Cultural Stimulation
The Jews moved into a society which was culturally backward compared to the Muslim world but it was also in the process of catching up very quickly. Prof. Robert Chazan. Produced by Down Low Pictures for COJS.
Jewish Responses to Spiritual Challenges
R. Moses ben Nahman (Nahmanides- Ramban), EJ 12:774-782.
NAHMANIDES (Moses b. Nahman, also known as Nahamani and RaMBaN– an acronym of Rabbi Moses Ben Nahman; 1194–1270), Spanish rabbi and scholar and one of the leading authors of talmudic literature in the Middle Ages; philosopher, kabbalist, biblical exegete, poet, and physician. Nahmanides was born in Gerona, Catalonia, and it was after his native town […]
Introduction: Philosophic Speculation
Jewish philosophic speculation represented yet another effort to reach a deeper understanding of Jewish texts and traditions. Unlike mystical speculation, philosophic speculation began with a distinct external challenge. As the fruits of Greek and Roman scientific and philosophic thought began to surface, first in the Muslim world and eventually in western Christendom, some Muslim, Christian, […]
Rabbinic Creativity
Medieval W. Christendom Introduction Introduction- Rabbinic Creativity Images Illuminated Page from Thirteenth-Century German Mishneh Torah Manuscript Illuminated Page from Fifteenth-Century Portuguese Mishneh Torah Manuscript Rabbi Zedekiah ben Abrahamha-Rofe, Shibbolei Ha-Leket Illuminated Page from Fifteenth-Century Italian Arba`ah Turim, Yorah De`ah Manuscript Illuminated Page from Fifteenth-Century Italian Arba`ah Turim Even ha-`Ezer Manuscript Illuminated Page from Fifteenth-Century Italian […]
Overview: Jewish Responses to Spiritual Challenges
Meeting material challenges in a rapidly changing environment constituted the first priority for the Jews of medieval western Christendom, one they accomplished by and large effectively. At the same time, these Jews encountered major challenges in the cultural and spiritual spheres, again in a rapidly changing and creative majority ambiance. For the Jews of medieval western Christendom, the intellectual […]
Jewish Responses to Spiritual Challenges
Meeting material challenges in a rapidly changing environment constituted the first priority for the Jews of medieval western Christendom, one they accomplished by and large effectively. At the same time, these Jews encountered major challenges in the cultural and spiritual spheres, again in a rapidly changing and creative majority ambiance. For the Jews of medieval western Christendom, the […]