Tova Ganzel is an Associate Professor in the Multidisciplinary Department of Jewish Studies and serves as the Head of Cramim, the Jewish Studies Honors Program, at Bar-Ilan University. Her research primarily centers on the Hebrew Bible within the broader context of the ancient Near Eastern world. Recently, her work focuses on prophetic literature, ancient Near Eastern temples, the Jewish reception of biblical criticism from the eighteenth century to the present, and the role of women as Halakhic Professionals. Phone: +972533342037 Address: Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan 52900 Israel
The year 2025 will mark the one hundred and sixtieth anniversary of the death of Shadal: Samuel D... more The year 2025 will mark the one hundred and sixtieth anniversary of the death of Shadal: Samuel David Luzzatto (1800-1865). Shadal was a central figure in the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement, and his influence is still felt today. We seek to examine critically his thought, its intellectual and biographical roots, and its legacy.
בשנת תשפ"ה (2025), שבה ימלאו 160 שנה לפטירתו של שמואל דוד לוצאטו (1800–1865), נערוך כנס בינלאומי ... more בשנת תשפ"ה (2025), שבה ימלאו 160 שנה לפטירתו של שמואל דוד לוצאטו (1800–1865), נערוך כנס בינלאומי שיוקדש לדיון במגוון היבטים באישיותו, מנהיגותו בהקשרה ההיסטורי, מחקריו ומורשתו. אנו מזמינים חוקרים מכל התחומים להגיש הצעות להרצאות בנות 20 דקות, שיוצג בהן מחקר חדש, שטרם פורסם, העוסק בשד"ל.
The importance and observance of the Sabbath within the Judean exilic communities has often been ... more The importance and observance of the Sabbath within the Judean exilic communities has often been the subject of debate. Recent studies have argued that the exiles in Elephantine, Egypt, observed the Sabbath but the exilic Judean communities in Babylonia did not. New evidence – in the form of names derived from “Sabbath” among the exiles during the Achaemenid period – seems to reflect a shift in the importance of the Sabbath within Judean identity. In this article we review the occurrences of the name Shabbataya (Šabbatāya) in extrabiblical material and explore possible parallel phenomena in Elephantine and biblical texts, ultimately drawing a picture of an Achaemenid-era evolution in the attribution of significance to the Sabbath. This transformation is evident in Ezra Nehemiah and corroborated by new evidence; extrabiblical and biblical sources demonstrate that names relating to the Sabbath began to appear at the time.
As part of the Second Temple-period response to the question of what expectations for restoration... more As part of the Second Temple-period response to the question of what expectations for restoration should be, 4Q385 engages the dry bones vision, but also alters its meaning by introducing new materials to Ezekiel’s vision. It achieves this change through the use of language missing not only from Ezek 37:1–14, but from all of Ezekiel’s restoration prophecies, enlisting the text from Ezek 37 both to support its own ideology and to address the questions of when and how restoration will be realized.
Using the portrayal of Israel’s restoration in 4Q385 as its focus, this article explored how additions to Ezek 37 in PsEzek are utilized to create a consolatory message. These additions share a common denominator: not only are the terms of redemption used by 4Q385 absent from Ezek 37; they are also conspicuously absent from Ezekiel’s restoration prophecies. Its author underscores his message by creating a cluster of allusions to Ezek 37:1–14, an authoritative text for the future restoration of the people, while at the same time introducing changes that transform Ezekiel’s “dim view of restoration” into a more optimistic vision that includes divine love, benevolence, and blessing for his people. 4Q385 thus not only addresses the question of when the restoration prophesied by Ezekiel will take place; it provides a more optimistic picture of this restoration. The comparison between 4Q385 and the book of Ezekiel as a whole emphasizes this underlying theme, overlooked in previous scholarship, that unites all of the corrections and changes that distinguish this text from the biblical version.
The Persian-era Judean Temple compound included a self-administered community of functionaries, a... more The Persian-era Judean Temple compound included a self-administered community of functionaries, and its priests demonstrated departures from those that were described in the earlier Temple. Babylonian temples in the Persian period, I suggest, offer us a meaningful context in which to situate some of the unique features of these priests, among other officials as described in Ezra-Nehemiah. The roles of the priests during the formative period of the Jerusalem Temple saw an evolution that may have been informed by priestly roles in the Persian Empire.
This article explores the roles of Sheshbazzar and Nehemiah in the Jerusalem Temple against the f... more This article explores the roles of Sheshbazzar and Nehemiah in the Jerusalem Temple against the fabric of the Persian imperial rule and points to links between biblical and Mesopotamian temple portrayals. Within this context Sheshbazzar, the peḥā, characterizes a first phase, in which the empire accommodated and embraced local forms of leadership. In the second phase, Nehemiah, the royal cupbearer who initiated and coordinated the building of the Jerusalem wall, represents a form of leadership that was subject to more intensive imperial authority.
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society , 2023
The Temple functionaries described in Ezra-Nehemiah appear to hold roles that diverge in some way... more The Temple functionaries described in Ezra-Nehemiah appear to hold roles that diverge in some ways from officials in the First Temple. Ezra, described as both scribe and priest, is one such case.The dual role of a scribe-priest that is used to describe Ezra (Ezra 7:1-10, 21), therefore, raises questions. Within Ezra-Nehemiah, the epithets designating Ezra as scribe abound and attest to the importance the authors ascribed to his role. How does Ezra's role as described in Ezra-Nehemiah diverge from the roles of earlier priests and scribes? How may it have been influenced by the changing context in which he functioned? I suggest a contextualization of Ezra's role as scribe-priest, demonstrating that his administrative responsibilities were recognized in Babylonia and accord with the common Babylonian definition of the “temple scribe.”
Recent re-assessment of Akkadian historiographic sources prompts re-evaluation of the nature of h... more Recent re-assessment of Akkadian historiographic sources prompts re-evaluation of the nature of historiography in Hellenistic Babylonia. Features in Daniel 3 and Daniel 5 find parallels in the historiographic writings from the recently identified circle of Hellenistic Babylonian historians. These shared features, including the narratives' overall efforts to explain the shifts in imperial power and the ways in which they construct their stories about the past, are consistent with the motives of historical writing during the Hellenistic period.
Nearly all scholars and writers who have addressed Rabbi David Zvi
Hoffmann’s halakhic writings ... more Nearly all scholars and writers who have addressed Rabbi David Zvi
Hoffmann’s halakhic writings have lamented that the almost complete
absence of dates in She’elot u-Teshuvot Melamed Leho’il makes it
impossible to chart Rabbi Hoffmann’s development in this field. However,
close scrutiny of Rabbi Hoffmann’s vast correspondence and of the
chronological record from which Melamed Leho’il was abstracted allows
us to begin to reconstruct his development.
This paper will demonstrate the sources and methods by which this
reconstruction can be accomplished by looking at one particular issue: the
status of sesame oil on Passover. Rabbi Hoffmann addresses the question
in one lengthy (and composite) responsum in Melamed Leho’il and refers
to it obliquely in another. Additional correspondences have come to light
more recently, and a newspaper article from the early 1900s completes the
picture and demonstrates how Rabbi Hoffmann’s position changed over
the course of five years. This is but one example of Rabbi Hoffmann’s
evolution as a halakhist when he took up the mantle of posek during the
last two decades of his life.
The importance of Mendelssohn’s commentary to Qohelet lies, inter alia, in its influence on ninet... more The importance of Mendelssohn’s commentary to Qohelet lies, inter alia, in its influence on nineteenth-century Jewish commentators and more precisely in its reception among eastern and western Europe’s Orthodox commentators, who adopted, explicitly or implicitly, his unique form of scriptural interpretation. In this article, I demonstrate unique characteristics in Mendelssohn’s commentary on Qohelet and the ways in which these were adopted by later biblical commentators, shedding light on features of Mendelssohn’s writings, reputation, and influence.
In this article, we seek to understand the methods by which Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann (1843-1921) ... more In this article, we seek to understand the methods by which Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann (1843-1921) functioned as a posek, a decisor of Halakhah. Close study of R. Hoffmann's written correspondence and of his manuscript "notebook" that forms the basis of Melamed Le-ho'il, the posthumously published collection of his responsa, enables us to trace the process by which he rendered judgment. We demonstrate that R. Hoffmann both recorded his halakhic decisions in his notebook and copied directly from the notebook into the letters of response to various correspondents. We also show that R. Hoffmann continued to update his notebook through the years, until the end of his life, revisiting previously rendered decisions. Thus, even a single responsum, as printed in Melamed Le-ho'il, may reflect several stages of R. Hoffmann's halakhic thinking about a particular topic over time.
This article explores the way nonverbal language and gestures in the
book of Ezekiel are used to ... more This article explores the way nonverbal language and gestures in the book of Ezekiel are used to convey the prophetic message. First, they serve as responses to prophetic messages. Second, the prophet’s role as a model means that these nonverbal language and gestures add a layer of meaning, often by reflecting a disparity between expected despair and the people’s passivity.
