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The Kaifeng Stone Inscriptions by Tiberiu Weisz Pdf
Points East, A Publication of the Sino-Judaic Institute, Vol. 23 No. 2, July 2008 The Covenant and the Mandate of Heaven: An In-depth Comparative Cultural Study of Judaism and China. By Tiberiu Weisz (iUniverse, 2007) Reviewed by Vera Schwarcz, Director/Chair, Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University, CT. This is, simply put, a bold visionary book. It invites readers to contemplate distant and disparate events and thinkers in a way that weaves a common tapestry. The author is generous minded, erudite and provides readers with all the information needed for this cross-cultural journey. The challenge of this adventure remains daunting nonetheless. Kang Youwei's words to Guangxu emperor in 1898 (quoted by Weisz on p 177) apply to reading this book as well: It is indeed like climbing a tree to seek fish - tough, but not foolish. In the end, the reward in understanding both Chin and Judaism is immense. Tiberiu Weisz is not a newcomer to cross cultural dialogues. With origins stretching back to Transylvania (like myself), he is familiar with the mixtures of languages and religions from back home. A long time scholar of the Kaifeng stones inscriptions and of the Jewish communities of ancient China, he was well prepared for a more wide ranging inquiry into the similarities between Chinese and Jews. To his great credit, Tiberiu Weisz took a full decade to assemble and re-translate key original documents from each of these different traditions in order to show a compelling complementarity between them. In the preface to The Covenant and The Mandate, he confesses trepidation at the scope of his inquiry. This is understandable since Weisz' book ranges from the ancient Liji and Tanach to the Cultural Revolution and the Holocaust. Even if one does not fully agree with author's conclusion that Judaism is the yang to China's yin -there is much in this important work to challenge, and to enrich, a wide variety of readers. The focus throughout this carefully constructed book is upon similarities that never quite devolve into a forced identity between Chinese and Jewish cultural values. Starting with ideas of holiness embodied in Elohim and Shangdi, Weisz invites readers to follow the travels of Lao Zi beyond the pass. Whether the Chinese and Jewish commitment to the one force underlying all natural phenomena or shared understanding of benevolent kingship can be traced to news of Solomon's rule spreading through Central Asia is not, in my view, the central question. Rather what is most startling in this book is a symmetry of historical experiences that does indeed lead Chinese and Jews to become experts in cultural survival. Weisz' study goes beyond our current understanding of Chinese and Jewish traditions as the two oldest, uninterrupted cultures in the world. Many previous works (including my own Bridges Across Broken Times: Chinese and Jewish Cultural Memory) have circled this theme. What is fresh, and important in The Covenant and The Mandate, is the detailed, textual proof of exactly how Chinese and Jews confronted historical catastrophe and survived with renewed vigor. Three key moments, Weisz argues, defined and shaped Jewish and Chinese worldviews. For Jews, the exile to Babylon in 586-516 BCE, the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and the 20th century Holocaust provided fiery moments for self-definition and renewal. For Chinese, it was the imperial unification in 221 BCE, the Mongol conquest (1279-1368) and the more recent Cultural Revolution that challenged Confucianism and led to a new nationalist consciousness. Each of these events (as well as many others) is discussed at length and documented in terms of the thought-legacy that it provided for two civilizations growing more and more skilful in adaptation and survival. Weisz' analytical paradigm is most effective when he creatively juxtaposes important thinkers who are rarely considered side by side. For me, reading about the Han Dynasty poet-statesmen Han Yu alongsi
The Kaifeng Stone Inscriptions by Tiberiu Weisz Pdf
Points East, A Publication of the Sino-Judaic Institute, Vol. 23 No. 2, July 2008 The Covenant and the Mandate of Heaven: An In-depth Comparative Cultural Study of Judaism and China. By Tiberiu Weisz (iUniverse, 2007) Reviewed by Vera Schwarcz, Director/Chair, Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University, CT. This is, simply put, a bold visionary book. It invites readers to contemplate distant and disparate events and thinkers in a way that weaves a common tapestry. The author is generous minded, erudite and provides readers with all the information needed for this cross-cultural journey. The challenge of this adventure remains daunting nonetheless. Kang Youweis words to Guangxu emperor in 1898 (quoted by Weisz on p 177) apply to reading this book as well: It is indeed like climbing a tree to seek fish- tough, but not foolish. In the end, the reward in understanding both Chin and Judaism is immense. Tiberiu Weisz is not a newcomer to cross cultural dialogues. With origins stretching back to Transylvania (like myself), he is familiar with the mixtures of languages and religions from back home. A long time scholar of the Kaifeng stones inscriptions and of the Jewish communities of ancient China, he was well prepared for a more wide ranging inquiry into the similarities between Chinese and Jews. To his great credit, Tiberiu Weisz took a full decade to assemble and re-translate key original documents from each of these different traditions in order to show a compelling complementarity between them. In the preface to The Covenant and The Mandate, he confesses trepidation at the scope of his inquiry. This is understandable since Weisz