Matis Weinberg
![Patterns In Time, Vol. 1 Rosh Hashanah Matis Weinberg]( "Patterns In Time, Vol. 1 Rosh Hashanah Matis Weinberg")
By: Feldheim
Amazon Marketplace: 10
new & used starting at $25.17
|
Buy at Amazon.com
|
Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Judaism -> Holidays -> Rosh Hashanah
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Judaism -> General
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Judaism -> General AAS
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
He Changes the Times and Appointed Moments 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Before digging in for the review itself, I think it only appropriate to warn the reader is neither a retelling of the story of Chanukah nor a study of its history. Rather, it is a study of Chanukah's significance in the Jewish faith. For Matis Weinberg these are very different things, and this is a Talmudic study of an event with ripples far beyond the miracle that occurred 165 years before the birth of Christ. Weinberg seeks for the patterns that Chanukah reveals and seeks to apply them to modern Jewish life, frequently surprising the reader with the turns he takes and the conclusions to which he comes.The first concept to be studied is that of exile. The time of Chanukah, during which Greece ruled Israel, is the exile where no one left, unlike the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Roman exiles. Instead, Jews, enticed by what Greece had to offer, were exiled from their core beliefs. At this time, Judaism as a faith came closest to real destruction. In Chanukah, we find the key to ending all exiles, returning to our right minds, and taking another step toward the world to come.
The second theme introduced is that of Joseph, sold to Egypt, who by virtue of his righteousness and sense of duty guarantees the success and survival of the Jews. Here Weinberg discusses the roles of 'charm' and 'praise' and first begins to touch on the purpose of creation and man's role in it.
This last theme is the most important. Weinberg's message is that the place of man is to do his best, in contrast to the Greek and Roman model of competition and winning. He uses the ritual of circumcision as a symbol of the human ability to perfect what God provides. This is a surprising and controversial viewpoint, but Weinberg builds a powerful case that is illuminating, regardless of your own opinion.
Weinberg's scholarship is inarguable. His ability to draw meaning out of confusion makes this fascinating reading for those who are ready for more than the ordinary. This is not, by any means, an easy book. However, it reveals a great deal about the Talmudic mind and the context of Judaism and has much to reward the persistent mind.
