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these papers raise stimulating issues and many of Jacob’sconclusions and suggestions are well taken. Unfortunatelyfor many potential readers, there is neither an index nor alist of references to Talmudic texts. There is also no listingof the articles that first appeared. This volume would bequite useful for strong collections on Talmud and Rabbinicthought. It is also an interesting reflection of how traditionalrabbinic texts were regarded by scholars in the mid-twentieth century.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

Judaism (Medieval)WINDOW OF THE SOUL: THE KABBALAH OFRABBI ISAAC LURIA. Edited and Translated by JamesDavid Dunn and Nathan Snyder. New York: Bloch Publish-ing, 2006. Pp. 204. Cloth, N.p., ISBN 0-8197-0803-8.

Rabbi Isaac Luria (1532-72) was the most creative andinnovative kabbalist since the appearance of the Zohar at theend of the thirteenth century. His teachings are among themost esoteric and abstruse writings in kabbalistic literature.Central to Luria’s thought are the three stages of Zimzum—the contraction of the Divine to make room for Creation;Shevirah—the breaking of the divine vessels during Creation;and Tikkun—the restoration of the cosmos in the MessianicAge. In this small volume, the editors concentrate on thelatter two concepts of Shevirah and Tikkun. After an Intro-duction, which places Lurianic Kabbalah in its historicalcontext and provides an overview of its most important theo-logical themes, chapters are devoted to an explication of theconcepts of Shevirah and Tikkun through a judicious selec-tion of primary texts from the Lurianic corpus. There are twostages in the Shevirah: the “Death of the Kings of Edom,”based on a tradition from the Zohar and the sin of Adam andEve, based on the biblical story. The process of Tikkun, whichis the task of human history, raises the sparks of divinity totheir Divine source, culminating in the Messianic Age. Thisvolume is a good introduction to this complex theology andallows the reader to experience the ideas through primarysources. It can be recommended as a fine introduction toLurianic Kabbalah.

Morris M. FaiersteinRockville, MD

Judaism (Modern)FAITH AND HERESY. By Reuven Agushewitz. Translatedby Mark Steiner. New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2006.Pp. xxiii + 216. $25.00, ISBN 0-88125-910-1.

This unique volume is apparently the only serious andoriginal philosophical work to have been written and pub-lished in Yiddish. Written by an itinerant Talmud teacher, itreflects the intellectual potential and scope of a generationof immigrant Jews to America and especially the potential

for genuine philosophical thought by orthodox rabbis. How-ever, it is of significant interest for students of religionbecause of the sustained and often novel critique of materi-alism and the discussion of the possibility of faith in themodern world that lie at the center of the book. It was trans-lated by a gifted scholar and professor of philosophy, and thelanguage of the translation is both faithful to the original andat the same time clear and couched in precise philosophicallanguage. The introduction compares Agushewitz’s thoughtto that of Soloveitchik and not only discusses Agushewitz asa thinker but also provides biographical material on him thatcontextualizes him well. This book is certainly a useful addi-tion for collections on modern Jewish thought but it isequally relevant for collections on religious responses tomodern philosophy.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

THE CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO JEWISHLEARNING. Edited by Yosef Blau. Orthodox Forum Series,11. New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2006. Pp. xiv + 360.N.p., ISBN 0-88125-907-1.

In recent decades there has been a dramatic growth inTalmud study among modern Orthodox Jews. This isreflected not only in the increase in participation of page aday (daf yomi) study circles but also in interest in deepanalysis of Talmudic texts. Perhaps the most popularapproach in non-Hasidic circles is that which seeks touncover and define what are seen to be basic concepts inTalmudic texts—an approach termed lomdus or lamdanut.This volume contains a collection of reflective essays on thetopic by individuals associated in one way or another withYeshiva University and with R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Thearticles offer a non-Talmudist the opportunity both tobecome acquainted with the approach and to learn aboutvarying views among Talmud students about what is theessence of the approach. The volume includes both essaysand exchanges of opinions. The latter are fascinating andmake it possible to follow criticism and response. The bookis well-indexed and includes Hebrew terms in transliterationso that explanations of these terms can easily be located.While yeshiva study of Talmud is often regarded as esotericand comprehensible only to experts, this collection opens upthat world. Therefore, this book should be of interest not onlyto experienced Talmudists but to all interested in intellectualdevelopments in contemporary Orthodox Judaism.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

DEFINING THE YIDDISH NATION: THE JEWISHFOLKLORISTS OF POLAND. By Itzik Nakhmen Gottes-man. Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropol-ogy. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 2000.Pp. 256. $39.95, ISBN 0-8143-2669-2.

One aspect of the secularization of Jewry in EasternEurope was the development of the study of Jewish folklore.

