The Impact of Culture and Cultures Upon Jewish Customs and Rituals

Simcha Fishbane

ISBN 10: 1618114913 / ISBN 13: 9781618114914

Published by Academic Studies Press, US, 2016

About this Item

This book discusses the development of practices associated with customs and artifacts used in Jewish ceremonies when viewed from the vantage of anthropological studies. It can also function as a guide to practical halakhah. The author examines topics such as Torah Scrolls, ceremonial use of fire, Purim customs, the festival of Shavuot, magic and superstition. This investigation, at times, compares some Jewish observances with the wider cultural observances or notions of the broader, gentile societies in which Jews were located when these customs originated. It is found that the time and location of a practice's origin is often critical to appreciating a shared context. In all cases the Jewish practice becomes reinterpreted within a specifically Jewish narrative and legal structure.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781618114914

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Impact of Culture and Cultures Upon Jewish Customs and Rituals
• Publisher: Academic Studies Press, US
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1618114913
• ISBN 13: 9781618114914
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 571 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This book discusses the development of practices associated with customs and artifacts used in Jewish ceremonies when viewed from the vantage of anthropological studies. It can also function as a guide to practical halakhah. The author examines topics such as Torah Scrolls, ceremonial use of fire, Purim customs, the festival of Shavuot, magic and superstition. This investigation, at times, compares some Jewish observances with the wider cultural observances or notions of the broader, gentile societies in which Jews were located when these customs originated. It is found that the time and location of a practice’s origin is often critical to appreciating a shared context. In all cases the Jewish practice becomes reinterpreted within a specifically Jewish narrative and legal structure.

About the Author

Dr. Simcha Fishbane is a Professor of Jewish Studies in the Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Touro College, New York. He has published extensively on Jewish subjects and texts. Dr. Fishbane’s publications include Deviancy in Early Rabbinic Literature (2007); The Boldness of an Halakhist (2008); The Shtiebelization of Modern Jewry (2011); The Impact of Culture and Cultures Upon Jewish Customs and Rituals (2016); The Rabbinic Discussion about Bat Mitzvah Celebrations (2017); and The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement (2021), co-authored with Alan Kadish and Michael A. Shmidman.