Ninety-Two Poems and Hymns of Yehuda Halevi

by Franz Rosenzweig, Yehuda HaLevi

This is the first publication in English of Franz Rosenzweig's 1927 translation of and commentaries on ninety-two poems and hymns of the greatest medieval "singer of Zion," Yehuda Halevi (born circa 1080). Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) is widely recognized as one of the greatest Jewish philosophers of the modern period and his Star of Redemption is considered one of the most important twentieth-century contributions to Jewish--and Christian--theology. Rosenzweig's original and brilliant commentaries open a window into the final developments of his own his debates with Protestant theology, his reservations regarding modern science and culture, and his progressive appreciation for the wisdom of the Jewish tradition. They are a testament not only to the profound vision of Judaism embedded in the poetry of Yehuda Halevi, but to the ever vibrant and deepening sagacity of Franz Rosenzweig himself.

Genres: Poetry, Jewish

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Franz Rosenzweig's story, like Gershom Scholem and Franz Kafka, was that of a return to the very core of Jewish life from the assimilated periphery. Rosenzweig was born into a wealthy, acculturated family in Kassel, Germany. After studying medicine, his scholastic interest shifted toward philosophy and his dissertation later became a two-volume study entitled Hegel und der Staat [Hegel and the State] (1920), which is displayed in the Bezalel Bookcase. It was at this stage in his life where he was ready to abandon Judaism and convert to Christianity, but only on one condition. Like the earliest Christians, he would enter as a Jew, not a pagan. In 1913, as a last resort, he attended Kol Nidre services. In that orthodox synagogue, he had a religious epiphany that sent him squarely back to Judaism.

As a solider in the trenches during World War I, Rosenzweig composed his seminal work, Der Stern der Erloesung [The Star of Redemption] (1921). Afterwards he moved to Frankfurt, where he created a "particular Jewish sphere" and remained the rest of his life. Beyond the influence of his published scholarly works, his legacy is undoubtedly intertwined with his founding of the Freies Judisches Lehrhaus, an adult academy dedicated to Jewish studies of the highest intellectual standing.

Franz Rosenzweig personified the conflict of many young intelligent Jews, that between the pull of modernity and the practice of traditional Jewish ideals. More than any other German Jew, Rosenzweig helped to build a distinct, modern Jewish culture, while remaining deeply rooted in his German surrounding.

-Gelman Library, http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/spec/kiev/t...