The Kuzari: Sefer haKuzari

by Yehuda HaLevi

The Kuzari is one of the most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, completed around 1140. Its subtitle declares it to be "the book of refutation and proof on behalf of the most despised religion," which shows its purpose and context in medieval Jewish thought. Divided into five parts, it takes the form of a dialogue between the rabbi and a pagan, in this book the pagan was the then mythologized by Jews pagan king of the Khazars who was invited to instruct him in the tenets of the Jewish religion.

Genres: Philosophy, Judaism, Religion, Jewish, Judaica, History, Nonfiction

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1140

About the author

Yehuda Halevi was an 11th/12th century Andalusian Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died in Jerusalem in 1141, at that time under Crusader rule.

Halevi is considered one of the greatest Hebrew poets, celebrated both for his religious and secular poems, many of which appear in present-day liturgy. His greatest philosophical work was The Kuzari.

Reviews

[Dunie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A awakening & Prophetic book

Only if we learn and do, what tradagies we would have prevented.
This book Like many of our great books, is prophetic.
Many of the ancient questions posed in this book and their answers are still being asked today.

[Daniel]

Read parts of it for a course on Classic Jewish Philosophy mainly covering this book and the Rambam's Guide of the Perplexed. I decided to finish it, but it was not rewarding, especially when compared to the Guide. If, on the one hand, it is more subtle about its criticisms against (Aristotelian) philosophers, not being overly anti-philosophical as I've heard this described, but more seeing the philosophical perspective as incomplete, and I do appreciate the tensions and dialectical movement that the dialogical format provides; on the other hand, the arguments that it states with so much authority and certainty are so flawed that it makes it hard to take it that seriously. More specifically, lots of arguments base themselves on the certainty of the science of HaLevi's time that now are completely undermined by knowing that that science was wrong. Other arguments are based on simply prefering the premise that God exists and created the universe as less absurd as any philosophical or religious alternative he criticizes. But the arguments he provide to believe in revelation are not convincing. He has a certain historical-empiricist line of argumentation that would certify the certainty of the Torah on a line of unbroken tradition that is utterly wrong when faced with historical, documental and archaeological evidence. If we go by this empiricist route to believe in tradition, HaLevi ultimately disproves himself. Despite my disagreements with the Rambam, I feel that his work has way better arguments that can be further developed than what HaLevi has to offer.

[Jordon Gyarmathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book that I was very anxious about approaching. I have been studying Judaism for a while, getting deep into history, sociology, anthropology and theology, but philosophy of the religion had always been daunting to me. HaLevi's approach, using a dialogue between a king and rabbi proved quite helpful and accessible, easy to comprehend more lofty philosophical ideas. There were times where subjects of philosophy were explored that I did not buy into but I greatly delighted in reading the book as a whole.

[Nathan Lyubarsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest texts I’ve read. The translation I read was very understandable (kudos to the translators because Medieval English is very challenging to read). The book spent little time refuting Islam and Christianity which was fine because the arguments against philosophy and arguments for the existence of the oral law were where the book shined. Unlike Rabbi Moses Ben Maimonides who seeks to reconcile faith with philosophy, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi argues that philosophy is irrelevant, and only mass revelation stands as a true testament to the truthfulness of Hebrew claims.

[Charles Cohen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book kept coming up in different classes I've taken, mostly around the connection between Jews in the Diaspora and the land of Israel between the destruction of the second Temple and the advent of modern Zionism. And for that, it was...not *quite* worth reading, but hey, I got to read pages and pages of old-timey science and astronomy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the explanations of different questionable aspects of Judaism in the context of a dialogue. I think the Kuzari could've been more of a devil's advocate (i.e. press the Rabbi a little harder), but overall it was a good classic Jewish book.

[Rgusterman]

Did not manage to finish - heavy read (and over 8 centuries old)....

[Julie-Anne Borgias · Rating 4 out of 5]

The arguments are presented at various levels of intellect to allow any reader to find something in it.

[Shmu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read an English translation unless you read Judeo-Arabic. Solid read. Gives a lot of convincing arguments. Good Chevruta book during night Seder. Vive la france.

[Hilton Neves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Contains a lot of wisdom. Gives us a better understanding of Tohu va Vohu and Astkasa'at; moreover, shows Plato treasures life in community, which is a Jewish costume too; and compliments Aristotle on his turning himself to study prime matter.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant. I need to read about a page a week to really let the arguments sink in, but M enjoying it now. I suspect this book will take me years to complete.

[Jeremy Tibbetts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books II and IV were great. I, III and V were very dense. A classic, but difficult to work through

[Robert Cymbala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate this book for giving me a new perspective on philosophy & dialectics... *

[Michel Van Goethem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enkel belangrijkste delen

[Mark Uraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent dialogue between a Khazari and a Rabbi regarding philosophy, theology, and belief.