book ranges from the ancient Liji and Tanach to the Cultural Revolution and the Holocaust. Even if one does not fully agree with authors conclusion that Judaism is the yang to Chinas yin-there is much in this important work to challenge, and to enrich, a wide variety of readers. The focus throughout this carefully constructed book is upon similarities that never quite devolve into a forced identity between Chinese and Jewish cultural values. Starting with ideas of holiness embodied in Elohim and Shangdi, Weisz invites readers to follow the travels of Lao Zi beyond the pass. Whether the Chinese and Jewish commitment to the one force underlying all natural phenomena or shared understanding of benevolent kingship can be traced to news of Solomons rule spreading through Central Asia is not, in my view, the central question. Rather what is most startling in this book is a symmetry of historical experiences that does indeed lead Chinese and Jews to become experts in cultural survival. Weisz study goes beyond our current understanding of Chinese and Jewish traditions as the two oldest, uninterrupted cultures in the world. Many previous works (including my own Bridges Across Broken Times: Chinese and Jewish Cultural Memory) have circled this theme. What is fresh, and important in The Covenant and The Mandate, is the detailed, textual proof of exactly how Chinese and Jews confronted historical catastrophe and survived with renewed vigor. Three key moments, Weisz argues, defined and shaped Jewish and Chinese worldviews. For Jews, the exile to Babylon in 586-516 BCE, the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and the 20th century Holocaust provided fiery moments for self-definition and renewal. For Chinese, it was the imperial unification in 221 BCE, the Mongol conquest (1279-1368) and the more recent Cultural Revolution that challenged Confucianism and led to a new nationalist consciousness. Each of these events (as well as many others) is discussed at length and documented in terms of the thought-legacy that it provided for two civilizations growing more and more skilful in adaptation and survival. Weisz analytical paradigm is most effective when he creatively juxtaposes important thinkers who are rarely considered side by side. For me, reading about the Han Dynasty poet-statesmen Han Yu alongside the French biblical commentator Rashi provided new insight into both. In a later chapter, comparing the great rationalist synthesis of the Rambam with that of the Song dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi, I found that Weisz book provides both depth and an overview utterly unique. This chapter is true eye-opening in terms of how two great traditions met the challenges of alien religions (Buddhism, Christianity and Islam) in a way that left each stronger and more compelling of the best minds of their days. Subsequent comparisons between the maskilim of the Jewish enlightenment movement and the zhishi fenzi of Chinas new culture movement in the 20th century also shaped greatly my understanding of the dilemmas of modernization in a cross cultural context. Large themes that we broach with our students about the global implications of cultural adaptation and social change are here put in a textual, philosophical and religious context that should gain for this book the attention of many readers. Even where I disagree with Weisz parallelism between Chinas communist revolution and Israel Zionist revival, I could not but acknowledge the boldness- and the utility- of thinking through such well-anchored comparative framework. How Jewish and Confucian orthodoxies became challenged, and revived in the 19th and 20th century is hardly parochial question. Understanding the literary renewals as well as the political revolutions enacted (at great cost) by Jews and Chinese alike will help us grasp much better what lies ahead for humanity I future cultural adaptations. The final value of Weisz study, I believe lies not in the majestic sweep of the arguments and conclusions. It does not really depend upon his tables, aligning Jewish and Confucian text or, even, upon the answer to his concluding question: Will China succeed where Judaism failed? (a phrasing with which I disagree profoundly). This is not what matters most. Rather, the significance of this work lies in the possibility that it may- and I hope will! - be read by many Chinese and Jews seeking new insights into other cultures, as well as their own. Imagine, Chinese students of Judaism learning for the first time the complex meaning of Shechina (Gods presence in the world below) in a way that few Jews are able to explain it even to themselves. Imagine Jewish readers being led along the path of familiar usage of mentsch to much deeper Chinese views of what it means to be fully human, wai ren. By inviting us to think fresh about such key notions as teshuva (repentance in Hebrew) and fu gu (return to the ancients in Chinese), Weisz has raised the bar for substantial cross-cultural dialogue. By bringing alive key moments such as Kang Youweis 1908 visit to the Wailing Wall, this book reveals to a broad reading public the prolonged, complex struggle of Chinese and Jews to hold on deeply humanistic civilization that cherish scholarly learning over military might. As we stand on the verge of a bellicose 21st century, books such as The Covenant and The Mandate may become our best hope for rescuing the sparks of human wisdom that Weisz shows to have been so plentiful in Jewish and Chinese tradition. Difficult as it may be to imagine, it is possible to climb trees in search of fish. In fact, as crises between nations and religions worsen all around us, there may be no way out other that to risk the deepest, most difficult inquiry into culture far apart. This Weisz had done with courage, and success.