The article examines three Judean rituals described in Ezra-Nehemiah—the erection of the altar, t... more The article examines three Judean rituals described in Ezra-Nehemiah—the erection of the altar, the public reading of the Torah, and the inauguration of the Jerusalem wall—in the Neo-Babylonian–Persian context. It suggests that the Babylonian rituals observed throughout the Long Sixth Century shed light on, and constitute a relevant cultural context for consideration of these celebrations as described in Ezra-Nehemiah, which took place in Judah in the seventh month.
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Volume 83, Number 3, July 2021, pp. 390-406, 2021
This article examines a number of similarities and differences in the status
and roles of functio... more This article examines a number of similarities and differences in the status and roles of functionaries in Ezekiel’s vision and the contemporaneous Babylonian celebration of the Akītu festival. Explicit references to the month of Nisan appear in the temple vision: in the date notice (40:1) and with regarding to ritual cleansing of the temple (45:18–20), which parallels the time when the festivals for the Babylonian gods were held. Consideration of the Akītu festival exemplifies how Babylonian ritual practices left a strong impression on the Jewish exiles there and, even more so, on the exiles from priestly families. The affinity between the Jewish and Babylonian calendars seems not only to be grounded in administrative needs but also to be extended to the adoption of principles from Babylonian culture.
Several Babylonian talmudic sources call for the withdrawal of the book of Ezekiel from circulati... more Several Babylonian talmudic sources call for the withdrawal of the book of Ezekiel from circulation. This article examines the development of this tradition and demonstrates how later rabbis integrated early texts in its creation and also used exegetical means to address the contradictions between Ezekiel’s stipulations and pentateuchal law. Another area of concern was Ezekiel’s prophetic status: some rabbinic texts granted Ezekiel the power of a lawgiver; others framed him as transmitting Mosaic traditions; and still others lowered Ezekiel’s prophetic status.
The Oxford Handbook of Ezekiel, edited by Corrine L. Carvalho , 2020
In evaluating the roles of the temple personnel in Ezekiel's vision of the future temple (Ezekiel... more In evaluating the roles of the temple personnel in Ezekiel's vision of the future temple (Ezekiel 40-48), three spheres of concern are taken into account: the broader biblical context, the more restricted context of the book of Ezekiel, and the Babylonian backdrop of his prophecies. This chapter demonstrates that the temple functionaries differ from their biblical precedents, on the one hand, and from what was known of their Babylonian environment on the other. What determines the roles of the priests, the Levites, and the nasi in Ezekiel's temple vision is the driving theological force of preserving the temples' sanctity. Thus, for example, the uniquely positioned nasi integrates the roles of two Baby lonian temple officials; unlike the Babylonian functionaries, however, the nasi is not sec ond to a human king, but answers only to God.
Law, Literature, and Society in Legal Texts from Qumran: Papers from the Ninth Meeting of the International Organization of Qumran Studies, Leuven 2016, edited by Jutta Jokiranta and Molly Zahn, . Leiden: Brill, 2019
The names of Mesopotamian cities and the cuneiform signs used to write them can shed light on the... more The names of Mesopotamian cities and the cuneiform signs used to write them can shed light on the phrase “YHWH is There” (Ezek. 48:35) in its biblical context.
The year 2025 will mark the one hundred and sixtieth anniversary of the death of Shadal: Samuel D... more The year 2025 will mark the one hundred and sixtieth anniversary of the death of Shadal: Samuel David Luzzatto (1800-1865). Shadal was a central figure in the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement, and his influence is still felt today. We seek to examine critically his thought, its intellectual and biographical roots, and its legacy.
בשנת תשפ"ה (2025), שבה ימלאו 160 שנה לפטירתו של שמואל דוד לוצאטו (1800–1865), נערוך כנס בינלאומי ... more בשנת תשפ"ה (2025), שבה ימלאו 160 שנה לפטירתו של שמואל דוד לוצאטו (1800–1865), נערוך כנס בינלאומי שיוקדש לדיון במגוון היבטים באישיותו, מנהיגותו בהקשרה ההיסטורי, מחקריו ומורשתו. אנו מזמינים חוקרים מכל התחומים להגיש הצעות להרצאות בנות 20 דקות, שיוצג בהן מחקר חדש, שטרם פורסם, העוסק בשד"ל.
The importance and observance of the Sabbath within the Judean exilic communities has often been ... more The importance and observance of the Sabbath within the Judean exilic communities has often been the subject of debate. Recent studies have argued that the exiles in Elephantine, Egypt, observed the Sabbath but the exilic Judean communities in Babylonia did not. New evidence – in the form of names derived from “Sabbath” among the exiles during the Achaemenid period – seems to reflect a shift in the importance of the Sabbath within Judean identity. In this article we review the occurrences of the name Shabbataya (Šabbatāya) in extrabiblical material and explore possible parallel phenomena in Elephantine and biblical texts, ultimately drawing a picture of an Achaemenid-era evolution in the attribution of significance to the Sabbath. This transformation is evident in Ezra Nehemiah and corroborated by new evidence; extrabiblical and biblical sources demonstrate that names relating to the Sabbath began to appear at the time.
As part of the Second Temple-period response to the question of what expectations for restoration... more As part of the Second Temple-period response to the question of what expectations for restoration should be, 4Q385 engages the dry bones vision, but also alters its meaning by introducing new materials to Ezekiel’s vision. It achieves this change through the use of language missing not only from Ezek 37:1–14, but from all of Ezekiel’s restoration prophecies, enlisting the text from Ezek 37 both to support its own ideology and to address the questions of when and how restoration will be realized.
Using the portrayal of Israel’s restoration in 4Q385 as its focus, this article explored how additions to Ezek 37 in PsEzek are utilized to create a consolatory message. These additions share a common denominator: not only are the terms of redemption used by 4Q385 absent from Ezek 37; they are also conspicuously absent from Ezekiel’s restoration prophecies. Its author underscores his message by creating a cluster of allusions to Ezek 37:1–14, an authoritative text for the future restoration of the people, while at the same time introducing changes that transform Ezekiel’s “dim view of restoration” into a more optimistic vision that includes divine love, benevolence, and blessing for his people. 4Q385 thus not only addresses the question of when the restoration prophesied by Ezekiel will take place; it provides a more optimistic picture of this restoration. The comparison between 4Q385 and the book of Ezekiel as a whole emphasizes this underlying theme, overlooked in previous scholarship, that unites all of the corrections and changes that distinguish this text from the biblical version.
The Persian-era Judean Temple compound included a self-administered community of functionaries, a... more The Persian-era Judean Temple compound included a self-administered community of functionaries, and its priests demonstrated departures from those that were described in the earlier Temple. Babylonian temples in the Persian period, I suggest, offer us a meaningful context in which to situate some of the unique features of these priests, among other officials as described in Ezra-Nehemiah. The roles of the priests during the formative period of the Jerusalem Temple saw an evolution that may have been informed by priestly roles in the Persian Empire.
This article explores the roles of Sheshbazzar and Nehemiah in the Jerusalem Temple against the f... more This article explores the roles of Sheshbazzar and Nehemiah in the Jerusalem Temple against the fabric of the Persian imperial rule and points to links between biblical and Mesopotamian temple portrayals. Within this context Sheshbazzar, the peḥā, characterizes a first phase, in which the empire accommodated and embraced local forms of leadership. In the second phase, Nehemiah, the royal cupbearer who initiated and coordinated the building of the Jerusalem wall, represents a form of leadership that was subject to more intensive imperial authority.
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society , 2023
The Temple functionaries described in Ezra-Nehemiah appear to hold roles that diverge in some way... more The Temple functionaries described in Ezra-Nehemiah appear to hold roles that diverge in some ways from officials in the First Temple. Ezra, described as both scribe and priest, is one such case.The dual role of a scribe-priest that is used to describe Ezra (Ezra 7:1-10, 21), therefore, raises questions. Within Ezra-Nehemiah, the epithets designating Ezra as scribe abound and attest to the importance the authors ascribed to his role. How does Ezra's role as described in Ezra-Nehemiah diverge from the roles of earlier priests and scribes? How may it have been influenced by the changing context in which he functioned? I suggest a contextualization of Ezra's role as scribe-priest, demonstrating that his administrative responsibilities were recognized in Babylonia and accord with the common Babylonian definition of the “temple scribe.”
Recent re-assessment of Akkadian historiographic sources prompts re-evaluation of the nature of h... more Recent re-assessment of Akkadian historiographic sources prompts re-evaluation of the nature of historiography in Hellenistic Babylonia. Features in Daniel 3 and Daniel 5 find parallels in the historiographic writings from the recently identified circle of Hellenistic Babylonian historians. These shared features, including the narratives' overall efforts to explain the shifts in imperial power and the ways in which they construct their stories about the past, are consistent with the motives of historical writing during the Hellenistic period.
