. Softcover Very Good Condition Size: 5 1/4" x 7 3/4" English Text
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( Exile in Amsterdam is based on a rich, extensive, and p...)
Exile in Amsterdam is based on a rich, extensive, and previously untapped source for one of the most important and fascinating Jewish communities in early modern Europe: the sermons of Saul Levi Morteira (ca. 1596-1660). Morteira, the leading rabbi of Amsterdam and a master of Jewish homiletical art, was known to have published only one book of fifty sermons in 1645, until a collection of 550 manuscript sermons in his own handwriting turned up in the Rabbinical Seminary of Budapest. After years of painstaking study from microfilms and three trips to Budapest to consult the actual manuscripts, Marc Saperstein has written the first comprehensive analysis of the historical significance of these texts, some of which were heard by the young Spinoza. Saperstein reviews the broad outlines of Morteira's biography, his treatment by scholars, and his image in literary works. He then reconstructs the process by which the preacher produced and delivered his sermons. Morteira’s sermons also provide a trove of information about individuals and institutions in Morteira's Amsterdam, enabling Saperstein to analyze the shortcomings of behavior and the lapses in faith criticized by the preacher. The sermons also presented an ongoing program of adult education that transmitted the Jewish tradition on a high yet accessible level to a congregation of new Jews---immigrants who had lived as Christians in Portugal and were now assuming a Jewish identity with minimal prior knowledge. Here Saperstein focuses on themes Morteira considered crucial: memories of the historical past, confrontations with Christianity, ideas of exile and messianic redemption, and attitudes toward the New Christians who remained in Portugal. These historical reflections on Amsterdam’s community of new Jews are illustrated by eight of Morteira’s sermons, which Saperstein presents in English and with full annotation for the first time. Exile in Amsterdam offers those interested in European Jewish history and homiletics access to primary source documents and the scholarship of one of the premier historians of Jewish preaching.
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( The eighteen studies in this book continue the explorat...)
The eighteen studies in this book continue the exploration of the Jewish sermon Saperstein began in his groundbreaking Jewish Preaching 1200-1800. His new research further illustrates the importance of this genre, largely ignored by modern scholarship, as an indispensible resource for understanding Jewish history, spirituality, and thought from the High Middle Ages to the beginning of the Emancipation in Europe. Saperstein’s thematic studies explore the most important occasions for traditional rabbinic preaching: the Days of Awe and the Passover season. Two studies focus on the homiletical exegesis of classical Jewish texts, and two deal with the historical interaction of Christians and Jews. Saperstein discusses the diffusion of philosophical ideas through homiletics and identifies central conceptual issues presented in the Italian Jewish pulpit. Other essays include a critical analysis of the work of Saul Levi Morteira of Amsterdam, an examination of sermons in eighteenth-century Prague for indications of a traditional community in crisis, and homiletical evidence for a developing sense of patriotic identification with the state, even before Emancipation changed the legal status of the Jews. Saperstein also presents newly discovered sermonic texts in order to explore a full panoply of issues relating to historical context and genre. All are published for the first time with his annotated translation accompanying the Hebrew original. Included are a Guide for Preachers, sermons on repentance and on the Binding of Isaac, and three eulogies, the last a fascinating memorialization of the antisemitic empress Maria Theresa.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878200932/?tag=2022091-20
Rabbi religious studies educator
Saperstein, Marc Eli was born on September 5, 1944 in New York City. Son of Harold Irving and Marcia Belle (Rosenblum) Saperstein.
AB, Harvard University, 1966. Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1977. Student, Pembroke College, University Cambridge, England, 1967.
Master of Arts, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1971. Master of Arts, Hebrew Union College, New York City, 1972.
Lecturer in Hebrew literature, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1977-1979; lecturer in Jewish studies, Harvard University Divinity School, 1979-1981; assistant professor Jewish studies, Harvard University Divinity School, 1981-1983; associate professor, Harvard University Divinity School, 1983-1986; Gloria M. Goldstein professor Jewish history and thought, Washington University, St. Louis, 1986-1997; chairman program Jewish and Near Eastern Studies, Washington University, St. Louis, 1989-1997; rabbi, Temple Beth David, Canton, Massachusetts, 1973-1986; Charles E. Smith professor of Jewish history, George Washington University, Washington, since 1997; director Judaic studies, George Washington University, Washington, since 1997. Member Executive Board Center Conference American Rabbis, 1985-1987.
( Exile in Amsterdam is based on a rich, extensive, and p...)
(An anthology of medieval and early modern Jewish sermons,...)
(Wartime sermons reveal how Jews perceive themselves in re...)
( The eighteen studies in this book continue the explorat...)
(Book by Saperstein, Marc)
(No markings. Bindings are tight, covers and spines are fu...)
(Harold I. Saperstein served as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El o...)
( This anthology of largely unknown medieval and early mo...)
Member Association Jewish Studies (board directors 1983-1999, book review editor 1997-2002), American Academy Jewish Research (executive board since 2000, vice president since 2004), Phi Beta Kappa.
Married Roberta Shapiro, June 17, 1970. Children: Sara Michal, Adina Ruth.