Humanity Divided: Martin Buber and the Challenges of Being Chosen PDF
Preview Humanity Divided: Martin Buber and the Challenges of Being Chosen
Manuel D. Oliveira Humanity Divided Studia Judaica Forschungen zur Wissenschaft des Judentums Begründet von Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Herausgegeben von Günter Stemberger, Charlotte Fonrobert, Elisabeth Hollender, Alexander Samely und Irene Zwiep Band 116 Manuel D. Oliveira Humanity Divided Martin Buber and the Challenges of Being Chosen ISBN 978-3-11-074074-5 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-074108-7 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-074118-6 ISSN 0585-5306 Library of Congress Control Number: 2021936240 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck www.degruyter.com Ah,thosewhoaddhousetohouseandjoinfieldtofield, Tillthereisroomfornonebutyoutodwellintheland! Isaiah5,8 Yourmodestyisafunctionofyourpowerlessness;whenyouhavepower,youwill beascruelasanyotherpeople. JudahHalevi IhavenothingtoaddtowhatalreadyappearedintheScriptures,thesameScrip- turestowhichthenationalreligiousfoolsappealforsupportoftheirlustforcon- quest. YeshayahuLeibowitz [T]heJewishpeopleearlybecameconsciousofitssuperioritytoitsneighbours. (…)Inthemannerofthosetimes,thisconsciousnessfoundexpressioninthere- ligiousideathatGodhadchosenIsrael‘tomakehimhighaboveallthenations’ (…).Therewasnothoughtoftheadvantageordisadvantageoftherestofman- kind;thesoleobjectwastheexistenceofthesuperiortype. AhadHa-Am JewishMessianisminitsoriginsandbyitsnature–thiscannotbesufficiently emphasized–isatheoryofcatastrophe.Thistheorystressestherevolutionary, cataclysmic element in the transition from every historical present to the Mes- sianicfuture. GershomScholem Utopianbutresolutelyanti-apocalyptic,[Martin]Buber’sZionismwasnotpoliti- cal Zionism,but Zionismdevotedto the life of the spirit, and,drawingon the Hasidictradition,tothesanctificationofeverydaylife. JacquelineRose TheycouldnolongersurrendertothetemptationtoconquerSpace,sincethey hadbeenconqueredbyTime,whichtheynowwishedtoinhabittotheirlastex- tent. Contents Acknowledgements XI Foreword by Paul Mendes-Flohr XIII Preface XV Introduction 1 PART ONE – Rabbinic and Biblical Background From Divine Election to Self-Deification 17 . The Sacrifice of Human Conscience 17 . The Tension Between Chosenness and Humanness 25 . Consolidation of the Rift 34 . The Complex Case of Rabbi Abraham I. Kook 45 . Maimonides’ Honorable Exception 54 . The Fateful Influence of the Shî’ite Ideology on Judah Halevi 58 . From Eternal Segregation to the ‘Fantastic’ Delusion of Supremacy 71 . Subverting Halakhic Judaism into an ‘Empty Shell’ of Sacred History: From Halakhic Wisdom to Neo-Prophetic Re-Vision 76 . Distorting the Most Treasured Feature of Jewish Life 83 . The Challenges and Promises of Dialogical Philosophy 87 Biblical Background: ‘Particularism’ vs. ‘Universalism,’ or Exemplary Uniqueness? 95 . Setting the Ground 95 . “Was bedeutet die ‘Auserwählung Israels’” – The 1936 Lecture 102 . “Die Erwählung Israels: Eine Befragung der Bibel” – The 1938 Essay 104 Revelation to Moses at Sinai: Exodus 3 115 . ‘My people’ [ammi] 115 . God’s Unconditional Freedom: ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh’ 118 VIII Contents . From ‘My people’ to ‘My son’ 124 . The Primacy and Sanctity of the Election: ‘Kodesh’ – ‘Reshit’ 128 . Israel’s ‘Destiny’ 131 . Israel as ‘Reshit’ 141 . From ‘Tzelem’ to ‘Blessing’ – The ‘Imitation of God’ 143 . The ‘New People’ 145 . The Relation Between ‘People’ and ‘Land’ 150 . “Be Thou a Blessing!” 156 . From ‘Commandment’ to ‘Grace’ 165 Israel at Sinai 169 . The Covenant 169 . Revelation as ‘Meeting’ 178 . The ‘Eagle Speech’ 187 The Book of Deuteronomy 200 . Election as ‘Love’ 200 . The Election Grants No ‘Security’ 202 . The Remnant of Israel and the Servant of YHVH 209 PART TWO – The Modern Period Foundations of a Völkisch Movement 223 . The Background 223 . ‘National Humanism’ versus ‘National Egoism’ 239 Passion for Land and Volk: The Threatof Neo-Romanticism 250 . Ideological Framework 250 . Martin Buber’s Struggle with the Volkish Movement 258 . The Volkish Movement and the Roots of Jewish Nationalism 266 . Martin Buber’s Open Debate with Hermann Cohen 286 . Conflicting Conceptions of Nationalism 293 . A Believing Nationalism? 295 Ecclesia Triumphans and the Silent Servant 306 . Judaism and Christianity in the Womb of Myth 308 . Repressed Sources of Anti-Semitism 317 Contents IX . Church and Synagogue Face the Kingdom as Servants of an Exiled World 323 . The Impact of Modernity 350 . Divided Visions – Israel and the Nations 356 . The Perplexing Tension Between Ethics and Religious Duties 365 The Jewish Taskin World History 375 . Revelation as Divine Presence 375 . The Secret of the ‘Nation’ 407 . The Renewal of the ‘Tzelem’ 419 . The Community and the ‘Throne of the True King’ 423 . Marx and Freud 433 . The Second Stage of the Task 438 Towards the End: A Center Without a Center 447 . A Center without a Center or a Messianism without a Messiah? 447 . Yeshayahu Leibowitz’s Critical Position 460 . Isaiah’s Resounding Words 473 Epilogue 475 Humanity 475 Bibliography 476 Index 512
The list of books you might like
