David Berger (Judaist)

David Berger (born June 24, 1943 ) is an American Judaist. He is Dean of the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University and Chair of the Department of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva College . He is the author of various books and essays on the Jewish apologetics and polemics of the Middle Ages as well as the modern critical edition of the medieval polemic text Nizzahon Vetus. Outside of academia, he is best known for the book, The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference , a critique of Chabad messianism.

Life

He grew up in Brooklyn , where he attended Flatbush's yeshiva for elementary and high school. He received a bachelor's degree from Yeshiva College in 1964; he studied classics and was a valedictorian . He then went to Columbia University , where he made a Master of Arts in 1965 and his doctorate in philosophy in 1970 . He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America , the official organization of modern Orthodox rabbis.

Before he became a prominent Chabad critic, he was best known as an expert on interfaith dialogue and medieval Judeo-Christian debates. He has written commentaries on the statements made by the Roman Catholic Church on relations with other religions Nostra aetate (promulgated 1965) and Dominus Iesus (promulgated 2000) and Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik confrontation . The Orthodox Union (OU) asked him to write a response to the broader ecumenical Dabru Emet (2000) and this response was subsequently adopted as the OU's official position. He also contributed an essay on Jacob Katz 's views on the medieval Judeo-Christian debate in the book Pride of Jacob .

Chabad controversy

Berger's 2001 book, Lubavitch Messianism made as just what Jews have seen through generations as a classic, Christian style of false messianism , made him a leading voice in the criticism of Chabad. Berger argues that Chabad messianism goes beyond the traditional halachic boundaries of Orthodox Judaism to the point that Orthodox Jews should not participate in minyan with Chabad Jews.

Fonts (selection)

with Michael Wyschogrod : Jews and “Jewish Christianity” . KTAV Publ. House, New York 1978, ISBN 0-87068-675-5 .
- as Mikhail Ryzhik (translator) with Michael Wyschogrod: Evrei i “iudeokhristianstvo” . KTAV Publ. House, New York 1991, ISBN 0881253847 .
- with Michael Wyschogrod: Jews and “Jewish Christianity”. A Jewish response to the missionary challenge . Jews for Judaism, Toronto 2002, OCLC 79075215 .
as editor: The Jewish Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages. A Critical Edition of Niẓẓaḥon Vetus (= Judaica. Texts and translations . Volume 4). Jewish Publ. Soc. of America, Philadelphia 1979, ISBN 0-8276-0104-2 .
- as editor: The Jewish-Christian debate in the high Middle Ages. A critical edition of the Nizzahon vetu . Jason Aronson, Northvale 1996, ISBN 1-56821-919-9 .
as editor: The legacy of Jewish migration 1881 and its impact . Social Science Monographs, Brooklyn College Press, New York 1983, ISBN 0-88033-026-0 .
as editor: History and hate. The dimensions of anti-semitism . Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia 1986, OCLC 970963644 .
- as editor: History and hate. The dimensions of anti-semitism . Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia 1997, ISBN 0827606362 .
as editor with Gerald J. Blidstein and Shnayer Z. Leiman : Judaism's encounter with other cultures. Rejection or integration? Jason Aronson, Northvale 1997, ISBN 0-7657-5957-8 .
From crusades to blood libels to expulsions. Some new approaches to medieval antisemitism . Touro College, Graduate School of Jewish Studies, New York 1997, OCLC 37975145 .
The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference . Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, Portland 2001, ISBN 978-1-874774-88-4 .
- הרבי מלך המשיח: שערוריית הװןײדישות, והװןײיום על װןײמונת ישרװןײל . Urim, Jerusalem 2005, OCLC 81306361 .
- The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference . Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, Portland 2008, ISBN 978-1-904113-75-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Maya Balakirsky Katz: The Visual Culture of Chabad . Cambridge University Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-521-19163-0 , p. 227. “Chabad's desire for distinction has received so much criticism that some opponents attempt to locate the movement on the fringe of Orthodox Judaism or even outside Judaism altogether. Historian David Berger, the leading voice in the debate, argues that Chabad messianism breaches the halakhic boundaries of Judaism - to the degree that he posits that Orthodox Jews cannot participate in a prayer quorum with Chabad. "
↑ Simon Dein: Lubavitcher Messianism: What Really Happens When Prophecy Fails? . Continuum International Publishing Group, London 2011, ISBN 978-1-4411-1223-1 , p. 64. “Here everyone is treading on thin ice, for no one can know precisely how deep Chabad messianism goes. When Berger and other critics claim that it infects the majority of the Chabad movement, they have no greater statistical backing than ... "
^ Dana Evan Kaplan : Contemporary American Judaism: transformation and renewal 2009 . Columbia University Press, New York 2009, ISBN 978-0-231-13728-7 , p. 31. “Berger points out that 'this is precisely what Jews through the generations have seen as classic, Christian-style false messianism.' Berger became the most outspoken critic of Chabad, writing a book, The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference. "

personal data
SURNAME	Berger, David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American Judaist
DATE OF BIRTH	June 24, 1943

[1] Maya Balakirsky Katz: The Visual Culture of Chabad . Cambridge University Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-521-19163-0 , p. 227. “Chabad's desire for distinction has received so much criticism that some opponents attempt to locate the movement on the fringe of Orthodox Judaism or even outside Judaism altogether. Historian David Berger, the leading voice in the debate, argues that Chabad messianism breaches the halakhic boundaries of Judaism - to the degree that he posits that Orthodox Jews cannot participate in a prayer quorum with Chabad. "

[2] Simon Dein: Lubavitcher Messianism: What Really Happens When Prophecy Fails? . Continuum International Publishing Group, London 2011, ISBN 978-1-4411-1223-1 , p. 64. “Here everyone is treading on thin ice, for no one can know precisely how deep Chabad messianism goes. When Berger and other critics claim that it infects the majority of the Chabad movement, they have no greater statistical backing than ... "

[3] Dana Evan Kaplan : Contemporary American Judaism: transformation and renewal 2009 . Columbia University Press, New York 2009, ISBN 978-0-231-13728-7 , p. 31. “Berger points out that 'this is precisely what Jews through the generations have seen as classic, Christian-style false messianism.' Berger became the most outspoken critic of Chabad, writing a book, The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference. "