The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng by Anson H. Laytner,Jordan Paper Pdf
This scholarly collection examines the origins, history, and contemporary nature of Chinese Judaism in the community of Kaifeng. These essays, written by a diverse, international team of contributors, explore the culture and history of this thousand-year-old Jewish community, whose synthesis of Chinese and Jewish cultures helped guarantee its survival. Part I of this study analyzes the origin and historical development of the Kaifeng community, as well as the unique cultural synthesis it engendered. Part II explores the contemporary nature of this Chinese Jewish community, particularly examining the community’s relationship to Jewish organizations outside of China, the impact of Western Jewish contact, and the tenuous nature of Jewish identity in Kaifeng.
Journey to the People's Republic of China; Review & Analysis by Kalman Dubov Pdf
On a Holland America Grand Voyage aboard the flagship Amsterdam, I had the great fortune of visiting the ancient land of China, now known as the People's Republic of China. This visit enabled me to, for the first time, to walk part of the way of the Great Wall, visit the Old Summer Palace and see Tien An Men Square and the Forbidden City. Besides visiting the capital city, the ship also visited Shanghai and Hong Kong. China is a huge country whose history goes back millennia. The places we visited provided but a glimpse of that history and its current politics. In this volume, I review China's ancient history, with an overview of the many dynasties that made China great. For many years, China stood at the forefront of technological and scientific discovery, known today as the Four Great Discoveries - the compass, making paper, gunpowder, and printing. Each of these transformed the world, in its own way. Yet, the advancement of science and technology did not stay in China. The great conundrum today is exploring the reasons China lost its ability to stand at the helm of such advancement. I explore this issue while reviewing the complexities of how China lived, both in its dynastic and modern periods. Ancient China had civil service examinations as a method to identify the best and brightest minds and then to employ them for service to the emperor. Jinshi, the highest and most difficult examination was so complicated, the successful candidates' name was inscribed on stone, then selected to remain in Beijing in service to the emperor. Such examinations later migrated to other countries in the Far East, then to the West, where it is in common use today. China and its millennium-long history reflect an ancient people who today seek to assert their presence and power on the world stage. Prior to its current form of government, it was forced to capitulate to Western colonial powers. Revolts by the Chinese against such foreign intervention resulted in the Opium Wars, the loss of Hong Kong, and the destruction of its Old Summer Palace. I explore China's bitter past, together with its current belligerence on the world stage as it seeks to redevelop and transform itself, from the ancient Silk Road into the modern OBOR - One Belt; One Road with dramatic effect on many peoples and nations. I also noted the conundrum of seeing tall high-rise clusters of apartment buildings, structures that could house thousands of people, but stand completely empty. Passing these buildings at night was eerie; not a single light or human is visible anywhere. The claim of a surging China, at least in the places I visited, made me wonder if the building boom the media and economists claim is but a bubble, soon to evaporate in the glare of inquiry and reality. Nonetheless, this visit was dramatic in its own way, offering many varieties of the different strata of this complex society. During this visit, I explored the Jewish community, first in Shanghai, then in Hong Kong. Several Jewish passengers joined to attend the Sabbath Service at the Chabad House. We were warmly welcomed and saw a robust community in this remote part of the world. In Hong Kong, we visited several synagogues, noting the pride and activity present in these communities. I explore the history of the Jewish community in these centers, with a special interest in the Jewish ‘Ghetto’ of Shanghai where thousands of European Jews were sheltered during the Nazi’s Final Solution. They were given refuge in Shanghai, and the area they lived in is still visible by way of a museum and plaques indicating where they lived and survived the war years. The enormity of China demands a multi-volume effort to do justice to its geography and history. This is but a small contribution of this ancient land.
