The search result changed since you submitted your search request. Documents might be displayed in a different sort order.
  • search hit 63 of 142
Back to Result List

Rabbi Dessler’s View of Secular Studies and Wissenschaft des Judentums

  • Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892–1953) is often portrayed as antagonistic to secular studies. However, his writings show more of an intellectual hierarchy that places Torah wisdom at the top and all other wisdom a distant second. R. Dessler expended great effort promoting Torah scholarship while generally refraining from disparaging secular studies. Looking at the writings of his predecessors in the Mussar (moralist) movement, one can see that there was no disapproval of worldly education there, either: In fact, R. Dessler and his predecessors were well-educated in many secular disciplines. This essay looks to places R. Dessler’s attitude toward Wissenschaft des Judentums within the context of his life’s mission to advance talmudic study and his consequent unwillingness to countenance anything that detracted from furthering the learning of Torah. I argue that, whereas his extreme opposition to Wissenschaft was the result of his aversion to its aims, methods and conclusions, his nuanced relationship to Orthodox Wissenschaft was theRabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892–1953) is often portrayed as antagonistic to secular studies. However, his writings show more of an intellectual hierarchy that places Torah wisdom at the top and all other wisdom a distant second. R. Dessler expended great effort promoting Torah scholarship while generally refraining from disparaging secular studies. Looking at the writings of his predecessors in the Mussar (moralist) movement, one can see that there was no disapproval of worldly education there, either: In fact, R. Dessler and his predecessors were well-educated in many secular disciplines. This essay looks to places R. Dessler’s attitude toward Wissenschaft des Judentums within the context of his life’s mission to advance talmudic study and his consequent unwillingness to countenance anything that detracted from furthering the learning of Torah. I argue that, whereas his extreme opposition to Wissenschaft was the result of his aversion to its aims, methods and conclusions, his nuanced relationship to Orthodox Wissenschaft was the result of the hierarchy through which he viewed secular as opposed to talmudic study.show moreshow less

Download full text files

Export metadata

Additional Services

Search Google Scholar Statistics
Metadaten
Author details:Esther Solomon
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-417810
Title of parent work (German):PaRDES : Zeitschrift der Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien e. V.
Publisher:Universitätsverlag Potsdam
Place of publishing:Potsdam
Publication type:Article
Language:English
Date of first publication:2018/10/01
Publication year:2018
Publishing institution:Universität Potsdam
Publishing institution:Universitätsverlag Potsdam
Release date:2018/10/11
First page:103
Last Page:124
RVK - Regensburg classification:BD 1680
Organizational units:Extern / Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien e. V.
DDC classification:2 Religion / 20 Religion / 200 Religion
Peer review:Referiert
Publishing method:Open Access
Universitätsverlag Potsdam
Collection(s):Universität Potsdam / Zeitschriften / PaRDeS : Zeitschrift der Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien e.V., ISSN 1862-7684 / PaRDeS (2018) 24 / Articles
License (German):License LogoKeine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz
Accept ✔
This website uses technically necessary session cookies. By continuing to use the website, you agree to this. You can find our privacy policy here.