Judaism's challenge : election, divine love, and human enmity / edited by Alon Goshen-Gottstein.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Goshen-Gottstein, Alon, editor.

Series:

Jewish thought, Jewish history: new studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--Election, Doctrine of.

Jews.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxviii, 209 pages).

Place of Publication:

Boston : Academic Studies Press, [2020]

Summary:

One cannot think of Judaism without taking some stance relating to Israel’s special status, its election. The present collection highlights the challenges that Judaism faces, as it continues to uphold a sense of chosenness and as it seeks to engage the world beyond it—nations, as well as religions. The challenge is captured by the dual implication of election: divine love on the one hand and enmity with others on the other. Israel’s election, mission and vocation are played out within this tension of love, grounded in God and extending to humanity, and the opposite of love, as this finds expression in Israel’s relations with others. Israel must work out the purpose of its election and its realization in history in the tension between these two extremes. This challenge takes on great urgency in the context of advances in interfaith relations. These lead us to reflect on the meaning of Israel’s election as part of developing a contemporary Jewish theology of world religions.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Israel and the Call of Love to Humanity

The Election and Sanctity of Israel in the Hebrew Bible

A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation

Israel as Blessing: Theological Horizons

Jewish Chosenness—A Contemporary Approach

Aleinu—A Prayer Common to Jews and Gentile God-Fearers

Two Dimensions of Jewish Identity

Images of the Non-Jew in the Kedushat Levi: A Textual and Theological Exploration

Israel’s Election and the Suffering of the Holocaust

Israel’s Election and the Moral Dilemma of Amalek and the Seven Nations of Canaan

From Enmity to Unity—Recovering the Ba’al Shem Tov’s Teachings on Non-Jews

Conclusion: Judaism’s Challenge—Being Israel in Changing Circumstances

Notes on Contributors

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-64469-150-7

OCLC:

1110136999