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Judaismi olemus
Teose tõlkija Anu Põldsam ütleb oma saatesõnas, et judaism on kirju nii horisontaalses plaanis ehk oma esindajate poolest kui ka sügavuti minnes ehk selle õpetuse tõlgendamise ja selle järgi elamise osas ning lisaks sellele on ta pidevas endaksjäämise ja kohanemise protsessis, muutudes ning oma olemuse juurde jäädes.
Leo Baeck oli mõtleja ja õpetlane, ent samal ajal ka rabi ja kogukonna juht. «Judaismi olemus» nägi ilmavalgust aastal 1905 vastusena protestantliku teoloogi Adolf von Harnacki aastal 1900 avaldatud teosele «Kristluse olemus». Baecki jaoks oli kristlus romantiline ja judaism klassikaline religioon. Kui kristlus oli tema arvates suunatud üksikute hingede päästmisele, siis judaismi eesmärgiks on kogu inimkonna kollektiivne lunastus.
«Judaismi olemus» kujutab endast ühtlasi püüdlust hoida alal juudi teoloogia iseseisvust. Baecki jaoks on judaismis olulisel kohal inimese igapäevane tegutsemine ning üheleainsale õiglusele, Jumala õiglusele tuginev otsustamine kaasinimese kasuks – ligimesearmastus kui usk kaasinimesse ja vastutus tema eest, nii et mina ja sina, mina ja teine saavad judaismis religioosseks-eetiliseks tervikuks.
Leo Baeck oli mõtleja ja õpetlane, ent samal ajal ka rabi ja kogukonna juht. «Judaismi olemus» nägi ilmavalgust aastal 1905 vastusena protestantliku teoloogi Adolf von Harnacki aastal 1900 avaldatud teosele «Kristluse olemus». Baecki jaoks oli kristlus romantiline ja judaism klassikaline religioon. Kui kristlus oli tema arvates suunatud üksikute hingede päästmisele, siis judaismi eesmärgiks on kogu inimkonna kollektiivne lunastus.
«Judaismi olemus» kujutab endast ühtlasi püüdlust hoida alal juudi teoloogia iseseisvust. Baecki jaoks on judaismis olulisel kohal inimese igapäevane tegutsemine ning üheleainsale õiglusele, Jumala õiglusele tuginev otsustamine kaasinimese kasuks – ligimesearmastus kui usk kaasinimesse ja vastutus tema eest, nii et mina ja sina, mina ja teine saavad judaismis religioosseks-eetiliseks tervikuks.
391 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 8, 2016
I was anticipating this book to give me an understanding of Judaism - its core beliefs, its values, its principles. 200 pages in and I'm still no closer to comprehending what is this religion about. The book is not bad, but the style of the writing is very filosophical, full of reflections referring to Judaic religious texts, the author contemplating nuances of the faith. There are no explanations to the religious terms and vocabulary used. I would say that the book is more suitable for someone who gets Judaism inside and out and/or is very familiar with religious filosophy. Don't expect it to give you a practical understanding of the faith.
July 30, 2011
This was a dense philosophical/theological discussion of Judaism that I struggled with off and on for six weeks. I'm not sorry to have read it and am glad he discusses his points win relatively bitesize pieces which makes it easier to pick up after a break. A serious book for people who want to seriously engage with the subject.
May 26, 2017
I have extracted some of Rabbi Baeck's observations about Judaism in anticipation of having my fictional character Berthold Becker read Baeck's book and discuss these points with the Rabbi.
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September 23, 2018For anyone (Jew or Gentile) hoping to understand the nature of Judaism, Leo Baeck should be your guide.
Many will disagree with his conclusions, but for Jewish people disagreement is a good road to understanding
Many will disagree with his conclusions, but for Jewish people disagreement is a good road to understanding
January 7, 2018
This book by Rabbi Baeck, the leader of a Jewish Community during Nazi Germany, is very interesting. It serves almost as a compendium of his thought, notable for being the work of a highly intelligent and thoughtful individual, and also an individual who chose to remain in Germany and lived through the Nazi concentration camps. As such, he has a large moral claim when speaking about a number of topics. His early statement about the blessings bestowed on those without power is particularly noteworthy. “A minority is compelled to think; that is the blessing of its fate. It must always persist in a mental struggle for that consciousness of truth which success and power comfortingly assure to rulers and their supporting multitudes. The conviction of the many is based on the weight of possession; the conviction of the few is expressed through the energy of constant searching and finding.”
The book overall is quite philosophical. This is not surprising given that Baeck believes that “the dominant form of Judaism always remained that of a religious philosophy of inquiry, a philosophy which produced method rather than system.” There are a number of philosophical claims that struck me as interesting. Particularly interesting are his statements about the mission and universality of Judaism. “Judaism has always retained the fundamental principle that its religion is the property of all and that all may fully experience it without an intermediary.” “All presuppositions and all aims of Judaism are directed toward converting the world or, to be more precise, toward teaching it.”
