10-BOOK SERIES 150+ Essayists
dimensions of
Spirituality & Kedushah
THE SPARK OF THE INFINITE DIVINE
Mesorah Matrix Series
David Birnbaum Editor-in-Chief
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10-volume
FOR
2015
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V O L U M E
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200+ original essays jewish thought & spirituality
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150+ global thought leaders a decade-long unified endeavor
10-BOOK SERIES 150+ Essayists Sanctification Tikkun Olam Birkat Kohanim The Kaddish Modeh Ani Havdalah Search for Meaning U-VACHARTA BA-CHAYIM
Ehyeh asher Ehyeh V’Shamru
THE SPARK OF THE INFINITE DIVINE
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Sanctification (“Kedushah”) Tikkun Olam (“Repair the World”) Birkat Kohanim (The Priestly Blessings: a contemporary take) The Kaddish (specifically, The Mourner’s Praise of God) Modeh Ani (The solo daily morning prayer of Gratitude) Havdalah (separating Holy from Secular: Sabbath > secular) Search for Meaning (pegging-off of Viktor Frankl’s classic) U-VACHARTA BA-CHAYIM (The 613th precept-Choose Life)
Ehyeh asher Ehyeh (“I Will Be That Which I Will Be” – at the Burning Bush) V’Shamru (The Sabbath)
21st CENTURY PUBLISHING
David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com www.NewParadigmMatrix.com
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Associate Editor: Saul J. Berman
Avivah Zornberg Author
David Ellenson HUC-JIR
Saul Berman Y.U. / Stern
London, UK
New York, NY
New York, NY
Jonathan Sacks United Hebrew Congregations London, UK
James Kugel Bar Ilan University
Shalom Carmy Yeshiva University, Tradition Magazine New York, NY
Rachel Barenblat Bayit
Rachel Friedman Lamdeinu
Williamstown, MA
New York, NY
Ramat Gan, Israel
W. Zeev Harvey Rachel Adelman The Hebrew UniverHebrew College sity of Jerusalem Jerusalem Newton Centre, MA
Hillel Goldberg Intermountain Jewish News Denver, CO
Lawrence Schiffman NYU New York, NY
Shlomo Riskin Ohr Torah Stone Colleges Efrat, Israel
Mark Goldfeder Emory University
Alan Cooper Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY
Yonatan Feintuch Bar Ilan University
Atlanta, GA
Tel Aviv, Israel
Jacob Schacter Yeshiva University New York, NY
Michael Graetz Congregation Eshel Avraham Omer, Israel
Aryeh Cohen American Jewish University Los Angeles, CA
Avram Reisner Chevrei Tzedek Congregation Baltimore, MD
Elliot Dorff American Jewish University Los Angeles, CA
Steven Kepnes Colgate University
Reuven Bulka Congregation Machzikei Hadas Ottawa, Canada
Adena Berkowitz Kol Ha-neshamah
Hamilton, NY
New York, NY
Alan Mittleman Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY
Tzvi Sinensky Rosh Beit Midrash
Michael Broyde Emory University
Noam Zion Hartman Institute
Sid Schwarz CLAL
Raḥel Berkovits Pardes Institute
Atlanta, GA
Jerusalem
New York, NY
Jerusalem
Lower Merion, PA
Bradley Artson Jill Jacobs American Jewish T’ruah: The Rabbinic University Call for Human Rights Los Angeles, CA New York, NY
Howard Addison Temple University Philadelphia, PA
Robert Harris Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY
Samuel Lebens Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ
Richard Hidary Congregation Shearith Israel New York, NY
Jonathan Schorsch Universität Potsdam Potsdam Germany
Eliezer Shore Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem
Roberta Kwall DePaul University Law School Chicago, IL
Alon Ferency Heska Amuna Synagogue Knoxville, TN
Aubrey Glazer Congregation Beth Shalom San Francisco, CA
Rebecca W. Sirbu Rabbis Without Borders, CLAL New York, NY
Geoffrey Claussen Elon University
Shoshana Klein Poupko Ahavath Torah Englewood, NJ
Michael Wasserman The New Shul Scottsdale, AZ
Daniel Greyber Beth El Synagogue
Elon, NC
Durham, NC
Jeremy Gordon New London Synagogue London, U.K.