Nearly all scholars and writers who have addressed Rabbi David Zvi
Hoffmann’s halakhic writings ... more Nearly all scholars and writers who have addressed Rabbi David Zvi
Hoffmann’s halakhic writings have lamented that the almost complete
absence of dates in She’elot u-Teshuvot Melamed Leho’il makes it
impossible to chart Rabbi Hoffmann’s development in this field. However,
close scrutiny of Rabbi Hoffmann’s vast correspondence and of the
chronological record from which Melamed Leho’il was abstracted allows
us to begin to reconstruct his development.
This paper will demonstrate the sources and methods by which this
reconstruction can be accomplished by looking at one particular issue: the
status of sesame oil on Passover. Rabbi Hoffmann addresses the question
in one lengthy (and composite) responsum in Melamed Leho’il and refers
to it obliquely in another. Additional correspondences have come to light
more recently, and a newspaper article from the early 1900s completes the
picture and demonstrates how Rabbi Hoffmann’s position changed over
the course of five years. This is but one example of Rabbi Hoffmann’s
evolution as a halakhist when he took up the mantle of posek during the
last two decades of his life.
The importance of Mendelssohn’s commentary to Qohelet lies, inter alia, in its influence on ninet... more The importance of Mendelssohn’s commentary to Qohelet lies, inter alia, in its influence on nineteenth-century Jewish commentators and more precisely in its reception among eastern and western Europe’s Orthodox commentators, who adopted, explicitly or implicitly, his unique form of scriptural interpretation. In this article, I demonstrate unique characteristics in Mendelssohn’s commentary on Qohelet and the ways in which these were adopted by later biblical commentators, shedding light on features of Mendelssohn’s writings, reputation, and influence.
In this article, we seek to understand the methods by which Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann (1843-1921) ... more In this article, we seek to understand the methods by which Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann (1843-1921) functioned as a posek, a decisor of Halakhah. Close study of R. Hoffmann's written correspondence and of his manuscript "notebook" that forms the basis of Melamed Le-ho'il, the posthumously published collection of his responsa, enables us to trace the process by which he rendered judgment. We demonstrate that R. Hoffmann both recorded his halakhic decisions in his notebook and copied directly from the notebook into the letters of response to various correspondents. We also show that R. Hoffmann continued to update his notebook through the years, until the end of his life, revisiting previously rendered decisions. Thus, even a single responsum, as printed in Melamed Le-ho'il, may reflect several stages of R. Hoffmann's halakhic thinking about a particular topic over time.
This article explores the way nonverbal language and gestures in the
book of Ezekiel are used to ... more This article explores the way nonverbal language and gestures in the book of Ezekiel are used to convey the prophetic message. First, they serve as responses to prophetic messages. Second, the prophet’s role as a model means that these nonverbal language and gestures add a layer of meaning, often by reflecting a disparity between expected despair and the people’s passivity.
The article examines three Judean rituals described in Ezra-Nehemiah—the erection of the altar, t... more The article examines three Judean rituals described in Ezra-Nehemiah—the erection of the altar, the public reading of the Torah, and the inauguration of the Jerusalem wall—in the Neo-Babylonian–Persian context. It suggests that the Babylonian rituals observed throughout the Long Sixth Century shed light on, and constitute a relevant cultural context for consideration of these celebrations as described in Ezra-Nehemiah, which took place in Judah in the seventh month.
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Volume 83, Number 3, July 2021, pp. 390-406, 2021
This article examines a number of similarities and differences in the status
and roles of functio... more This article examines a number of similarities and differences in the status and roles of functionaries in Ezekiel’s vision and the contemporaneous Babylonian celebration of the Akītu festival. Explicit references to the month of Nisan appear in the temple vision: in the date notice (40:1) and with regarding to ritual cleansing of the temple (45:18–20), which parallels the time when the festivals for the Babylonian gods were held. Consideration of the Akītu festival exemplifies how Babylonian ritual practices left a strong impression on the Jewish exiles there and, even more so, on the exiles from priestly families. The affinity between the Jewish and Babylonian calendars seems not only to be grounded in administrative needs but also to be extended to the adoption of principles from Babylonian culture.
Several Babylonian talmudic sources call for the withdrawal of the book of Ezekiel from circulati... more Several Babylonian talmudic sources call for the withdrawal of the book of Ezekiel from circulation. This article examines the development of this tradition and demonstrates how later rabbis integrated early texts in its creation and also used exegetical means to address the contradictions between Ezekiel’s stipulations and pentateuchal law. Another area of concern was Ezekiel’s prophetic status: some rabbinic texts granted Ezekiel the power of a lawgiver; others framed him as transmitting Mosaic traditions; and still others lowered Ezekiel’s prophetic status.
The Oxford Handbook of Ezekiel, edited by Corrine L. Carvalho , 2020
In evaluating the roles of the temple personnel in Ezekiel's vision of the future temple (Ezekiel... more In evaluating the roles of the temple personnel in Ezekiel's vision of the future temple (Ezekiel 40-48), three spheres of concern are taken into account: the broader biblical context, the more restricted context of the book of Ezekiel, and the Babylonian backdrop of his prophecies. This chapter demonstrates that the temple functionaries differ from their biblical precedents, on the one hand, and from what was known of their Babylonian environment on the other. What determines the roles of the priests, the Levites, and the nasi in Ezekiel's temple vision is the driving theological force of preserving the temples' sanctity. Thus, for example, the uniquely positioned nasi integrates the roles of two Baby lonian temple officials; unlike the Babylonian functionaries, however, the nasi is not sec ond to a human king, but answers only to God.
Law, Literature, and Society in Legal Texts from Qumran: Papers from the Ninth Meeting of the International Organization of Qumran Studies, Leuven 2016, edited by Jutta Jokiranta and Molly Zahn, . Leiden: Brill, 2019
The names of Mesopotamian cities and the cuneiform signs used to write them can shed light on the... more The names of Mesopotamian cities and the cuneiform signs used to write them can shed light on the phrase “YHWH is There” (Ezek. 48:35) in its biblical context.
בשנת תשפ"ה (2025), שבה ימלאו 160 שנה לפטירתו של שמואל דוד לוצאטו (1800–1865), נערוך כנס בינלאומי ... more בשנת תשפ"ה (2025), שבה ימלאו 160 שנה לפטירתו של שמואל דוד לוצאטו (1800–1865), נערוך כנס בינלאומי שיוקדש לדיון במגוון היבטים באישיותו, מנהיגותו בהקשרה ההיסטורי, מחקריו ומורשתו. אנו מזמינים חוקרים מכל התחומים להגיש הצעות להרצאות בנות 20 דקות, שיוצג בהן מחקר חדש, שטרם פורסם, העוסק בשד"ל.
כנס בינלאומי
יחזקאל קויפמן הגות, מחקר, השפעה ימים שלישי-רביעי, כט-ל ניסן תשפ"ד, 7-8 במאי 2024
הכנ... more כנס בינלאומי יחזקאל קויפמן הגות, מחקר, השפעה ימים שלישי-רביעי, כט-ל ניסן תשפ"ד, 7-8 במאי 2024 הכנס יתקיים באולם בק, בנין 410 , אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ההרצאות תתקיימנה בעברית או באנגלית
The Year 2023 will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the death of Prof. Yehezkel Kaufmann. His rev... more The Year 2023 will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the death of Prof. Yehezkel Kaufmann. His revolutionary thinking had a lasting impact on biblical studies, Jewish thought, and beyond, especially through his two influential multi-volume works:
Jonathan Sacks: Rabbi, Professor, Lord. January , 2023
How did Rabbi Sacks perceive life in exile? How did Rabbi Sacks relate to the State of Israel? In... more How did Rabbi Sacks perceive life in exile? How did Rabbi Sacks relate to the State of Israel? In what ways was Rabbi Sacks a Zionist?
השנה מלאו מאתיים שנה להולדתו של הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, בן למשפחה ממרוקו שהיגרה לליוורנו, שם כיהן כרב... more השנה מלאו מאתיים שנה להולדתו של הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, בן למשפחה ממרוקו שהיגרה לליוורנו, שם כיהן כרב העיר במשך חמישה עשורים. מורשתו כוללת את ספריו שבמרכזם שאלות הגותיות ומוסריות, היחס לאסלאם ולנצרות וכן את פרושו לתורה "אם למקרא", לצד ספרים העוסקים בקבלה ומהדורה של הסידור. כתביו משקפים לא רק את היקף ידיעותיו ורוחו הרבגונית, אלא גם את שאיפתו לשלב בחייו תחומי דעת שונים ומגוונים, המבוססים על השכלה כללית רחבה ומקיפה בתחומים שונים.
מאתיים שנה לאחר הולדתו, אנו מבקשים לדון בהיבטים השונים של הגותו, פעולתו המעשית, והשפעותיהן. זאת, מתוך רצון להעמיק את הידוע לנו על הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, שחלק גדול מכתביו ומעשיו טרם זכו לדיון אקדמי משמעותי.
