Crisis, Covenant and Creativity: Jewish Thoughts for a Complex World - Hardcover

Lopes Cardozo, Nathan

4.38

8 ratings by Goodreads

9789657108727: Crisis, Covenant and Creativity: Jewish Thoughts for a Complex World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9657108721 ISBN 13: 9789657108727

Publisher: Urim Publications, 2005

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Crisis, Covenant and Creativity deals with some of the most widely discussed issues in contemporary Jewish religious life. How do religious people deal with tolerance of different beliefs? How can devout living lead to a greater awareness of the mystery and beauty of life? What is the meaning of Jewish authenticity and identity in light of anti-Semitism?

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About the Author:

Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is a world renowned thinker, lecturer, and ambassador for Judaism and the Jewish people. He is known for his original insights into how Judaism relates to and remains relevant in our complex, modern times. A prolific author, Rabbi Lopes Cardozo's books and essays are read by laymen, Rabbis and academicians throughout the Jewish and non-Jewish world. He is a sought-after lecturer on Judaism and Israel at numerous institutions throughout the world, including the Jewish studies programs at Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard Universities, various Young Israel communities, the Orthodox Union, and the Union of Sephardi Communities. He is the founder and Dean of the David Cardozo Academy and Machon Ohr Aaron in Jerusalem and pens a weekly "Thought to Ponder," which may be subscribed to through the website cardozoacademy.org. Rabbi Lopes Cardozo is a distinguished member of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Community, received his rabbinical degree from Gateshead Talmudical College, and holds a Doctorate degree in philosophy.

Review:

In today's world, public discourse and exchange of ideas -- and indeed, ideas themselves -- have become increasingly shallow and simplistic, while, at the same time, more polarized and sectarian than ever. In this context, the thought and writing of Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo comes as a welcome change. In his work, Crisis, Covenant and Creativity, Rabbi Cardozo addresses modern philosophical and theological issues with both clarity and depth.

The language and writing style of the book are coherent and convincing, and the arguments are clearly developed and accessible to the layman. At the same time, the ideas expressed have weight and depth; they are worth pondering, and deserve serious consideration. Those who enjoy thinking deeply about the meaning of religion will appreciate this book.

One of the main subjects of the book is the role of halacha and of mitzvot in shaping a meaningful life. Rabbi Cardozo develops a philosophy of halacha in which the role and function of mitzvot is to impel us to perform certain actions. Those actions, in turn, are meant to affect our spirit and our psyche, infusing our life with purpose and meaning. In addition, the acts of the halacha function as signposts, continuously pointing us to the wondrous and Divine concealed by, and lying beyond, our mundane existence.

My personal favorite essay, Tolerance and the Jewish Tradition, provides a clear definition of tolerance, crucial for the modern age. A truly tolerant person possesses a personal conscience, and holds clear and strong convictions. At the same time, he is aware of the reality of divided truths that is, that there is no one approach which holds the monopoly on all truth. In addition, when he argues, he disagrees with sensitivity to the feelings of the other.

The essay on Shabbat develops into an argument for living a fully integrated cohesive spiritual life. The essay on anti-Semitism provides an interesting and ultimately convincing critique on the nature of modern Jewish identity. All in all, Rabbi Cardozo argues for living an authentic, fully realized religious life, one in which religion and one's relationship to God is experienced as the center of one's existence. His well-educated approach and clear thinking make reading this book a worthwhile experience. --Mali Brofsky, Lookstein Book Digest

Lopes Cardozo marshals his sources effectively, almost brilliantly, bringing Cardinal Newman, Tolstoy, and Sartre, in addition to a vast array of Jewish thinkers, to bear on some deep philosophical problems. His topics are varied, including the importance of religious routine in everyday life, the role of miracles in a rational world, and the distinction between ethical and ritual imperatives in a religious life.

...what Lopes Cardozo actually has to say is always true to the tradition, often original, and sometimes even radical. In fact, many Orthodox readers who lack a modern sensibility may well reject Lopes Cardozo as excessively tolerant of nontraditional ideas and excessively open to dialogue with non-Orthodox Jews....

This is a thinker who has much to say but few who will end up listening. --Jonathan Groner, jbooks.com

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