Gail Labovitz American Jewish University Los Angeles, CA
James Jacobson-Maisels Yeshaya Dalsace Or HaLev, Center for Jew- Dor Vador Comish Spirituality & Meditation munaute Massorti New York, NY Paris, France
Nina Cardin Rabbinical Assembly New York, NY
Kari Tuling Congregation Kol Haverim Glastonbury, CT
Aryeh Klapper Jonathan Wittenberg Center for Modern New North London Torah Leadership Synagogue Sharon, MA London, UK
Karyn Kedar B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim Deerfield, IL
Michael Knopf Temple Beth-El Richmond, VA
Rivon Krygier Congregation Adath Shalom Paris
Elie Spitz Congregation B’nai Israel Tustin, CA
Ira Bedzow Aspen Center for Social Values Aspen, CO
Yitzchak Blau RCA
Alfred Cohen YU High School
Elliot Cosgrove Park Avenue Synagogue New York, NY
Yehonatan Chipman Hitzei Yehonatan Israel
David Flatto Penn State Law
New York, NY
Jerusalem
University Park, PA
Shohama H. Wiener Temple Beth-El
David Evan Markus Temple Beth-El City Island, NY
Nathaniel Helfgot Yeshivat Chovevei Torah New York, NY
Cass Fisher University of South Florida Tampa, FL
City Island, NY
Admiel Kosman Postdam University
Simcha Krauss Eretz Hatzvi
Melanie Landau Monash University
Germany
Jerusalem
Australia
Vernon Kurtz North Suburban Synagogue Beth-El Highland Park, IL
Rolando Matalon B’nai Jeshurun
Peter Knobel Beth Emet
New York, NY
Shmuly Yanklowitz Valley Beit Midrash President & Dean Scottsdale, AZ
Evanston, IL
Harvey Meirovich Zacharias Frankel College Berlin, Germany
Aryeh Frimer Bar-Ilan University
Martin Lockshin York University
Shai Cherry Shaar Hamayim
David Shatz Yeshiva University
Ramat Gan
Ontario, Canada
Del Mar, CA
New York, NY
Jeremy Rosen Persian Jewish Center New York, NY
David Greenstein Congregation Shomrei Emunah Montclair, NJ
Avraham Walfish Herzog College and Michala Jerusalem Tekoa, Israel
David Mescheloff RCA
Barbara Thiede UNC Charlotte
Lawrence Troster GreenFaith
Concord, NC
Highland Park, NJ
Ruth Walfish Herzog College and Michala Jerusalem Tekoa, Israel
Lenn Goodman Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
Israel
Dan Ornstein Ohav Shalom
Dena Freundlich Ma’ayanot AMIT
Albany, NY
Jerusalem
Orna Triguboff Neshama Life Organisation Sydney, Australia
Nehemia Polen Hebrew College Newton Centre, MA
Elaine Goodfriend California State University Northridge, CA
Berel Dov Lerner Western Galilee College, Herzl Inst Northern Israel
Mark Greenspan Oceanside Jewish Center Oceanside, NY
Richard Claman Zeramim Journal New York, NY
Avi Olitzky Michelle J. Levine Yehuda Gellman Beth El Synagogue Stern College for Women Ben-Gurion Yeshiva University University New York, NY St. Louis Park, MN Negev, Israel
Avraham Feder Beit Knesset Moreshet Yisrael Jerusalem
Elyse Goldstein City Shul
Kerry M. Olitzky Big Tent Judaism
Ontario, Canada
New York, NY
Herbert Bronstein Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL
Dalia Marx Hebrew Union College Jerusalem
Jason Rubenstein Mechon Hadar New York, NY
Herbert Yoskowitz Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills, MI
Mark Sameth Pleasantville Community Synagogue Westchester, NY
Catharine Clark Congregation Or Shalom London, Ontario
Jacob Adler Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
Jonathan Jacobs John Jay College, CUNY New York, NY
David Kunin Beth Shalom Synagogue Edmonton, AB
Michael Marmur Hebrew Union College Jerusalem
Mordechai Luria Institute for Jewish Ideas & Ideals New York, NY
Noah Farkas Valley Beth Shalom
Alex Maged Yeshiva University
Hayyim Angel Yeshiva University
Encino, CA
New York, NY
New York, NY
Elie Kaunfer Mechon Hadar
Alex Sztuden The Herzl Institute
New York, NY
Jerusalem
David Golinkin Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies Jerusalem
Mark Washofsky Hebrew Union College Cincinnati, OH
Edwin C. Goldberg Baruch Frydman-Kohl Temple Sholom of Beth Tzedec Congregation Chicago Chicago, IL Toronto, Canada
Zvi Grumet Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi Jerusalem
Erica Brown The Jewish Federation Rockville, MD
Ora Horn Prouser Academy for Jewish Religion Yonkers, NY
Howard Wettstein University of California Riverside, CA
Meesh Hammer-Kossoy Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Jerusalem
Michael J. Cook Hebrew Union College Cincinnati, OH
James Diamond University of Waterloo Ontario, Canada
Shira Weiss Ben Gurion University Beer Sheba, Israel
Gidon Rothstein Bronx, NY