The Hebrew Year 5783 (2023) will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Eliyahu Benamoz... more The Hebrew Year 5783 (2023) will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozeg. He was a member of a Moroccan family who immigrated to Livorno, where he served as teacher, judge and preacher at the local Jewish Community for five decades. His literary legacy includes books on philosophical and moral questions, Jewish relationship with Christianity and Islam, a commentary on the Torah and many other writings on Kabbalah and theological subjects, in Hebrew, Italian and French. These works not only display his breadth of knowledge and intellectual depth and versatility but also his capacity to inhabit varied fields of knowledge, based on a comprehensive general education in various fields. Two hundred years after his birth we seek to mark his birth by examining these distinct elements of his works and activities with the aim of achieving a more rigorous and critical portrait and the impact of various elements of his thought, his practical achievements, and their impact. This is out of a desire to deepen what we know about Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh, whose legacy has not yet received the academic recognition it deserves.
International Conference: Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh: Scholar, Thinker, Exegete, Philosopher, 2022
The Hebrew Year 5783 (2023) will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Eliyahu Benamoz... more The Hebrew Year 5783 (2023) will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozeg. He was a member of a Moroccan family who immigrated to Livorno, where he served as teacher, judge and preacher at the local Jewish Community for five decades. His literary legacy includes books on philosophical and moral questions, Jewish relationship with Christianity and Islam, a commentary on the Torah and many other writings on Kabbalah and theological subjects, in Hebrew, Italian and French.
These works not only display his breadth of knowledge and intellectual depth and versatility but also his capacity to inhabit varied fields of knowledge, based on a comprehensive general education in various fields.
Two hundred years after his birth we seek to mark his birth by examining these distinct elements of his works and activities with the aim of achieving a more rigorous and critical portrait and the impact of various elements of his thought, his practical achievements, and their impact. This is out of a desire to deepen what we know about Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh, whose legacy has not yet received the academic recognition it deserves.
בשנת תשפ"ג /2023 ימלאו מאתיים שנה להולדתו של הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, בן למשפחה ממרוקו שהיגרה לליוורנו... more בשנת תשפ"ג /2023 ימלאו מאתיים שנה להולדתו של הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, בן למשפחה ממרוקו שהיגרה לליוורנו, שם כיהן כרב העיר במשך חמישה עשורים. מורשתו כוללת את ספריו שבמרכזם שאלות הגותיות ומוסריות, היחס לאסלאם ולנצרות וכן את פרושו לתורה "אם למקרא", לצד ספרים העוסקים בקבלה ומהדורה של הסידור.
כתביו משקפים לא רק את היקף ידיעותיו ורוחו הרבגונית, אלא גם את שאיפתו לשלב בחייו תחומי דעת שונים ומגוונים, המבוססים על השכלה כללית רחבה ומקיפה בתחומים שונים.
מאתיים שנה לאחר הולדתו, אנו מבקשים לדון בהיבטים השונים של הגותו, פעולתו המעשית, והשפעותיהן. זאת, מתוך רצון להעמיק את הידוע לנו על הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, שחלק גדול מכתביו ומעשיו טרם זכו לדיון אקדמי משמעותי.
Rabbi Dr. David Zvi Hoffman was the head of the Orthodox Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin, a halakhi... more Rabbi Dr. David Zvi Hoffman was the head of the Orthodox Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin, a halakhic authority, and a prolific writer of commentary and exegesis on the Talmud and Biblical text. His legacy lives on today even in the most timely and significant of debates, such as in the Jewish thought pertaining to women and halakha, the Jewish approach to Christianity, and the relationship of Judaism and Zionism. On Monday, January 3rd, join me, Emmanuel Bloch, Elli Fischer, Adam Ferziger and others at Bar-Ilan University for a special conference marking a century since the death of this incredible figure -- to study his life, intellectual gifts, and the questions and ideas left to us today.
The Hebrew Year 5782 will mark the 100th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann, ... more The Hebrew Year 5782 will mark the 100th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann, the Hungarian-born rector of the Orthodox Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin during the first decades of the 20th century. In addition to training a generation of rabbis, his literary legacy includes his commentaries and scholarly writings on the Pentateuch, volumes of halakhic responsa, and several treatises on Talmudic literature, especially on the formal composition of Tannaitic literature. These works not only display his breadth of knowledge and intellectual versatility, but also his capacity to inhabit different roles in parochial settings and the academy, to "code-switch" from the style and conventions of critical scholarship to the parlance of the traditional posek halakhah, engaging Wissenschaft des Judentums practitioners in one essay, then citing traditionalist authorities in his halakhic rulings. We will mark his centennial yahrzeit by examining these distinct elements of his works and activities with the aim of achieving a more rigorous and critical portrait of a person who became an exemplar for Jewish scholars who seek to navigate the standards of balanced, scientific investigation with remaining embedded in and committed to their faith communities. Scholars are invited to submit proposals for 20-minute lectures on aspects of Hoffmann's life, works, or legacy. The conference is scheduled to take place at Bar-Ilan University on Tuesday,
The goal of each session below is to foster cross-historical and methodological dialogue about th... more The goal of each session below is to foster cross-historical and methodological dialogue about the conference topic. To this end, each session brings together presenters and a respondent on a particular aspect of research into temples. Wherever possible, the desire to juxtapose work on different historical periods or primary source materials governs the combination of presenters and respondents.
The 13 th day of the Hebrew month of Av, 5706 (2/8/2016) will mark seventy years since the passin... more The 13 th day of the Hebrew month of Av, 5706 (2/8/2016) will mark seventy years since the passing of Dr. Isaac Breuer, prolific religious thinker, legalist, and central leader of World Agudath Israel and Poalei Agudath Israel in the Land of Israel. Breuer was deeply influenced by the personality and ideals of his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch of Frankfurt. Breuer's writings articulate a unique blue print for a "Jewish nation" living in its land that is both fully-committed to the halakhah and age-old Jewish religious tradition, while simultaneously engaged with the fresh spirit of contemporary social and political realities. Numerous questions have yet to be addressed regarding the seeming internal contradictions reflected in the writings and public leadership roles of the personality whom some have referred to as the "Anti-Zionist Zionist." Seventy years after his passing, we aim to analyze his ideals and activities, and compare them with other prominent thinkers and public figures of the past decades. Scholars who research Isaac Breuer from any of these perspectives are invited to submit proposals for twenty minute lectures.
Ezekiel's Visionary Temple in Babylonian Context examines evidence from Babylonian sources to bet... more Ezekiel's Visionary Temple in Babylonian Context examines evidence from Babylonian sources to better understand Ezekiel's vision of the future temple as it appears in chapters 40–48. Tova Ganzel argues that Neo-Babylonian temples provide a meaningful backdrop against which many unique features of Ezekiel's vision can and should be interpreted. In pointing to the similarities between Neo-Babylonian temples and the description in the book of Ezekiel, Ganzel demonstrates how these temples served as a context for the prophet's visions and describes the extent to which these similarities provide a further basis for broader research of the connections between Babylonia and the Bible. Ultimately, she argues the extent to which the book of Ezekiel models its temple on those of the Babylonians. Thus, this book suggests a comprehensive picture of the book of Ezekiel’s worldview and to contextualize its visionary temple by comparing its vision to the actual temples surrounding the Judeans in exile.
The twenty-one essays by rabbis and scholars in the book explore the relationship between the wor... more The twenty-one essays by rabbis and scholars in the book explore the relationship between the world of faith and the world of critical biblical scholarship and ways in which this relationship can be mutually enriching. The first part of the book is an anthology of rabbinic sources, and the second part is the essays, which discuss how the writers combine their religious beliefs with their critical approach to the Bible. A free PDF of the book is available online.
Ezekiel: From Destruction to Restoration. Jerusalem: Maggid, 2020
The book of Ezekiel covers a fateful period in the history of the Jewish people, the twenty-two y... more The book of Ezekiel covers a fateful period in the history of the Jewish people, the twenty-two years surrounding the Destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. The Destruction and subsequent exile engenders the unprecedented challenge of preserving the nation’s identity in the absence of the Temple and at a distance from its land. Ezekiel – prophet, priest, and one of those exiled in Babylonia – prophesies both furious messages of rebuke and depictions of the future restoration of the Israelites and their Temple. His prophecies lay new ideological groundwork. The Jewish nation, he declares, can and must exist in two loci – Judah and Babylonia – concurrently, with each group preserving a discrete Jewish identity. This volume is a deep and methodical study of the book of Ezekiel: its literary style, its historical context, and the progression of its prophecies from visions of destruction to a detailed description of Israel’s restoration.
