About the Book
Ever since Abraham’s famous argument with God, Judaism has been full of debate. Moses and Korah, David and Nathan, Hillel and Shammai, the Vilna Gaon and the Ba’al Shem Tov, Spinoza and the Amsterdam Rabbis . . . the list goes on. Jews debate justice, authority, inclusion, spirituality, resistance, evolution, Zionism, and more. No wonder that Judaism cherishes the expression machloket l’shem shamayim, “an argument for the sake of heaven.”
In this concise but important survey, Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz presents the provocative and vibrant thesis that debate and disputation are not only encouraged within Judaism but reside at the very heart of Jewish history and theology. In his graceful, engaging, and creative prose, Schwartz presents an introduction to an intellectual history of Judaism through the art of argumentation.
Beyond their historical importance, what makes these disputations so compelling is that nearly all of them, regardless of their epochs, are still being argued. Schwartz builds the case that the basis of Judaism is a series of unresolved rather than resolved arguments.
Drawing on primary sources, and with a bit of poetic license, Schwartz reconstructs the real or imagined dialogue of ten great debates and then analyzes their significance and legacy. This parade of characters spanning three millennia of biblical, rabbinic, and modern disputation reflects the panorama of Jewish history with its monumental political, ethical, and spiritual challenges.
Praise
A clear, concise introduction to some of the major confrontations in Jewish history, often leaving us thinking ‘both sides are right.’ Perfect for adult or teen study groups.
—Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
You don’t have to be Jewish to consider this slim volume heaven-sent.
—Booklist
This is an excellent text for personal reading, for classroom study, or living room study groups. Whoever reads it will be stimulated, inspired and enriched.
—Jewish Media Review
A volume easily read, Judaism’s Great Debates whets the reader’s appetite with a desire to dig deeper into where we’ve been as a way of understanding some of the most important issues facing us today.
—Ellis Shuman, Times of Israel
Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz
Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz is the director and editor in chief emeritus of The Jewish Publication Society and the spiritual leader of Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia, New Jersey. He served as head of JPS for 13 years from 2010-2023. He is the author of books for adults, teens, and children, including Path of the Prophets: The Ethics-Driven Life (JPS, 2018) and Judaism’s Great Debates: Timeless Controversies from Abraham to Herzl (JPS, 2012).