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Far from a purely academic discipline, this activity reflectednew self-definitions or, as the author puts it, the “‘imagining’of a modern Yiddish speaking nation in Eastern Europe.”This fascinating volume documents the collectors and stu-dents of folklore in Poland on the basis of written sourcesand some interviews. Since Yiddish folklore was intimatelylinked to religious practices and ideas, the process of iden-tifying and recording folklore has much to say about thenature of Jewish religious life and how folklorists, many ofwhom saw themselves as secular, looked at religion andtried to deal with it. This interest in folklore also leads todocumentation of groups such as Jewish criminals who havegenerally been overlooked. This book centers on the folklor-ists and carefully surveys their publications and approaches.Since many of the Yiddish folklore publications are difficultto locate and have never been indexed, this study gives anexcellent introduction not only to the movement but also tothe resources that are available. The detailed index is veryuseful for this purpose. Since folklore was an importantelement of East European Jewish culture, this book shouldinterest not only folklorists but also those interested in pop-ular culture, secularization, and the recasting of traditionalbeliefs and practices.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

SEEKER OF UNITY: THE LIFE AND WORKS OFAARON OF STAROSSELJE. By Louis Jacobs. Portland,OR: Vallentine Mitchell, 2006. Pp. 208. $24.95, ISBN 978-0-85303-591-6.

This is an unrevised reprint of Louis Jacob’s classic 1966study of Rabbi Aaron of Starosselje, a disciple of R. ShneurZalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad Hasidic movement.While R. Shneur Zalman was succeeded by his son, R. DovBaer, R. Aaron founded a rival court and attracted manyfollowers. He developed and revised many of the ideas of hismaster, emphasizing in particular the unity of God. Most ofthe book is devoted to a presentation of the central conceptsin Rabbi Aaron’s three books. There is also a chapter devotedto his life and others that deal with the kabbalistic contextof his thought and the significance of his approach. Jacobscarefully juxtaposed and contrasted the views of both masterand disciple leading to deepened understanding of both. Hewas also careful to introduce concepts and terms, and overallit makes clear to the reader that Chabad was far from mono-lithic and that leadership was not only from within the familyof the founder. This study was first published forty years agoand since then R. Aaron has been the subject of an importantbook by Elior and others have also given him attention.Nonetheless, Jacob’s study has retained its importance.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

TRACT ON ECSTASY. By Dobh Baer of Lubavitch.Translated by Louis Jacobs. Portland, OR: VallentineMitchell, 2006. Pp. 195. $25.00, ISBN 978-0-85303-590-9.

R. Dobh Baer of Lubavitch was the son of the founder ofChabad Chassidism, R. Shneur Zalman, and he assumed themantle of leadership after his father’s death in 1813. Inresponse to disputes among his followers over whether reli-gious ecstasy was tolerable or intolerable, he wrote this textthat was first published in 1831. In it he claimed that ecstasyin prayer was acceptable to a certain extent. Jacobs’ transla-tion of the work is based both on printed editions as well ason an excellent manuscript. This unrevised reprint firstappeared in 1963. The translation is well done but the textwould still be incomprehensible for many were it not for thevaluable introduction by the translator (thirty-two pages oftext and twenty-five of notes) and the copious notes to thetranslation itself. They make a complicated kabbalistic textquite accessible for the modern reader. Unfortunately, thereis neither an index nor a list of sources cited or explicated.Nonetheless, the importance of a translation of such a basictext remains unchanged. This book is of course importantfor an understanding of Lubavitch Hasidic thought.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

EXCLUSION AND HIERARCHY: ORTHODOXY,NONOBSERVANCE AND THE EMERGENCE OFMODERN JEWISH IDENTITY. By Adam S. Ferziger.Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.Pp. 344. $55.00, ISBN 0-8122-3865-6.

Recent years have seen a number of fascinating studiesof the characteristics of modern Jewish orthodoxy and ofindividuals, usually rabbis, who played important roles inthe rise and development of this movement. However, thispath-breaking book undertakes to analyze in depth not indi-viduals, but one of the key issues orthodox Jews faced, thatis, how to deal with the large numbers of Jews who wereeither reform Jews or even more often, apathetic Jews. Fer-ziger concentrates on Central Europe and deals both withthe theoretical attitudes of orthodox rabbinical leaders tothose they saw as nonobservant as well as their responsesin day-to-day life. He makes clear to the reader that centralEuropean orthodoxy was far from monolithic and thatresponses were constantly evolving. This is unquestionablyessential reading for any attempt to understand centralEuropean Jewry in the nineteenth century but it should beequally interesting to all those interested in religious mod-ernization and especially traditionalist movements. Ferzigerdoes not take rabbinic knowledge for granted and is carefulto explain basic concepts and clarify texts. In an appendixhe presents basic rabbinic sources relevant to the topic.Comprehensive, clearly written, fair-minded, penetrating,and fascinating, this is a book that should open up a hiddenworld for a wide variety of readers.

Shaul StampferHebrew University of Jerusalem

MEN OF SILK: THE HASIDIC CONQUEST OF POL-ISH JEWISH SOCIETY. By Glenn Dynner. New York:

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Oxford University Press, 2006. Pp. xii + 384; maps, illustra-tions. $65.00, ISBN 978-0-19-517522-6.