פתח דבר
ספר יחזקאל ייחודי בין ספרי התנ"ך בשל העובדה שהוא מתאר את קורות העם בשנות חורבן בית המקדש... more פתח דבר
ספר יחזקאל ייחודי בין ספרי התנ"ך בשל העובדה שהוא מתאר את קורות העם בשנות חורבן בית המקדש, מתוך מבט פנימי וחיצוני כאחד. בקולו של יחזקאל המצוי בבבל אנו שומעים את זעקת הכאב והשבר, אך גם את המרחק והניתוק. אין הנביא מצוי בירושלים במרכז ההתרחשויות. מהגלות הוא נותן נבואה לתקומה והבטחה אלוהית לקיומו של ה' בתוכנו. לעולם. כינוי של הנביא – 'הצופה' – משקף במידה רבה מציאות זו. הוא איננו מצוי בתוך האירועים אך גם איננו מנותק מהם – הוא צופה בהם. למרות זאת, הנבואות – בעיקר בחלקו הראשון של הספר – קשות; ולימוד של ספר זה מותיר אותנו פעמים רבות בתחושות של צער וכאב. ברם, עצם קיומן של נבואות אלו מבטא את המסר הנבואי כי הקשר שבין הקב"ה ובין עמו הוא קשר נצחי.
מטרתו של ספר זה להנגיש את ספר יחזקאל לציבור המעוניין להכיר את נקודת המבט הייחודית של נבואת יחזקאל. השתדלתי לדון באופן שיטתי בפרקי הספר כסדרם, תוך התמקדות בנושאים מרכזיים בכל פרק. לעתים, דיון בנושא אחד מופיע במסגרת העיון בכמה פרקים שונים. במקרים אלו בכתיבת הדיון השני הנחתי כי הקורא המעיין בספר בסדר כרונולוגי מודע כי לפניו השלמה לנושא שנידון. מומלץ לקרוא את הפרק הנדון בשלמותו בתנ"ך לפני העיון, אם כי הפסוקים העומדים במרכז הדיון צוטטו בספר. ככלל השתדלתי להימנע מביאורי מילים ופסוקים, והתמקדתי בנושאים העולים מהם. המעוניינים בביאור נקודתי של הפסוקים יכולים להיעזר בפרשנים המסורתיים (המופיעים במקראות גדולות) וכן בפרשנים בני דורנו (כדוגמת דעת מקרא). כמו כן השתדלתי למעט בהערות שוליים ובהפניות ביבליוגרפיות; עם זאת הן מצויות בכל מקום שבו הפרק נכתב על בסיס רעיון שלמדתי מקריאת דבריהם של אחרים, או לחלופין כהפניה למעוניין להרחיב בנושא בו קיצרתי, משום שהנושא נדון במקום אחר בצורה התואמת את מטרותיו של ספר זה. גם במקרים אלה, כשהייתה האפשרות בידי, העדפתי להפנות לספרים ולמאמרים הכתובים בעברית.
ספר זה לא היה נכתב לולא ההצעה לכתוב סדרת שיעורים על ספר יחזקאל עבור בית המדרש הווירטואלי שליד 'ישיבת הר עציון'. זכות היא לי להיות שותפה למפעל זה. מאור הפנים המלווה את העבודה עם צוות בית המדרש לא יסולא בפז. עורכי השיעורים, נדב סלוטקי ודן נבון, תרמו לספר בשאלותיהם ובהערותיהם המחכימות.
המפגש שלי עם ספר יחזקאל החל בשנת תש"ס, כאשר – כחלק מחיפוש אחר הקדושה בעולמו של הקב"ה – החלטתי לכתוב עבודת דוקטורט באוניברסיטת בר אילן בנושא תפיסת הקדושה של ספר יחזקאל. רבות מהתובנות שלי אודות ספר יחזקאל בשנים שבהם כתבתי את עבודת הדוקטור מושקעות בספר זה. את עבודת הדוקטורט הנחה פרופ' רימון כשר בחן ובתבונה, והוא שפתח לי צוהר לעולמו של יחזקאל. בסיומה מסרתי את העבודה לד"ר ברוך שורץ, והשיחות עמו תרמו נדבך נוסף להבנתו של ספר יחזקאל. רבות למדתי גם מתלמידיי באוניברסיטת בר אילן (במדרשה, במחלקה לתנ"ך ובלימודי יסוד) ובמכללת הרצוג. השיח בשיעורים שבהם לימדתי את ספר יחזקאל, וההערות שרשמתי על מערכי השיעור בעקבות הדיונים בשיעור, תרמו לעיצובו הסופי של הספר. על העריכה וההתקנה עמל הרב אמנון בזק ותודתי נתונה לו על כך שסייע לי להביא ללומדים ספר מתוקן, זאת לצד הליווי המקצועי של אנשי הוצאת 'תבונות': יצחק בנבנישתי, ראובן גפני ומאיר מוניץ. זכיתי ללמוד פרקים רבים בספר יחזקאל בבתיהם של פרופ' משה גרינברג ז"ל ושל פרופ' יעקב מילגרום ז"ל בשנותיהם האחרונות. היה זה עבורי מפגש עם דור הנפילים. לזכרם של שני חוקרים אלה, שספר יחזקאל ליווה אותם עד לאחרית ימיהם, מוקדש ספר זה.
Jewish temples stood in Jerusalem for nearly one thousand years and were a dominant feature in th... more Jewish temples stood in Jerusalem for nearly one thousand years and were a dominant feature in the life of the ancient Judeans throughout antiquity. This volume strives to obtain a diachronic and topical cross-section of central features of the varied aspects of the Jewish temples that stood in Jerusalem, one that draws on and incorporates different disciplinary and methodological viewpoints.
Jewish temples stood in Jerusalem for nearly one thousand years and were a dominant feature in t... more Jewish temples stood in Jerusalem for nearly one thousand years and were a dominant feature in the life of the ancient Judeans throughout antiquity. This volume strives to obtain a diachronic and topical cross-section of central features of the varied aspects of the Jewish temples that stood in Jerusalem, one that draws on and incorporates different disciplinary and methodological viewpoints. Ten contributions are included in this volume by: Gary A. Anderson; Simeon Chavel; Avraham Faust; Paul M. Joyce; Yuval Levavi; Risa Levitt; Eyal Regev; Lawrence H. Schiffman; Jeffrey Stackert; Caroline Waerzeggers, edited by Tova Ganzel and Shalom E. Holtz.
המאמר מקבץ שאלות הלכתיות שנשאלו לאורך שנות השואה ולאחריה. השאלות קשורות כולן בזוגיות ובמשפחה ומשק... more המאמר מקבץ שאלות הלכתיות שנשאלו לאורך שנות השואה ולאחריה. השאלות קשורות כולן בזוגיות ובמשפחה ומשקפות סוגיות קשות מנשוא וחסרות תקדים שהופנו לפוסקי ההלכה, והובילו לתשובות שנועדו להלום את המציאות הנוראה. העיון בפניות אלו מפגיש אותנו עם פרספקטיבה נוספת על אירועי הימים ההם ומשקף את חורבן המשפחות שהלך והעמיק.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's …, Jan 1, 2011
A woman remains in the status of nidah until she has immersed in a kosher ritual bath (mikveh). T... more A woman remains in the status of nidah until she has immersed in a kosher ritual bath (mikveh). This immersion generally may not take place until a minimum of twelve days have elapsed from the beginning of menstruation. These days are divided into two parts. The woman ...
"למסע הכיבוש של סנחריב מלך אשור, שהחריב חלקים רבים ממלכת יהודה בשלהי המאה השמינית לפני הספירה, מו... more "למסע הכיבוש של סנחריב מלך אשור, שהחריב חלקים רבים ממלכת יהודה בשלהי המאה השמינית לפני הספירה, מוקדשים יותר פרקי תנ״ך מכל אירוע היסטורי אחר. בסדרה זו נתמקד במתרחש בממלכת יהודה, הניצבת למול האיום המתקרב של האימפריה האשורית האדירה, ועד לחורבנה. נבחן את העדויות בספר ישעיה, ונשווה אותן לתיאורים בדברי הימים ובמלכים ב׳. נשלים את התמונה באמצעות עיון בכתובות חוץ מקראיות, המדגימות את מרכזיותו של מסע סנחריב בהיסטוריה של ממלכת יהודה, גם שנים רבות לאחר סיומו.
"נבואות יחזקאל נכתבו מזווית ראייה ייחודית של נביא הנמצא בבבל, אך זועק וכואב את השבר של חורבן המקד... more "נבואות יחזקאל נכתבו מזווית ראייה ייחודית של נביא הנמצא בבבל, אך זועק וכואב את השבר של חורבן המקדש בירושלים. חלקו הראשון של ספר יחזקאל, בשנים שלפני החורבן בירושלים, כולל נבואות תוכחה קשות; ואילו בחלקו האחרון מופיעות נבואות תקומה, המבטיחות את תקומת העם בעתיד ובכלל זה חזון למקדש עתידי. בסדרה זו נכיר את נבואות יחזקאל בהקשרן ההיסטורי והספרותי, ונעמוד על נקודת מבטו הייחודית של הנביא שסגנונו, מסריו, מעשיו הסמליים והאמצעים הרטוריים שבהם הוא משתמש מתייחדים אל מול יתר הנביאים. נפגוש את מסעות כבוד ה' בספר, את האחראים לחורבן ואת השינויים שיוטמעו כדי למנוע חורבן עתידי.