Ariel Mayse Stanford University Stanford, California
Dr. Elyssa Wortzman Mindful art-based spiritual education Montreal
Ellen LeVee Spertus Institute
Kim Treiger-Bar-Am Zikhron Yaakov
David Maayan Boston College
Chicago, IL
Israel
Newton, MA
Senior Editors
Jane Kanarek Hebrew College Newton Centre, MA Benjamin Blech Yeshiva University New York, NY
Jeffrey Fox Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Maharat Bronx, NY Martin S. Cohen Shelter Rock, Jewish Center Roslyn, NY
21st CENTURY PUBLISHING
David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com www.NewParadigmMatrix.com
Ruth Walfish Herzog College and Michala Jerusalem Tekoa, Israel
Judith Abrams Maqom Houston, TX
Mark Greenspan Oceanside Jewish Center Oceanside, NY
Alfredo Borodowski Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning New York, NY
Sanctification
‘Sanctification’ from Essay by Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ... And there is the priestly task of kedushah, sanctifying life by honouring the sacred ontology, the deep moral structure of the universe, through the life of the 613 commands, a life of discipline and self-restraint, honesty and integrity, respect and love, the code set out in the chapter of the Torah that opens with the momentous words, “Be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Other cultures and faiths drew inspiration from its wisdom and prophetic traditions, but kedushah remained a specific Jewish imperative that made us different. Even so, it contains a message for the world, which Jews bear witness to whenever and wherever they remain faithful to it. Our vocation remains, to be mamlechet cohanim vegoi kadosh, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” - The Ethic of Holiness, August 2012
Editors
Benjamin Blech Editor
- born in Zurich in 1933, is an Orthodox rabbi who now lives in New York City. Rabbi Blech has been a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University since 1966, and was the Rabbi of Young Israel of Oceanside for 37 years. In addition to his work in the rabbinate, Rabbi Blech has written many books on Judaism and the Jewish people and speaks on Jewish topics to communities around the world.
Education Rabbi Blech received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yeshiva University, a Master of Arts degree in psychology from Columbia University, and rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
Milestones Rabbi Blech is the author of twelve highly acclaimed and best selling books, with combined sales of close to half a million copies, including three as part of the highly popular Idiot’s Guide series. His book, Understanding Judaism: The Basics of Deed and Creed, was chosen by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations as “the single best book on Judaism in our generation”.
Wikipedia online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Blech (accessed November 8, 2012)
Benjamin Blech Yeshiva University, “Understanding Judaism”
Martin S. Cohen
Martin S. Cohen has been a Senior Editor of the inter-denominational Mesorah Matrix series since 2012. From 2000-2014, he served as Chairman of the Publications Committee of the quarterly journal Conservative Judaism, which was under the joint auspices of the JTS (Jewish Theological Seminary) and the RA (Rabbinical Assembly) during that span. Rabbi Cohen also served as the senior editor of The Observant Life, a compendium of Jewish law, custom published by the Rabbinical Assembly in 2012. Martin Cohen’s weekly blog can be viewed at www.TheRuminativeRabbi. blogspot.com. He serves as rabbi of the Shelter Rock Jewish Center in Roslyn, New York. Rabbi Cohen was educated at the City University of New York and at Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi and received his Ph.D. in Ancient Judaism. He is the recipient of fellowships at the Hebrew University (Jerusalem) in 1983 and Harvard University in 1993. Martin Cohen has taught at Hunter College, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the Institute for Jewish Studies of the University of Heidelberg, as well as at the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver School of Theology. His published works include The Boy on the Door on the Ox (2008) and Our Haven and Our Strength: A Translation and Commentary on the Book of Psalms (2004). Rabbi Cohen is currently writing a translation and commentary on the Torah and the Five Megillot.
