Routledge Revivals
2 total works
First published in 1947 The Essentials of Liberal Judaism explores the fundamental ideas of liberal Judaism. Rabbi Israel Mattuck explains that liberal Judaism is concerned not only with the question, where shall we find the teachings of Judaism, but also with the question, how shall we find them? He discusses important themes like conception of God in Judaism; grounds for the belief in God; problem of evil; guidance of God in human history; sin, repentance and atonement; Judaism and the social order; liberal Judaism and orthodox Judaism; differences between Judaism and Christianity and what it means to be a Jew, to argue that it is the fundamental principle of liberal Judaism that Judaism is a developing religion. This book is a must read for scholars of Judaism, history of Judaism, and religion.
First published in 1953 Jewish Ethics presents a systematic account of ethics in Judaism. The main sources for a study of Jewish ethics are the Bible and Talmud. Rabbi Israel Mattuck discusses themes like theory of Jewish ethics; man and his moral freedom; ethical element in messianism; guides to righteousness; justice and love; truth and peace; social ethics; the judgment on war; ideas of marriage, family and divorce; and asceticism and the good life, without getting into comparisons between ethics of Judaism and of other religions. This compact book is a must read for scholars of Judaism, religion, and history of Judaism.