G. Dynner’s Men of Silk is, along with the recent worksof M. Wodzinski and D. Assaf, an important breakthrough inthe study of the history of Hasidism. It deals with the spreadof Hasidism in Central Poland up until the mid-nineteenthcentury. After giving an overview on the dissemination ofHasidism, Dynner offers detailed descriptions of the spreadof Hasidism in Polish Jewish communities based largely onarchival sources. These chapters provide a fascinating pic-ture of the rich patrons of Hasidism, describe the impor-tance of lineage among Hasidic leaders, analyze the degreeto which Hasidism can be seen as a popular movement, andconsider various means employed to spread Hasidism.While, as usual, one can argue about specific interpretationsof texts and even theses, this book is in many respects amodel for research in that it combines careful use of bothinternal and external sources and deals both with organiza-tional aspects as well as with ideological positions of Hasidicleaders. Dynner comes to very original and convincing con-clusions and his work is also pleasant to read. Many fasci-nating topics such as spirit possession, gender issues, andthe history of Jewish printing are raised—although the index,which is limited mainly to personal names and places, givesno hint to the richness of the contents. Men of Silk is essen-tial for any scholar dealing with Hasidism or modernJudaism and very useful as well for the study of Jewish–Christian relations and the spread of new religiousmovements.

Shaul StampferHebrew University

LEO STRAUSS AND EMMANUEL LEVINAS: PHI-LOSOPHY AND THE POLITICS OF REVELATION. ByLeora Batnitzky. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2006. Pp. 304. Cloth, $80.00, ISBN 978-0-521-86156-4.

Strong, fighting words—to be read with caution by theuninitiated. The central thesis: Strauss and law, not Levinasand ethics, provides the best basis for contemporary Jewishphilosophy. Levinas appears as a humanist (materialist) forwhom meeting the other’s physical want represents thehighest good. In reducing the supernatural to ethics andpresuming that philosophy can articulate the truth of reli-gion and revelation, Levinas is said to be unable to recognizethe limits of philosophy over against religion. In contrast,Strauss appears as a values pluralist, open to the possibilityof revelation, a skeptic about the limits of philosophy, whodoes not preclude political modernity, but for whom onlyreligion provides the social and ethical anchors necessary tosecure human existence. Hermeneutical and theoreticalchallenges abound. Many readers will wonder if Batnitzkyhas overstated claims regarding both thinkers, as well as thedifference between the “fusion” of philosophy and religion(ascribed to Levinas) versus their “coordination” (ascribedto Strauss). Gone from Batnitzty’s readings are the emphaseson infinity and transcendence noted by readers more sym-

pathetic to the former and the elitism, values hierarchy, andnihilism that trouble more critical readers of the latter.

Zachary BraitermanSyracuse University

IslamHISTORICAL ATLAS OF ISLAM. By Malise Ruthvenwith Azim Nanji. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,2004. Pp. 208; 95 maps, 64 photographs. $35.00, ISBN 978-0-674-01385-8.

This generously illustrated volume presents a basic butcomprehensive survey of the history of Islam in the worldfrom Late Antiquity through the present war in Iraq. Nearlyone hundred clear and well-designed color maps are supple-mented by abundant color photographs. Approximately one-third of the book relates to Islam pre-1500, the second to thePre-Modern age, and the final third to the twentieth century.Its sixty-four chapters—each a short concise essay—cover notonly political and religious developments, but artistic andcultural trends, trade, natural resources, and special topicssuch as medieval travelers, the hajj, urban transformations,and world terrorism. The essays are suited to nonspecialists,undergraduates and the general public, making the bookideal as a supplement for a survey course in Islamic historyor reference work. The tone of the text is scholarly, sympa-thetic, and nondogmatic; editorial and factual errors are rare.The comprehensive geographic coverage effectively bringsout the rich diversity of the Muslim umma, although inexpli-cably the section on Muslim immigration to the Americasignores South America and the Caribbean, but this is theonly significant omission. The atlas is a remarkable for itsthoroughness and breadth, all the more so given its econom-ical length.

Brian A. CatlosUniversity of California Santa Cruz

ISLAM AND GLOBAL DIALOGUE: RELIGIOUS PLU-RALISM AND THE PURSUIT OF PEACE. Edited byRoger Boase. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 2005.Pp. 310. Cloth, $99.95, ISBN 0-7546-5307-2.

This collection of papers is divided into three quite dis-tinct groups. The first is comprised of three essays treatingthe essential concept of pluralism. Of particular note here,Diana Eck’s piece contrasts nicely with Muhammad Legen-hausen’s critical and conservative Shia perspective. Part Twopresents eight papers relating to the “Clash of Civilizations”thesis, and the future of cross-cultural dialogue. Argumentsare put forward challenging the line dividing the Muslimworld categorically from the West, and shallow essentialistthinkers on each side are taken to task. Part Three consistsof eight essays taking up questions of diversity and plural-ism from within each of the Abrahamic traditions. The col-lection is well edited and presented. Part One would beuseful in any critical discussion of interfaith dialogue, and