Martin S. Cohen
Saul Berman Mesorah Editor
Saul J. Berman is one of the world’s leading Jewish intellects. He is an American Jewish scholar and Modern Orthodox rabbinic. Rabbi Berman was ordained at Yeshiva University, from which he also received his B.A. and his M.H.L. He completed a degree in law, a J.D., at New York University, and an M.A. in Political Sciesnce at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied with David Daube. He spent two years studying mishpat ivri in Israel at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at Tel Aviv University. He did advanced studies in Jewish Law at Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University Law Schools. Since 1971 Rabbi Berman serves as Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University. Rabbi Berman was Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel of Berkeley CA (1963-1969), Young Israel of Brookline, MA (1969-1971) and of Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan (1984-1990.) Since 1990 he has served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar in Jewish Law. Aside his academic appointments, from 1997 until 2006. Rabbi Berman is a contributor to the Encyclopedia Judaica and is the author of numerous articles which have been published in journals such as Tradition, Judaism, Journal of Jewish Studies, Dinei Yisrael, and others. Rabbi Berman was the founder and director of the Edah organization for the promotion of Modern Orthodoxy. Edah was ultimately absorbed into Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He is married to Shellee Berman; they have four children and seven grandchildren.
Wikipedia online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Berman (accessed February 15, 2013) + The Tikvah Center for Law & Jewish Civilization online, http://www.nyutikvah.org/fellows/ saul_berman.html (accessed February 15, 2013)
Saul Berman Yeshiva University, Stern College
Shalom Carmy
Contributing Editor
- is an Orthodox rabbi teaching Jewish Studies and philosophy atYeshiva University, where he is Chair of Bible and Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva College. He is an affiliated scholar at Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University. He is also Editor of Tradition, an Orthodox theological journal. A Brooklyn native, he is a prominent Modern Orthodox theologian, historian, and philosopher. He received his B.A. in 1969 and M.S. from Yeshiva University, and received his rabbinic ordination from its affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, studying under Rabbis Aharon Lichtenstein and Joseph Soloveitchik. He has edited some of R. Soloveitchik’s work for publication. Carmy has written many articles on Biblical theology, Jewish thought, Orthodoxy in the 20th century, and the role of liberal arts in Torah education. He edited “Modern Scholarship in the Study of Torah: Contributions and Limitations” (ISBN 1-56821-450-2), “Jewish Perspectives on the Experience of Suffering”, as well as several other works. He writes a regular personal column in Tradition, and contributes regularly on Jewish and general subjects to First Things and other journals. In addition to his exegetical and analytic work, Carmy’s theological contribution is distinguished by preoccupation with the way religious doctrine and practice express themselves in the life of the individual. Early in his teaching career he devised an imaginary television series, Police Philosopher, about a philosopher who gets involved in police cases. Carmy has said that “Police Philosopher was born the day I spied an ad in a professional journal, seeking a professor of philosophy prepared to teach at a local precinct so that the cops could get college credit without having to be on campus. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the professor got involved in police cases?”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom_Carmy (accessed May 7, 2014)
Shalom Carmy Yeshiva University, Tradition Magazine
Michelle Sarna Advisory
As a member of the New York University community for nine years, recently as an NYU Law School Tikvah post-doctoral scholar and previously as an NYU JLIC educator, Michelle Sarna was gratified when Shalhevet, NYU’s Orthodox student group, elected its first female president four years ago – succeeded by three more female presidents. Yet, beyond the college campus, the Orthodox community continues to hold back talented and passionate women from serving their communities in senior leadership positions that reflect their capacities. Sarna’s unique appreciation of this issue came from her experience balancing five children with completing her Ph.D. on the transition to adulthood, serving as the National Associate Director of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC), and coordinating the YCT Rabbinic Wives’ program. Sarna, a Gramercy resident who serves now as the director of the Edgies Childhood Center at the Educational Alliance, was motivated to engage a diverse group of Orthodox women leaders in meaningful conversation to inform public policy practices. She co-facilitates the Orthodox Women’s Leadership Project, an independent initiative she founded last year in partnership with Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community. “Many Orthodox women are not being maximally engaged by Jewish communal life,” she says. “The caliber of the opportunities to be active community participants and leaders are not adequately compelling and the entire community is losing out.” The group is in the process of crafting initiatives that will advocate for deliberate expansion of meaningful leadership opportunities for qualified Orthodox women, which she hopes “will enrich the entire Jewish community in the process.”
The Jewish Week online, http://www.thejewishweek.com/special_sections/36_under_36/michelle_sarna_ empowering_orthodox_women (accessed November 8, 2012)
Michelle Sarna The Tikvah Center, Educational Allliance
David Birnbaum
Benjamin Blech
Saul Berman
Martin S. Cohen
Shalom Carmy
Mesorah Matrix
SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD – David Birnbaum Editor-in-Chief author, Summa Metaphysica series – Martin S. Cohen Senior Editor former editor, Conservative Judaism quarterly – Benjamin Blech Senior Editor author, academic, scholar & lecturer – Saul Berman Senior Editor author, academic, scholar & lecturer – Shalom Carmy Contributing Editor editor, Tradition Magazine