Less interesting to me are Baeck’s statements about Judaism and its merits compared to other world religions. “Judaism is a religion of altruism, since it declares that man to be striving toward perfection who has found his way to God by seeking his brethren and who serves God by loving and being just to them. Buddhism, on the other hand, is the religion of egotism, since it attributes perfection to the man who retreats from mankind in order to discover the only true approach to himself.” This is one such statement of many. These are statements of Baeck’s belief, but I find them to be very judgmental and, unsurprisingly, one-sided statements. I would have preferred a more balanced discussion of these types of statements, or that Baeck had left them out all together.
Baeck also delivers some quite thought provoking philosophical statements. “For Judaism sin is the fate prepared by the individual when he disowns himself and makes of himself a mere object. Man does not fall into the sin of his fate, but into the fate of his sin.” “For Judaism there is no faith without morality and ethics, no mystery without commandment, no significance of the beyond without the value of this world. Unless man believes in himself and in his task, his faith in God as well as his faith in atonement is empty.” While the quantity of such statements was overwhelming to me personally, I found that sincere reflection on them was quite beneficial.
Overall, for serious students of Judaism and religion in general, I think this is an interesting book.
See my other reviews here!
The book overall is quite philosophical. This is not surprising given that Baeck believes that “the dominant form of Judaism always remained that of a religious philosophy of inquiry, a philosophy which produced method rather than system.” There are a number of philosophical claims that struck me as interesting. Particularly interesting are his statements about the mission and universality of Judaism. “Judaism has always retained the fundamental principle that its religion is the property of all and that all may fully experience it without an intermediary.” “All presuppositions and all aims of Judaism are directed toward converting the world or, to be more precise, toward teaching it.”
Less interesting to me are Baeck’s statements about Judaism and its merits compared to other world religions. “Judaism is a religion of altruism, since it declares that man to be striving toward perfection who has found his way to God by seeking his brethren and who serves God by loving and being just to them. Buddhism, on the other hand, is the religion of egotism, since it attributes perfection to the man who retreats from mankind in order to discover the only true approach to himself.” This is one such statement of many. These are statements of Baeck’s belief, but I find them to be very judgmental and, unsurprisingly, one-sided statements. I would have preferred a more balanced discussion of these types of statements, or that Baeck had left them out all together.
Baeck also delivers some quite thought provoking philosophical statements. “For Judaism sin is the fate prepared by the individual when he disowns himself and makes of himself a mere object. Man does not fall into the sin of his fate, but into the fate of his sin.” “For Judaism there is no faith without morality and ethics, no mystery without commandment, no significance of the beyond without the value of this world. Unless man believes in himself and in his task, his faith in God as well as his faith in atonement is empty.” While the quantity of such statements was overwhelming to me personally, I found that sincere reflection on them was quite beneficial.
Overall, for serious students of Judaism and religion in general, I think this is an interesting book.
See my other reviews here!
December 24, 2018
El libro está escrito como una introducción al judaísmo. El autor, Leo Back, fue uno de los rabinos liberales alemanes más importantes de fines del siglo XIX y la primera mitad del siglo XX.
Muchas de las posiciones son discutibles. Sin embargo, el libro es ilustrativo del pensamiento del judaísmo reformista de la época, presentando al judaísmo bajo el prisma del neo-kantianismo. Esto implica que puede resultar anacrónico en algunos de sus planteos: al ser un libro escrito en 1905, no tiene en cuenta la Shoá, el moderno Estado de Israel ni el sionismo.
En definitiva, es un buen libro, aunque hay que considerar los años pasados. Como judío ortodoxo, me encontré en desacuerdo con muchas de las ideas de Baeck, pero esa ya es una apreciación personal que en nada disminuye los argumentos del autor.
Muchas de las posiciones son discutibles. Sin embargo, el libro es ilustrativo del pensamiento del judaísmo reformista de la época, presentando al judaísmo bajo el prisma del neo-kantianismo. Esto implica que puede resultar anacrónico en algunos de sus planteos: al ser un libro escrito en 1905, no tiene en cuenta la Shoá, el moderno Estado de Israel ni el sionismo.
En definitiva, es un buen libro, aunque hay que considerar los años pasados. Como judío ortodoxo, me encontré en desacuerdo con muchas de las ideas de Baeck, pero esa ya es una apreciación personal que en nada disminuye los argumentos del autor.
November 26, 2024
I always enjoy reading Leo Baeck. As someone who was raised Christian, fell out of religion entirely, then converted to Judaism, I appreciate the comparative view of both Abrahamic religions. It is almost like Baeck is articulating the reasons why Christianity did not appeal to me and Judaism did. In this work he speaks about dogmatism, prophets, "faith," obligation to fellow man, love, and knowledge. I recommend this to anyone interested in theology and Judaism.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews