From Defender To Critic

by Hartman, David

• ISBN13: 9781580235150
• ISBN10: 1580235158
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-04-06
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub

Summary

How the world¿s leading modern Orthodox theologian¿s struggles with halakhic spirituality reshaped and renewed his foundation of faith. This is an extraordinary look into David Hartman¿s spiritual quest to reframe the traditional halakhic system of formalism and authority into one with a greater emphasis on the individual and his or her subjective, experiential role in creating meaningful Judaism. It traces his painful spiritual evolution from defender of the rule-based system of Jewish law shaped by his teacher Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik to a revolutionary proponent of a theology of empowerment, one that encourages individuals and communities to take greater levels of responsibility for their religious lives. It shows how his goals were not to strip halakha¿ or the past¿of its authority but to create a space for questioning and critique that allows for the traditionally religious Jew to act out a moral life in tune with modern experience. In achieving this synthesis of tradition with the sensibilities of contemporary Jewry, Hartman captures precisely what creates vitality in living Judaism and charts the path to nurture its vitality forever.

Table of Contents

Introduction: From Loving Defender to Loving Critic: An Intellectual Autobiography	p. ix
The Spirituality of Halakha: Early Essays
The Joy of Torah	p. 3
The Body as a Spiritual Teacher: Learning to Accept Interdependency	p. 25
Democratizing the Spiritual: The Risks and Rewards of Halakha	p. 39
Embracing Covenantal History: Compassion, Responsibility, and the Spirituality of the Everyday	p. 71
Creating a Shared Spiritual Language: The Urgency of Community and the Halakhic Roots of Pluralism	p. 91
Conquering Modern Idolatry: Building Communities of Meaning around Shared Aspirations	p. 111
Learning to Hope: A Halakhic Approach to History and Redemption	p. 127
Abraham's Argument: Reclaiming Judaism's Moral Tradition
Abraham's Argument: Empowerment, Defeat, and the Religious Personality	p. 157
A Covenant of Empowerment: Divine Withdrawal and Human Responsibility	p. 177
Mishpachtology: Judaism as a Family System	p. 187
Custom and Innovation: Stepping Beyond the Parameters of the Past	p. 199
My Daughter Is Not My Mother: Rethinking the Role of Women in Traditional Judaism	p. 211
Hillel's Decision: Subjective Piety as a Religious Value	p. 227
Halakha as Relationship: Toward a God-Centered Consciousness	p. 247
Among Abraham's Children: The Confrontation of the Particular with the Universal	p. 257
Notes	p. 267
Bibliography	p. 293
Index	p. 298
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