The Jewish Chinese Nexus explores through a collection of articles the nexus between two of the oldest, intact, starkly contrasting and most interesting civilizations on earth; Jews and Chinese. This volume studies how they are interacting in modernity; how they view each other and what areas of cooperation are evolving between their scholars, activists and politicians and what talents, qualities and social assets are being recognized on each side for the purpose of cooperation and exchange. Featuring contributions from some of the most important scholars and activists from China and from around the Jewish Diaspora, the essays purview China related themes including the fascination of Chinese with Jews and Judaism and its potential value in Chinese national and religious reconstruction; religious and ethnic identity; East – West interactions. It deals with the growing Jewish community in China and its impact as well as the development of Jewish studies in China and the translation of Jewish texts into Chinese and their impact. The work is a first of its kind, identifying an emerging meeting point between these two people and arguing that despite the giant contrasts in their national constructs they have nonetheless other important patterns and themes in common which pave the way for fruitful cooperation and mutual respect.
Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora [3 volumes] by M. Avrum Ehrlich Pdf
This three-volume work is a cornerstone resource on the evolution and dynamics of the Jewish Diaspora as it played out around the world—from its beginnings to the present. Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture is the definitive resource on one of world history's most curious phenomenons, encompassing the communities, cultures, ethnicities, and experiences created by the Diaspora in every region of the world where Jews live or Jewish ancestry exists. The encyclopedia is organized in three volumes. The first includes 100 essays on the Jewish Diaspora experience, with coverage ranging from ethnography and demography to philosophy, history, music, and business. The second and third volumes feature hundreds of articles and essays on Diaspora regions, countries, cities, and other locations. With an editorial board of renowned Jewish scholars, and with an extraordinarily accomplished team of contributors, Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora captures the full scope of its subject like no other reference work before it.
The Little Encyclopedia of Jewish Culture by Mathew Klickstein Pdf
Celebrate Jewish culture with this fun collection of facts and stories! Jewish traditions aren't just something they sing about in Fiddler on the Roof. Explore them all with this delightful book of essential Jewish foods, philosophers, pop culture, and more. It's sure to be way more satisfying than the typical encyclopedia—but probably not as exciting as finding the perfect bagel. Discover cultural touchstones—From babka to Mel Brooks, learn fascinating facts about the writers, entertainers, delis, and Yiddish phrases that shine a light on Jewish culture through the ages. Find what fascinates you—Paging through this book is a pleasure, whether you choose to read it cover to cover or use it as a quick reference guide. Give the perfect present—This encyclopedia's lighthearted tone and charming illustrations make it a great gift for Chanukah, housewarmings, and more. Show a little chutzpah and pick up a copy of this amusing and informative Jewish encyclopedia today!
Irene Eber was one of the foremost authorities on Jews in China during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—a field that, in contrast to the study of the Jewish diaspora in Europe and the Americas, has been critically neglected. This volume gathers fourteen of Eber’s most salient articles and essays on the exchanges between Jewish and Chinese cultures, making available to students, scholars, and general readers a representative sample of the range and depth of her important work in the field of Jews in China. Jews in China delineates the centuries-long, reciprocal dialogue between Jews, Jewish culture, and China, all under the overarching theme of cultural translation. The first section of the book sets forth a sweeping overview of the history of Jews in China, beginning in the twelfth century and concluding with a detailed assessment of the two crucial years leading up to the Second World War. The second section examines the translation of Chinese classics into Hebrew and the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Chinese. The third and final section turns to modern literature, bringing together eight essays that underscore the cultural reciprocity that takes place through acts of translation. The centuries-long relationship between Judaism and China is often overlooked in the light of the extensive discourse surrounding European and American Judaism. With this volume, Eber reminds us that we have much to learn from the intersections between Jewish identity and Chinese culture.
The Covenant and the Mandate of Heaven by Tiberiu Weisz Pdf
Is Judaism the yang of China's yin? What cultural bonds tied Judaism and China? Israel and China, past, present and future. These are just some of the topics explored in this book in a historical setting: not Chinese nor Jewish, but Chinese AND Jewish. The book compares ancient and contemporary Chinese sources with corresponding Western literature to show that these two cultures balanced each other in a cultural relationship of YIN and YANG: one as a religion that deeply influenced Western cultures and the other in an opposing environment secluded, isolated and little understood by outsiders. The book also presents China and Judaism through the eyes of the people who have faithfully followed their tenets since antiquity. Readers will see these two cultures in a new light: not as "fossils" but as two vibrant cultures tied by invisible bonds to survive and flourish to present day.
