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ATID is pleased to announce the publication of a new book in conjunction with Yashar Books.

In the Footsteps of the Kuzari
An Introduction to Jewish Philosophy (Volume 1)

by Professor Shalom Rosenberg

In the Footsteps of the Kuzari is an exciting work that guides readers through Judaism’s views on the most pressing philosophical issues of the day. Combining a keen sensitivity to the religious dilemmas of our day with the intellectual rigor of the university, this book serves as an introduction to Jewish philosophy, and unapologetically argues that Judaism presents a coherent and sophisticated religious worldview that is as relevant today as it has been for millennia. Building on the classic work of Jewish thought, The Kuzari, noted Orthodox thinker Prof. Shalom Rosenberg takes readers through the Jewish views that have been voiced throughout the ages and shows how they can be transformed into a compelling worldview in this postmodern age. Intellectually stimulating and philosophically creative, this important work made large waves when published in Hebrew and is now being offered to the English reading public. Take a tour through Jewish philosophy over the ages, from the Talmud to Maimonides to Rav Kook and beyond, and learn where the next stage of Jewish thought will take us.

The book addresses such pressing issues as:

  • The sources of the individual’s religious experience,
  • Religious truth in the context of changing intellectual trends and fads,
  • Jewish uniqueness and the nations of the world,
  • The relations between the individual and the collective,
  • The challenges of educating toward a rich religious life.

Prof. Rosenberg has for decades been one of the leading intellectual forces in Israeli Modern Orthodoxy. In the Footsteps of the Kuzari will be an important resource for teachers and students of Jewish thought, as well as for English-speaking Jews in search of a rich, sophisticated, and coherent Jewish voice. Readers of Prof. Rosenberg’s work will discover his rare ability to use medieval texts to address contemporary issues, without sacrificing an awareness that these same texts are not themselves contemporary.

Learn more about the book and see Table of Contents here.
Download a chapter from the book here. (PDF)
Buy the book here.

Prof. Shalom Rosenberg is a leading contemporary Orthodox thinker who specializes in using modern philosophy to elucidate and develop Jewish thought. Dr. Rosenberg is Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Jewish Thought and of Philosophy at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His numerous articles and books have focused on the relationship between modern philosophy and Jewish thought in issues related to revelation and tradition, and the relationship between religion and ethics in Judaism. Prof. Rosenberg works extensively in the educational field and has contributed widely to the development of Jewish thought as an integral and important part of Israeli and Jewish culture. His most important books in this field are Not in Heaven (Hebrew) on revelation and Jewish law, Torah and Science (Hebrew) on religion and science, and In the Footsteps of the Kuzari, of which the current book is an English translation.
Praise for the Book
ATID is proud to be able to bring Shalom Rosenberg's In the Footsteps of the Kuzari to an English-speaking audience as part of our effort to produce quality, thought-provoking material for Jewish educators and the general public. The work is invaluable for articulating the message of classical Jewish thought in a compelling, mature, and contemporary way. Teachers, in particular, will find a clear and sophisticated approach to Judaism that they can share and explore with their students.

—Rabbi Chaim Brovender, President, ATID Foundation
Finally, English readers now have an opportunity, long denied to them, to learn from the works of Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, one of our generation's most respected and distinguished teachers of Jewish philosophy. Using the immortal Kuzari of R. Yehuda Halevi as both text and pretext, he introduces the reader to the most beloved of all the giants of medieval Jewish thought. Rosenberg has a phenomenal gift for explaining otherwise recondite ideas. As a gifted pedagogue, he leads the reader through the exciting highways and byways of Jewish thought without either condescension or oversimplification. His Introduction alone is a masterpiece. I would make it required reading for all who wish to understand Jewish philosophy and, as well, the intellectual background of Modern Orthodoxy and its leitmotif, Torah Umadda without polemics or institutional hubris. He is not only a prominent philosopher, not only a superb educator who eschews both dogmatism and relativism but, above all, a man of wisdom combined with humility. Rosenberg not only instructs his readers; he also charms them with his good sense. This is not a work of history or formal philosophy remote from modern man and his sensibilities. Rosenberg always bears in mind the contemporary reader, his language, concepts, and background, and succeeds in bridging the gap of many centuries, This, his first major work to be published in English, is Prof. Rosenberg's gift to both students and laymen — all who would understand Jewish thought by reading a master teacher expound a major Jewish work that has persisted in its importance for the last one thousand years.

—Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Chancellor, Yeshiva University

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