We are pleased to announce the publication of HUCA volume 92. We are also excited to inform autho... more We are pleased to announce the publication of HUCA volume 92. We are also excited to inform authors and readers that with this volume all of the HUCA archive including this most recent publication is available to institutional subscribers to the Atla serials database. Individual digital subscriptions to HUCA are no longer required as all material will be open to Atla subscribers without any firewall. We are excited to expand our availability though this partnership. Please search Atla through your respective institution's access to view the most recent and all previous HUCA articles or check the stacks for the print-edition. HUCA also continues to be accessible through the JSTOR archive with a one-year firewall.
• 1. The תורה in רות – Notes on Judean Literary Onomastics
By: Cooley, Jeffrey L. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 1-13.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.1
• 2.
Trumpets and Shofarot in the War Scroll (1QM): Musical and Terminological Insights
By: Piamenta, Moshe. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 15-45.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.2
• 3.
Reckoning the End of Days: A Study in Yefet ben ʻEli's Biblical Exegesis
By: Nadler-Akirav, Meirav. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 47-69.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.3
• 4.
The Two Different Endings of Sefer haMiddot
By: Kadish, Seth. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 71-203.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.4
• 5.
The Influence of Mendelssohn's Commentary on Qohelet on Nineteenth-Century Orthodox Jewish Commentators in Eastern and Western Europe
By: Ganzel, Tova. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 205-223.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.5
• 6.
On the Edge
By: Minkoff, N B; Finkin, Jordan D (Translator, "Author of introduction, etc. "). Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 225, 227, 229-281.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.6
בסוף ספר יחזקאל מספר הנביא כיצד נלקח מבבל לבית המקדש שעדיין
לא היה קיים ומתאר אותו בפירוט. חזון ... more בסוף ספר יחזקאל מספר הנביא כיצד נלקח מבבל לבית המקדש שעדיין לא היה קיים ומתאר אותו בפירוט. חזון המקדש של יחזקאל שונה מתיאורי המשכן שנבנה במדבר ובית המקדש שבנה שלמה בירושלים. השוואה למקדשים בבליים בתקופתו של יחזקאל שופכת אור על חזונו. תודה לסגולה - מגזין ישראלי להיסטוריה על הבמה!
החוק המוצע יסייע במימוש האחריות שלנו כלפי זהותה היהודית של המדינה, לא רק בשל השיפור במערך הגיור, ... more החוק המוצע יסייע במימוש האחריות שלנו כלפי זהותה היהודית של המדינה, לא רק בשל השיפור במערך הגיור, אלא גם משום שהוא ממצב בצורה מאוזנת יותר את מקומה של הרבנות הראשית במדינה. דעה
המסורת ההלכתית מלאה מחלוקות, אבל אלה לא נערכו בעצומות ומודעות שמבזות תלמידי חכמים כפי שעושים כעת ... more המסורת ההלכתית מלאה מחלוקות, אבל אלה לא נערכו בעצומות ומודעות שמבזות תלמידי חכמים כפי שעושים כעת מתנגדיו של הרב אליעזר מלמד, אלא בספרי "השגות" שנכתבו מתוך כבוד
אין לצפות מהרבנים לקדם חזון למדינת ישראל שאיננה מדינת התורה. כפי שהיה
בקיבוצים הדתיים וביישובי י... more אין לצפות מהרבנים לקדם חזון למדינת ישראל שאיננה מדינת התורה. כפי שהיה בקיבוצים הדתיים וביישובי יהודה ושומרון, גם בתחום הדת והמדינה - המהלכים פורצי הדרך יגיעו מהציבור, והפסיקה ההלכתית תגיב להם
כניסתן של נשים לעולם לימוד התורה לא הצמיחה, עדיין, כתיבה נשית תורנית מקיפה בשלל תחומים תורניים. ה... more כניסתן של נשים לעולם לימוד התורה לא הצמיחה, עדיין, כתיבה נשית תורנית מקיפה בשלל תחומים תורניים. השינוי לא יבוא בכך שנלין על כתבי עת, קבצים וביטאונים שאינם מפרסמים מאמרים או תשובות הלכתיות של נשים; עלינו, הנשים, לכתוב ולכתוב ולכתוב. התוצאה תהיה שהגברים, שומרי הסף, יכניסו את הנשים אל מעגל הכותבים, ובהעדר התייחסות נשית בסוגיה מסוימת, חסרונן של נשים יורגש
On the religious challenge of academic biblical scholarship. Highlighting the new Hebrew book Peo... more On the religious challenge of academic biblical scholarship. Highlighting the new Hebrew book People of Faith and Biblical Criticism
This monograph, a revised version of John F. Evans's dissertation written under the supervision o... more This monograph, a revised version of John F. Evans's dissertation written under the supervision of Hendrik Bosman, in Stellenbosch University, traces the signification of the extensively used recognition formula (RF) "you/they shall know that I am Yahweh," which is repeated more than seventy times in the book of Ezekiel. In a nutshell, this book argues persuasively that the literary-theological intent of the RF in Ezekiel is based on the RF in Exodus and is primarily used to reinforce Yahweh's role in the restoration of the nation. The book opens with an introduction, which is followed by seven chapters. In the introduction Evans presents ten reasons for undertaking this study, including the absence of a specific study of the RF formula in Ezekiel, the need for a fresh synchronic-hermeneutical approach to the RF alongside the existing diachronic one, the exigency of uncovering the relationship between Ezekiel's RF and the Exodus scriptural traditions, and the need to illuminate Ezekiel's purpose in repeatedly employing the RF.
The third and final volume of the AYB series commentary on the book of Ezekiel has been eagerly a... more The third and final volume of the AYB series commentary on the book of Ezekiel has been eagerly awaited by biblical scholars. The chapters addressed in the book (Ezek 38-48) are some of the most complex and challenging in the Bible, both due to their language and the description of a three-dimensional object that the reader must visualize. In this volume, Stephen L. Cook recognizes that Moshe Greenberg-the foremost scholar on the book of Ezekiel-set the tone for the AYB commentary; his approach, he notes, adheres to Greenberg's. Cook, like Greenberg, is interested in the final form and a holistic reading of the book (though not to the same extent as Greenberg); he, too, focuses on Ezekiel's rhetoric and includes insights from medieval Jewish commentaries. In the present review, then, I will discuss a number of central issues that arise from the study of Cook's new volume through the lens of both continuity and innovation, comparing it to Greenberg's interpretation of the earlier chapters.
מעמדן של נשים כמנהיגות בעולם הדתי איננו דומה למעמדם של הגברים. בתקופה שבה נדמה כי במרחב הציבורי, ... more מעמדן של נשים כמנהיגות בעולם הדתי איננו דומה למעמדם של הגברים. בתקופה שבה נדמה כי במרחב הציבורי, במ …
What are we to make of the Temple envisioned by Ezekiel? How can we better understand Ezekiel, ch... more What are we to make of the Temple envisioned by Ezekiel? How can we better understand Ezekiel, chapters 40 through 48? One way, suggests Tova Ganzel, is by examining evidence from Babylonian sources. She argues that Neo-Babylonian temples provide a meaningful backdrop against which many unique features of Ezekiel's vision should be interpreted.
Tune in as we speak with Tova Ganzel about her recent book, Ezekiel's Visionary Temple in Babylonian Context (de Gruyter, 2021).
בפרקים האחרונים של ספר יחזקאל, מתואר חזון הקמתו של בית המקדש על רקע ההתרחשות ההיסטורית של גלות בב... more בפרקים האחרונים של ספר יחזקאל, מתואר חזון הקמתו של בית המקדש על רקע ההתרחשות ההיסטורית של גלות בבל. ד"ר טובה גנזל מהפקולטה למדעי היהדות מדברת על על החזון ובמיוחד על נקודת מבטו של הנביא יחזקאל כלפי בית המקדש.
The prophet Ezekiel speaks from a unique perspective: he resides in Babylonia, yet laments the de... more The prophet Ezekiel speaks from a unique perspective: he resides in Babylonia, yet laments the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem; his prophecies range from furious messages of rebuke to comforting depictions of the future redemption of the Jewish people.
Join as we speak with Tova Ganzel about her recent commentary, Ezekiel: From Destruction to Restoration (Maggid, 2020).
המחלוקות שבין חרדים לחילונים והדרך ליישב אותן
דתיים וחילונים, שומרי מצוות ובלייני שבת, כולם חיים ... more המחלוקות שבין חרדים לחילונים והדרך ליישב אותן דתיים וחילונים, שומרי מצוות ובלייני שבת, כולם חיים יחד תחת אותה ממשלה, עם חיכוכים תכופים ואידאולוגיות שונות. האם למרות הכול, הציונות יכולה לחיות בשלום עם התפיסה הדתית? ד"ר טובה גנזל מהחוג הרב תחומי למדעי היהדות חושבת שכן ומציעה דרך.