Rethinking China in the 1950s by Mechthild Leutner Pdf
The articles in this issue deal with various aspects of the on-going re-evaluation and reconsideration of the far-reaching political, economic and ideological transformation of China in the 1950s, exploring the broader themes in various subfields and from different perspectives. There is a special focus on specific developments in the early 1950s: on land reform and the significance of this for the political consolidation of the new People's Republic, on state violence and mass crimes; on the state discourse on housewives and housework; on the establishment of Chinese as a foreign language at Peking University from the perspective of an eye-witness. Two studies deal with developments in the field of historiography: the first analyses the discussions of Chinese intellectuals in the late 1950s who were seeking to establish historical legitimacy; the second highlights recent debates among historians and intellectuals who have been creating new master narratives and have been involved, in pluralistic terms, in newly constructing the history of the 1950s, especially with regard to the Great Leap Forward and the 1957 Anti-Rightist Movement.
The Torah has two basic components: a long, complex narrative thatserves as the backstory to the covenant and its literary frame, and thespecific commandments that serve as the terms of that covenant. Thenarrative itself—the long, complex narratives relating to the creationof the world, the great flood, the adventures of the patriarchs andmatriarchs of Israel, the descent into slavery in Egypt, the exodusfrom Egypt, the events at Mount Sinai, and the subsequent journeythe edge of the Land of Israel, where the people are camped whenthe Torah narrative concludes with Moses’ death—is relativelywell-known even in the secular Western world. And some of thecommandments too are well known to the general public in Westernlands—some because they were eventually adopted by Christiantheologians and made tenets of Christianity, others because they areso overtly characteristic of Jewish life that they have become easilyrecognizable to anyone who has even casual contact with the Jewishcommunity, and others because they have come to serve as the mostbasic moral planks in Western ethics even for people who do notself-define as Jews or Christians.But however well known the commandments may be as regardstheir general content, the Hebrew text of the Torah that preservesthe commandments in their literary guise can prove surprisinglydifficult. For one thing, Biblical Hebrew is an ancient language in2 Martin S. Cohenwhich words do not necessarily mean what they eventually came tomean after millennia of linguistic development. Moreover, classicalHebrew authors regularly presuppose information on the part oftheir readers and listeners, much of which non-specialist modernssimply do not possess. (For example, Scripture references all sorts ofpublic officials and military officers by their ranks and titles withoutexplaining them because the reader is simply assumed to be familiarwith the terminology, somewhat in the same way a contemporaryAmerican journalist might refer to someone as a senator fromOklahoma without feeling any need to pause and explain what asenator is. Or what Oklahoma is!) And then there is the questionof grammar to consider. For all that modern scholars have analyzedthe language of the Bible and attempted to describe its grammaticalrules, there are still many passages that feel inconsonant with thoserules. These passages likely do not constitute errors of usage onthe part of their ancient authors, however, but rather indicate thatour understanding of biblical grammar simply does not reflect thenuanced, dynamic way ancient Hebrew was actually spoken inantiquity as a living, vibrant language. And, finally, there is the vexingquestion of the specific way Hebrew words are related to each other.Classical Hebrew, like all Semitic languages, is built on three-lettercombinations of consonants called “roots,” and most of the wordsthat constitute the language’s vocabulary are built on those roots. Yetsome words that appear to be built on the same root seem entirelyunrelated in meaning. And still others, mysterious in their own right,do not appear to have triliteral roots at all.Any study of the commandments that carefully considers suchconcerns will naturally lead to meaningful insight, and this is preciselythe kind of examination that underlies this volume, the tenth andfinal volume in the Mesorah Matrix series. Like its predecessors inthe series, this volume is devoted to the reasoned, thoughtful, and3 Prefaceinspiring analysis of specific Jewish ideas, practices, and beliefs. Infact, all of the present essays focus on a single word that lies at theintersection of law, linguistics, spirituality, faith, and modern Jewishpractice: v’shamru. And although the word will be familiar to mostfrom its liturgical use in the version of the Kiddush prayer recitedon Shabbat that cites Exodus 31:16–17, the word appears in othercontexts as well and several of the essays in this volume considerthose uses.The key passage that connects that word with Shabbat observance,Exodus 31:16–17, reads as follows, with the English words thatcorrespond to the