audiobook Patterns in Jewish History: Insights into the Past; Present Future of the Eternal People by Berel Wein in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. WonderfulBy William JosephsLucid telling of the many recurrent themes in Jewish history; told in a highly personable manner.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A rabbi identifies patterns in Jewish historyBy Israel DrazinRabbi Wein is an Orthodox rabbi of a well-attended synagogue in Jerusalem; Israel; and has a large following. He is the author of over a dozen books on Jewish thoughts and is a sought-for lecturer. In this volume he examines his understanding of Jewish history; making it his seventh book on this subject. He stresses that knowing history is important: "Insanity is repeating the same failed process over and over again." He addresses questions such as: What mistake are Jews making? How have they survived? Why have Jews made such a disproportionate contribution to the improvement of humanity? Why are there so few Jews in the world? Why do so many people dislike Jews? Why do Jews disagree with each other? Is Judaism a religion; a nation; a civilization; or what? What is the definition of a Jew? He states that there are identifiable patterns in Jewish history. People need to see these patterns so that they will get "a sense where current society stands and where it is headed; and what steps can be taken to improve its current lot and guarantee its future development." He feels that the principal pattern in Jewish history; the pattern that harmed Jews the most; is "the pattern of abandonment of Torah and its observances; followed by assimilation; self hatred; disasters; and later resurgence of Torah beliefs again." He shows with many examples how this rotational pattern "can clearly be traced throughout Jewish history." He states that it has been impossible to break this pattern; this "vicious cycle;" because of "the blind refusal of much of Jewish society...to even recognize the existence of such a pattern in Jewish life." As a result; Jews have been unable to learn from the past and they "continue to repeat those errors over and over again." He writes that this is not a theological argument. He insists that anyone who is a clear thinker will recognize this reality. He analyses different time periods to prove his point. He looks; for example; at the creation of the "secular Jew" in the nineteenth century; and identifies the factors that he considers the causes of the "mass desertion from Jewish tradition." He tells how the rabbis of the time failed to see and address these factors and states that the rabbis of today don't understand what occurred at that time; and "this pattern is being repeated again in sections of the Jewish religious world two centuries later." Yet despite his feelings that Jews must cleave to the Torah; Rabbi Wein recognizes that some changes have occurred in Judaism that are beneficial. However; some readers might say that he is overly-cautious regarding these changes. He notes; for example; that the treatment of women in Judaism varied in the different cultures in which they were found and that since the enlightenment; and because of the enlightenment; women have been allowed greater entry into Judaism. Many readers will agree with his statement that the currently still unresolved Jewish female issues "are very complicated and not given to the simplistic solutions proposed by activists and publicists." Yet; some may think that he shouldn't praise the requirement that women should dress "modestly" when men may stroll about in shorts. Nor should he extol the rule that women sit behind the mechitzah; the "separation wall;" when he says that the purpose of the separation is "to preserve the decorum and the holiness of the prayer service;" and "prevent distractions during services;" yet; he admits that; "this type of distraction is the fault of men and not women." Still others may agree that the issues are complicated; but feel that inaction is wrong. Whether readers share Rabbi Wein's views or not; they will find his discussions on the various issues informative and thought-provoking.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Important insights and great omissionsBy Shalom FreedmanRabbi Berel Wein is one of the most distinguished teachers of Judaism today. In this work he attempts to look at Jewish History as a whole and draw a number of general conclusions about this. In the course of doing this he provides many valuable insights into Jewish history. For example in discussing the founding of the modern State of Israel he refutes the claim that Israel's creation is largely due to the Holocaust. Instead he chronicles the whole thrust of Jewish religious history in which the living a life of Torah in the Holy Land is a central theme. He too makes the useful and wise recommendation that guests to Israel should not be as they often are brought only to the Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem but rather should be brought to the whole panoply of sites in Jerusalem and throughout the country which tell of the Jewish people's history in the land.Rabbi Wein also looks at other major themes; such as Assimilation and Acculturation; Torah Learning; Modern Technological Developments and Judaism. He covers very wide- ranging topics in pithy essays which contain many useful generalizations but too omit vast amounts of vital material. For instance in his telling of the modern history of Israel he gives very short shrift to the military battles. He is demeaning of the central role played by secular Zionists in the creation of a Jewish state which has fostered a great revival of Torah learning. On the other hand he is courageous in taking on many of the forms of superstition and myth- making which due injury to Judaism. He makes an effort on considering Feminism and Judaism and speaks much about new avenues of learning open to women; but does not really deal with the severe forms of bias which unfortunately still play a major role in Jewish religious life. In his chapter on Technology he devotes much space to the question of use of Electricity on Shabbat while saying very little about how dramatic new changes in nanotechnology; genetics; robotics; pose problems not only as to the meaning and future not only of the Jewish people but of mankind as a whole. While he does talk about the new Anti- Semitism he does not go into depth on the nature of the threats facing the Jewish people in Israel. I believe this an important volume not only for some of the answers it provides but for the questions it raises though I would want to claim that there are far too many important ones it does not consider at all.