Raising the Glass Ceiling: Participation of Religious Women in Israel Halachic Discoursea,
Lect... more Raising the Glass Ceiling: Participation of Religious Women in Israel Halachic Discoursea, Lecture by Dr. Tova Ganzel, Director of the Midrasha, Bar-Ilan University. Given during the VIA event at Bar-Ilan University.
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Papers by Tova Ganzel
sources demonstrate that names relating to the Sabbath began to appear at the time.
Using the portrayal of Israel’s restoration in 4Q385 as its focus, this article explored how additions to Ezek 37 in PsEzek are utilized to create a consolatory message. These additions share a common denominator: not only are the terms of redemption used by 4Q385 absent from Ezek 37; they are also conspicuously absent from Ezekiel’s restoration prophecies. Its author underscores his message by creating a cluster of allusions to Ezek 37:1–14, an authoritative text for the future restoration of the people, while at the same time introducing changes that transform Ezekiel’s “dim view of restoration” into a more optimistic vision that includes divine love, benevolence, and blessing for his people. 4Q385 thus not only addresses the question of when the restoration prophesied by Ezekiel will take place; it provides a more optimistic picture of this restoration. The comparison between 4Q385 and the book of Ezekiel as a whole emphasizes this underlying theme, overlooked in previous scholarship, that unites all of the corrections and changes that distinguish this text from the biblical version.
Email me at Tova.Ganzel@biu.ac.il for a pdf of this article.
Email me at Tova.Ganzel@biu.ac.il for a pdf of this article.
Email me at Tova.Ganzel@biu.ac.il for a pdf of this article.
Hoffmann’s halakhic writings have lamented that the almost complete
absence of dates in She’elot u-Teshuvot Melamed Leho’il makes it
impossible to chart Rabbi Hoffmann’s development in this field. However,
close scrutiny of Rabbi Hoffmann’s vast correspondence and of the
chronological record from which Melamed Leho’il was abstracted allows
us to begin to reconstruct his development.
This paper will demonstrate the sources and methods by which this
reconstruction can be accomplished by looking at one particular issue: the
status of sesame oil on Passover. Rabbi Hoffmann addresses the question
in one lengthy (and composite) responsum in Melamed Leho’il and refers
to it obliquely in another. Additional correspondences have come to light
more recently, and a newspaper article from the early 1900s completes the
picture and demonstrates how Rabbi Hoffmann’s position changed over
the course of five years. This is but one example of Rabbi Hoffmann’s
evolution as a halakhist when he took up the mantle of posek during the
last two decades of his life.
We demonstrate that R. Hoffmann both recorded his halakhic decisions in his notebook and copied directly from the notebook into the letters of response to various correspondents. We also show that R. Hoffmann continued to update his notebook through the years, until the end of his life, revisiting previously rendered decisions. Thus, even a single responsum, as printed in Melamed Le-ho'il, may reflect several stages of R. Hoffmann's halakhic thinking about a particular topic over time.
book of Ezekiel are used to convey the prophetic message. First, they serve as responses to prophetic messages. Second, the prophet’s role as a model means that these nonverbal language and gestures add a layer of meaning, often by reflecting a disparity between expected despair and the people’s passivity.
and roles of functionaries in Ezekiel’s vision and the contemporaneous Babylonian
celebration of the Akītu festival. Explicit references to the month of Nisan appear in
the temple vision: in the date notice (40:1) and with regarding to ritual cleansing of
the temple (45:18–20), which parallels the time when the festivals for the Babylonian
gods were held. Consideration of the Akītu festival exemplifies how Babylonian ritual
practices left a strong impression on the Jewish exiles there and, even more so, on the
exiles from priestly families. The affinity between the Jewish and Babylonian calendars
seems not only to be grounded in administrative needs but also to be extended to
the adoption of principles from Babylonian culture.
sources demonstrate that names relating to the Sabbath began to appear at the time.
Using the portrayal of Israel’s restoration in 4Q385 as its focus, this article explored how additions to Ezek 37 in PsEzek are utilized to create a consolatory message. These additions share a common denominator: not only are the terms of redemption used by 4Q385 absent from Ezek 37; they are also conspicuously absent from Ezekiel’s restoration prophecies. Its author underscores his message by creating a cluster of allusions to Ezek 37:1–14, an authoritative text for the future restoration of the people, while at the same time introducing changes that transform Ezekiel’s “dim view of restoration” into a more optimistic vision that includes divine love, benevolence, and blessing for his people. 4Q385 thus not only addresses the question of when the restoration prophesied by Ezekiel will take place; it provides a more optimistic picture of this restoration. The comparison between 4Q385 and the book of Ezekiel as a whole emphasizes this underlying theme, overlooked in previous scholarship, that unites all of the corrections and changes that distinguish this text from the biblical version.
Email me at Tova.Ganzel@biu.ac.il for a pdf of this article.
Email me at Tova.Ganzel@biu.ac.il for a pdf of this article.
Email me at Tova.Ganzel@biu.ac.il for a pdf of this article.
Hoffmann’s halakhic writings have lamented that the almost complete
absence of dates in She’elot u-Teshuvot Melamed Leho’il makes it
impossible to chart Rabbi Hoffmann’s development in this field. However,
close scrutiny of Rabbi Hoffmann’s vast correspondence and of the
chronological record from which Melamed Leho’il was abstracted allows
us to begin to reconstruct his development.
This paper will demonstrate the sources and methods by which this
reconstruction can be accomplished by looking at one particular issue: the
status of sesame oil on Passover. Rabbi Hoffmann addresses the question
in one lengthy (and composite) responsum in Melamed Leho’il and refers
to it obliquely in another. Additional correspondences have come to light
more recently, and a newspaper article from the early 1900s completes the
picture and demonstrates how Rabbi Hoffmann’s position changed over
the course of five years. This is but one example of Rabbi Hoffmann’s
evolution as a halakhist when he took up the mantle of posek during the
last two decades of his life.
We demonstrate that R. Hoffmann both recorded his halakhic decisions in his notebook and copied directly from the notebook into the letters of response to various correspondents. We also show that R. Hoffmann continued to update his notebook through the years, until the end of his life, revisiting previously rendered decisions. Thus, even a single responsum, as printed in Melamed Le-ho'il, may reflect several stages of R. Hoffmann's halakhic thinking about a particular topic over time.
book of Ezekiel are used to convey the prophetic message. First, they serve as responses to prophetic messages. Second, the prophet’s role as a model means that these nonverbal language and gestures add a layer of meaning, often by reflecting a disparity between expected despair and the people’s passivity.
and roles of functionaries in Ezekiel’s vision and the contemporaneous Babylonian
celebration of the Akītu festival. Explicit references to the month of Nisan appear in
the temple vision: in the date notice (40:1) and with regarding to ritual cleansing of
the temple (45:18–20), which parallels the time when the festivals for the Babylonian
gods were held. Consideration of the Akītu festival exemplifies how Babylonian ritual
practices left a strong impression on the Jewish exiles there and, even more so, on the
exiles from priestly families. The affinity between the Jewish and Babylonian calendars
seems not only to be grounded in administrative needs but also to be extended to
the adoption of principles from Babylonian culture.
יחזקאל קויפמן הגות, מחקר, השפעה ימים שלישי-רביעי, כט-ל ניסן תשפ"ד, 7-8 במאי 2024
הכנס יתקיים באולם בק, בנין 410 , אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ההרצאות תתקיימנה בעברית או באנגלית
מאתיים שנה לאחר הולדתו, אנו מבקשים לדון בהיבטים השונים של הגותו, פעולתו המעשית, והשפעותיהן. זאת, מתוך רצון להעמיק את הידוע לנו על הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, שחלק גדול מכתביו ומעשיו טרם זכו לדיון אקדמי משמעותי.
These works not only display his breadth of knowledge and intellectual depth and versatility but also his capacity to inhabit varied fields of knowledge, based on a comprehensive general education in various fields.
Two hundred years after his birth we seek to mark his birth by examining these distinct elements of his works and activities with the aim of achieving a more rigorous and critical portrait and the impact of various elements of his thought, his practical achievements, and their impact. This is out of a desire to deepen what we know about Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh, whose legacy has not yet received the academic recognition it deserves.
These works not only display his breadth of knowledge and intellectual depth and versatility but also his capacity to inhabit varied fields of knowledge, based on a comprehensive general education in various fields.
Two hundred years after his birth we seek to mark his birth by examining these distinct elements of his works and activities with the aim of achieving a more rigorous and critical portrait and the impact of various elements of his thought, his practical achievements, and their impact. This is out of a desire to deepen what we know about Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh, whose legacy has not yet received the academic recognition it deserves.
