- 518 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Only available on web
About This Book
How do modern Jews understand virtues such as courage, humility, justice, solidarity, or love? In truth: they have fiercely debated how to interpret them. This groundbreaking anthology of musar (Jewish traditions regarding virtue and character) explores the diverse ways seventy-eight modern Jewish thinkers understand ten virtues: honesty and love of truth; curiosity and inquisitiveness; humility; courage and valor; temperance and self-restraint; gratitude; forgiveness; love, kindness, and compassion; solidarity and social responsibility; and justice and righteousness. These thinkersâfrom the Musar movement to Hasidism to contemporary Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Humanist, and secular Jewsâoften agree on the importance of these virtues but fundamentally disagree in their conclusions. The juxtaposition of their views, complemented by Geoffrey Claussen's pointed analysis, allows us to see tensions with particular clarityâand sometimes to recognize multiple compelling ways of viewing the same virtue. By expanding the category of musar literature to include not only classic texts and traditional works influenced by them but also the writings of diverse rabbis, scholars, and activistsâmen and womenâwho continue to shape Jewish tradition, Modern Musar challenges the fields of modern Jewish thought and ethics to rethink their boundariesâand invites us to weigh and refine our own moral ideals.
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Donor Page
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Honesty and Love of Truth (Yosher/Ahavat ha-Emet)
- 2. Curiosity and Inquisitiveness (Sakranut/Ḥakranut)
- 3. Humility (Anavah)
- 4. Courage and Valor (Ometz Lev/Gevurah)
- 5. Self-Restraint and Temperance (Shelitah Atzmit/Metinut)
- 6. Gratitude (Hakarat ha-Tov)
- 7. Forgiveness (SalḼanut)
- 8. Love, Kindness, and Compassion (Ahavah/Ḥesed/RaḼmanut)
- 9. Solidarity and Social Responsibility (Arevut/AḼarayut)
- 10. Justice and Righteousness (Tzedek)
- Conclusion
- List of Source Texts
- Source Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Subject Index
- Index of Classical Sources
- About Geoffrey D. Claussen
- Series List