Hebrew v’shamru printed in bold:And so shall the Israelites keep the Sabbath, safeguardingits observance throughout all their generations as evidenceof the eternal covenant that binds Me and the Israelites, forthe Sabbath is that covenant’s eternal sign in that the Eternalmade the heavens and the earth in six days and then pausedfor rest and repose on the seventh day.It is the specific question of what v’shamru means in this context towhich our authors who have chosen to write about Shabbat turntheir attention.As noted, the word is not used exclusively with respect toShabbat observance and it appears elsewhere in the Torah text todesignate what Israelites are commanded to “do” with respect tothe commandments, or some specific commandment. But it is theShabbat connection that interests most of our authors, possiblybecause Moses himself is cited (at Deuteronomy 5:12) as recalling thefourth of the Ten Commandments as beginning with an imperativebuilt on that very root of shin-mem-resh, even though the “actual” textpresented in Exodus begins with a different word entirely.Words built on the three-letter root shin-mem-resh generally have4 Martin S. Cohensomething to do with guarding, protecting, or keeping safe, but whatit is exactly about these specific contexts, and the Shabbat contextforemost among them, that requires so much guarding or protectingis left unsaid. Is there some specific fragility that inheres in theobservance of that specific commandment which makes reasonablethe use of some version of a word based on shim-mem-resh to qualifyits observance? Or is Shabbat simply of such cardinal importancethat Scripture uses that specific verb to describe its observance solelyto say that that nation must exert itself maximally to guarantee itscareful and punctilious observance? Or does this usage hint insteadat some specific danger that might be lurking within the details ofShabbat observance, some plausible ideational, doctrinal, dogmatic,or even physical peril against which the people must be commandedscrupulously to guard themselves? To none of these questions doesScripture nod even in passing. Yet the essays in this volume thatfocus on Shabbat are all attempts, one way or another, to addressthose specific questions and others that derive from them directly. Ihope our readers will find all our authors’ efforts both intriguing anduplifting.The authors who have contributed to this volume are a varied lotdrawn from across the spectrum of organized Jewish life—Israelisand diasporan types, rabbis and academics, men and woman, olderand younger scholars, seasoned authors and relative newcomers tothe world of publishing. Some have contributed to other volumes inour series and one, the indefatigable Reuven Bulka, has contributedessays to all ten; others present their sole contribution to the seriesin this one volume. All, however, are united by their common beliefin the power of the well-written word and the sense that, even in thedigital age, the well-structured, convincingly argued essay retains itsability not just to inform but also to influence and to inspire.Unless otherwise indicated, all translations here are the authors’5 Prefaceown work. Biblical citations referenced to the NJPS derive from thecomplete translation of Scripture published under the title Tanakh:The Holy Scriptures by the Jewish Publication Society in Philadelphiain 1985.As we prepare to publish this, the tenth and final volume in theMesorah Matrix series, I would like to take this opportunity toacknowledge the other senior editors of the Mesorah Matrix series,David Birnbaum and Benjamin Blech, as well as Saul J. Berman, ourassociate editor.And I would also like to add a personal note at this junctureregarding the larger operation. This project has brought together alarge number of authors in an almost unprecedented effort to unitepeople across the spectrum of Jewish affiliation for the sake of k’lalyisrael. And despite the way that Jewish people from different parts ofthe Jewish world are regularly supposed not ever to get along, muchless to wish to work together on anything at all of consequence, allof our authors have shown themselves willing to participate in thenoble effort that underlies the Mesorah Matrix project: to revitalizethe essay form and to make of it a successful vehicle for inspiringJewish readers to take their Judaism and their Jewishness to an evenhigher level, to feel ennobled by their membership in the House ofIsrael, and potentially to feel themselves called upon to embrace amore personal role in the pursuit of Jewish destiny. It has been myprivilege and pleasure to work with them all.As always, I must also express my gratitude to the men andwomen, and particularly to the lay leadership, of the synagogue Iserve as rabbi: the Shelter Rock Jewish Center in Roslyn, New York.Possessed of the unwavering conviction that their rabbi’s literaryprojects are part and parcel of his service to them (and, throughthem, to the larger community of those interested in learning aboutJudaism), they are remarkably supportive of my literary efforts asauthor and editor. I am in their debt and am pleased to acknowledgethat debt formally here and whenever I publish my own work or thework of others. I couldn’t be me if they weren’t them.