כתביו משקפים לא רק את היקף ידיעותיו ורוחו הרבגונית, אלא גם את שאיפתו לשלב בחייו תחומי דעת שונים ומגוונים, המבוססים על השכלה כללית רחבה ומקיפה בתחומים שונים.
מאתיים שנה לאחר הולדתו, אנו מבקשים לדון בהיבטים השונים של הגותו, פעולתו המעשית, והשפעותיהן. זאת, מתוך רצון להעמיק את הידוע לנו על הרב אליהו בן אמוזג, שחלק גדול מכתביו ומעשיו טרם זכו לדיון אקדמי משמעותי.
On Monday, January 3rd, join me, Emmanuel Bloch, Elli Fischer, Adam Ferziger and others at Bar-Ilan University for a special conference marking a century since the death of this incredible figure -- to study his life, intellectual gifts, and the questions and ideas left to us today.
A free PDF of the book is available online.
This volume is a deep and methodical study of the book of Ezekiel: its literary style, its historical context, and the progression of its prophecies from visions of destruction to a detailed description
of Israel’s restoration.
ספר יחזקאל ייחודי בין ספרי התנ"ך בשל העובדה שהוא מתאר את קורות העם בשנות חורבן בית המקדש, מתוך מבט פנימי וחיצוני כאחד. בקולו של יחזקאל המצוי בבבל אנו שומעים את זעקת הכאב והשבר, אך גם את המרחק והניתוק. אין הנביא מצוי בירושלים במרכז ההתרחשויות. מהגלות הוא נותן נבואה לתקומה והבטחה אלוהית לקיומו של ה' בתוכנו. לעולם. כינוי של הנביא – 'הצופה' – משקף במידה רבה מציאות זו. הוא איננו מצוי בתוך האירועים אך גם איננו מנותק מהם – הוא צופה בהם. למרות זאת, הנבואות – בעיקר בחלקו הראשון של הספר – קשות; ולימוד של ספר זה מותיר אותנו פעמים רבות בתחושות של צער וכאב. ברם, עצם קיומן של נבואות אלו מבטא את המסר הנבואי כי הקשר שבין הקב"ה ובין עמו הוא קשר נצחי.
מטרתו של ספר זה להנגיש את ספר יחזקאל לציבור המעוניין להכיר את נקודת המבט הייחודית של נבואת יחזקאל. השתדלתי לדון באופן שיטתי בפרקי הספר כסדרם, תוך התמקדות בנושאים מרכזיים בכל פרק. לעתים, דיון בנושא אחד מופיע במסגרת העיון בכמה פרקים שונים. במקרים אלו בכתיבת הדיון השני הנחתי כי הקורא המעיין בספר בסדר כרונולוגי מודע כי לפניו השלמה לנושא שנידון. מומלץ לקרוא את הפרק הנדון בשלמותו בתנ"ך לפני העיון, אם כי הפסוקים העומדים במרכז הדיון צוטטו בספר. ככלל השתדלתי להימנע מביאורי מילים ופסוקים, והתמקדתי בנושאים העולים מהם. המעוניינים בביאור נקודתי של הפסוקים יכולים להיעזר בפרשנים המסורתיים (המופיעים במקראות גדולות) וכן בפרשנים בני דורנו (כדוגמת דעת מקרא). כמו כן השתדלתי למעט בהערות שוליים ובהפניות ביבליוגרפיות; עם זאת הן מצויות בכל מקום שבו הפרק נכתב על בסיס רעיון שלמדתי מקריאת דבריהם של אחרים, או לחלופין כהפניה למעוניין להרחיב בנושא בו קיצרתי, משום שהנושא נדון במקום אחר בצורה התואמת את מטרותיו של ספר זה. גם במקרים אלה, כשהייתה האפשרות בידי, העדפתי להפנות לספרים ולמאמרים הכתובים בעברית.
ספר זה לא היה נכתב לולא ההצעה לכתוב סדרת שיעורים על ספר יחזקאל עבור בית המדרש הווירטואלי שליד 'ישיבת הר עציון'. זכות היא לי להיות שותפה למפעל זה. מאור הפנים המלווה את העבודה עם צוות בית המדרש לא יסולא בפז. עורכי השיעורים, נדב סלוטקי ודן נבון, תרמו לספר בשאלותיהם ובהערותיהם המחכימות.
המפגש שלי עם ספר יחזקאל החל בשנת תש"ס, כאשר – כחלק מחיפוש אחר הקדושה בעולמו של הקב"ה – החלטתי לכתוב עבודת דוקטורט באוניברסיטת בר אילן בנושא תפיסת הקדושה של ספר יחזקאל. רבות מהתובנות שלי אודות ספר יחזקאל בשנים שבהם כתבתי את עבודת הדוקטור מושקעות בספר זה. את עבודת הדוקטורט הנחה פרופ' רימון כשר בחן ובתבונה, והוא שפתח לי צוהר לעולמו של יחזקאל. בסיומה מסרתי את העבודה לד"ר ברוך שורץ, והשיחות עמו תרמו נדבך נוסף להבנתו של ספר יחזקאל. רבות למדתי גם מתלמידיי באוניברסיטת בר אילן (במדרשה, במחלקה לתנ"ך ובלימודי יסוד) ובמכללת הרצוג. השיח בשיעורים שבהם לימדתי את ספר יחזקאל, וההערות שרשמתי על מערכי השיעור בעקבות הדיונים בשיעור, תרמו לעיצובו הסופי של הספר. על העריכה וההתקנה עמל הרב אמנון בזק ותודתי נתונה לו על כך שסייע לי להביא ללומדים ספר מתוקן, זאת לצד הליווי המקצועי של אנשי הוצאת 'תבונות': יצחק בנבנישתי, ראובן גפני ומאיר מוניץ. זכיתי ללמוד פרקים רבים בספר יחזקאל בבתיהם של פרופ' משה גרינברג ז"ל ושל פרופ' יעקב מילגרום ז"ל בשנותיהם האחרונות. היה זה עבורי מפגש עם דור הנפילים. לזכרם של שני חוקרים אלה, שספר יחזקאל ליווה אותם עד לאחרית ימיהם, מוקדש ספר זה.
בסדרה זו נכיר את נבואות יחזקאל בהקשרן ההיסטורי והספרותי, ונעמוד על נקודת מבטו הייחודית של הנביא שסגנונו, מסריו, מעשיו הסמליים והאמצעים הרטוריים שבהם הוא משתמש מתייחדים אל מול יתר הנביאים. נפגוש את מסעות כבוד ה' בספר, את האחראים לחורבן ואת השינויים שיוטמעו כדי למנוע חורבן עתידי.
• 1. The תורה in רות – Notes on Judean Literary Onomastics
By: Cooley, Jeffrey L. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 1-13.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.1
• 2.
Trumpets and Shofarot in the War Scroll (1QM): Musical and Terminological Insights
By: Piamenta, Moshe. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 15-45.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.2
• 3.
Reckoning the End of Days: A Study in Yefet ben ʻEli's Biblical Exegesis
By: Nadler-Akirav, Meirav. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 47-69.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.3
• 4.
The Two Different Endings of Sefer haMiddot
By: Kadish, Seth. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 71-203.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.4
• 5.
The Influence of Mendelssohn's Commentary on Qohelet on Nineteenth-Century Orthodox Jewish Commentators in Eastern and Western Europe
By: Ganzel, Tova. Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 205-223.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.5
• 6.
On the Edge
By: Minkoff, N B; Finkin, Jordan D (Translator, "Author of introduction, etc. "). Source: Hebrew Union College Annual, 92, p 225, 227, 229-281.
DOI: 10.15650/hebruniocollannu.92.6
לא היה קיים ומתאר אותו בפירוט. חזון המקדש של יחזקאל שונה מתיאורי
המשכן שנבנה במדבר ובית המקדש שבנה שלמה בירושלים. השוואה
למקדשים בבליים בתקופתו של יחזקאל שופכת אור על חזונו.
תודה לסגולה - מגזין ישראלי להיסטוריה על הבמה!
בקיבוצים הדתיים וביישובי יהודה ושומרון, גם בתחום הדת והמדינה - המהלכים פורצי
הדרך יגיעו מהציבור, והפסיקה ההלכתית תגיב להם
Tune in as we speak with Tova Ganzel about her recent book, Ezekiel's Visionary Temple in Babylonian Context (de Gruyter, 2021).
Join as we speak with Tova Ganzel about her recent commentary, Ezekiel: From Destruction to Restoration (Maggid, 2020).
דתיים וחילונים, שומרי מצוות ובלייני שבת, כולם חיים יחד תחת אותה ממשלה, עם חיכוכים תכופים ואידאולוגיות שונות. האם למרות הכול, הציונות יכולה לחיות בשלום עם התפיסה הדתית? ד"ר טובה גנזל מהחוג הרב תחומי למדעי היהדות חושבת שכן ומציעה דרך.
Lecture by Dr. Tova Ganzel, Director of the Midrasha, Bar-Ilan University. Given during the VIA event at Bar-Ilan University.