Judaism Examined

Are there theoretical grounds for tolerance in the classical Jewish tradition? Is human autonomy endorsed by Judaism? What is the range of attitudes toward pleasure that has found expression in Jewish sources? What does Maimonides have to say about joy, and what does Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik teach about human suffering? This volume of essays examines these and many other key questions about Judaism from the rigorous perspective of philosophical analysis. Unlike most scholarship in Jewish philosophy, which approaches the field primarily from the perspective of intellectual history, this volume also engages in active philosophical dialogue with the texts and thinkers it addresses. Judaism Examined is a much-needed answering voice to the perennial questions of Jewish philosophy.

Moshe Sokol is dean of the Lander College for Men in Kew Gardens Hills, professor of philosophy, and a member of the Touro College Graduate Faculty of Jewish Studies. He also serves as rabbi of the Yavneh Minyan of Flatbush, a position he has held since 1980. He is the editor of Rabbinic Authority and Personal Autonomy (1993), Engaging Modernity (1997), and Tolerance, Dissent and Democracy: Philosophical, Historical and Halakhic Perspectives (2002).

"In Judaism Examined, a collection of eighteen essays on Jewish philosophy and ethics by distinguished scholar, rabbi, and veteran dean of the Lander College for Men, Professor Moshe Sokol, philosophic ideas and concepts are both brilliantly analyzed and lucidly clarified. Sokol’s limpid prose expertly guides the reader through the intricacies of issues ranging from human autonomy, freedom of the will, and tolerance, to Jewish approaches toward the meaning of joy, the nature of the philosophical life, responses to evil and suffering, attitudes toward pleasure, and the meaning of mitzvot; and from studies in the thought of R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik to topics in hermeneutic theory and problems in applied Jewish ethics (e.g., the allocation of scarce medical resources, the taking of human life, and environmental issues). ... Readers of this volume will be amply rewarded by Sokol’s characteristically rigorous exploration and compelling presentation of the rich array of topics included in the book."

— Michael Shmidman, Tradition (2022 Book Endorsements)

David B. Levy (Touro College):
“Judaism Examined is an excellent collection of eighteen essays that plumbs the depth of Jewish and Western thought. Moshe Sokol’s work is a vital contribution to academic scholarship. Readers will gain from and enjoy this book because of Sokol’s insightful analysis on a variety of topics; his vast erudition in traditional Jewish sources; and the way he integrates contemporary, secular thought into his writings. . . . His extensive knowledge of the topic is impressive. . . . The book is recommended for scholars, laymen, rabbis, and ethicists; academics in the fields of Jewish studies, philosophy, comparative religion, and cultural studies; and anyone eager to grow in their understanding and knowledge of Western philosophy and Judaism. Space limits for this review do not allow me to do full justice to the richness, depth, and extreme importance of this book. It should serve as a benchmark in the field as an outstanding example of what it means to be a scholar of Jewish studies, a cultured human being open to the best in the Western secular tradition, and a rabbinic scholar.”

"Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics is a model of meticulous scholarship that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Erudite and articulate Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics is very highly recommended for personal and academic Judaic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists."

Menachem Kellner (University of Haifa):
“In one of the many felicitous expressions in this wide-ranging book, Moshe Sokol says that Rabbi Soloveitchik, the subject of several penetrating essays here, made Brisk (the town of his Talmudic origin and tradition) speak in the language of Berlin (where Rabbi Soloveitchik studied philosophy). Similarly, through the subtle application of the tools of analytic philosophy, Moshe Sokol makes both Maimonides and Soloveitchik speak in the accents of Oxford. Analytic philosophy often runs the risk of triviality; in the hands of a masterful practitioner such as Moshe Sokol, it becomes a supple tool for clarifying the obscure. Judaism Examined is well worth examining closely!”