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Editorial Review Product Description
How do we articulate a religious vision that embraces evolution and human authorship of Scripture? Drawing on the Jewish mystical traditions of Kabbalah and Hasidism, path-breaking Jewish scholar Arthur Green argues that a neomystical perspective can help us to reframe these realities, so they may yet be viewed as dwelling places of the sacred. In doing so, he rethinks such concepts as God, the origins and meaning of existence, human nature, and revelation to construct a new Judaism for the twenty-first century. ... Read more Customer Reviews (4) 
Recommedation for a book of recommendations
Radical Judaism creatively combines many of the trends in modern
Judaism--with Art Green's unique way of rendering issues and debates
as urgent calls to action--to bring us closer to solving many of the
problems that bother religious and other thoughtful people: how to
reclaim religious passion from its misdirection into divisiveness and
atrophy, how to make our colleagues wake up and take action on the
disasters facing humanity and the rest of the world today, how to
respect our heritage while fully accepting modern knowledge.
If enjoyed the book a lot and know that it represents a summary of
Green's life work so far, but I don't know his other books enough to
say how many steps forward this one takes. Readers should also be
aware that Green is in an exploratory stage of this fusion of ideas.
The book is not a doctrine and perhaps not even a signpost pointing us
in a clear direction; it is an invitation to join him in creating new
forms for the practice of religion and social action based on these
ideas.
Green's Judaism is radical, yes, but true to its meaning as understood
by most Jews today. For instance, although he explicitly brings its
core message close to the "we are all One with the universe" message
of well-known Eastern religions, he also insists on celebrating the
diversity of life and the unique perspectives each person brings.
The book's ideas are too rich and complex for a summary, and other
reviewers have done a nice job presenting some of them, but I
recommend the book for its main themes as well as its byways and
enjoyable insights, such as why Freud couldn't have access to all the
rich approaches to relationship that Judaism built up over the
centuries and presented it in a narrow Oedipal light.
I'll finish by adding something for non-Jewish reader. Green claims to
aim his book at people outside the Jewish tradition as well as within
it, but I'm afraid his doctrinal and interpretive concerns delve so
deep within specifically Jewish areas that non-Jews will find much of
the book arcane and ultimately uninteresting.
Not Radical Enough for me
Arthur Green, Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2010.
Jewish theology has gone through many a metamorphosis over roughly two thousand years since the closing of the biblical canon. It is precisely thanks to this flexibility of the Jewish theological tradition that Judaism has been able to survive many extremely critical periods in its lifespan. In responding to the many dangers Jews have had to face during the three millenia of their existence perhaps none has been as threatening as the one brought about by relatively recent scientific advances such as Darwin's theory of evolution, the insights of modern astro-physics and the Shoah, (the catastrophe also known as the Holocaust). These three have placed a huge question mark over the traditionally accepted existence of the biblical theistic God. While in the end it is true that the existence or non-existence of God cannot be proved, it can be said that, by and large, science and the non-responsiveness/absence of a God-from-beyond have put an end to the plausibility of the existence of the biblical God.
In view of most Jewish theologians' apparent fear that the survival of Judaism without the biblical God is an impossibility, they have, and this has been done a number of times before, set out once again to reinterpret the Bible God in order to enable his continued existence..
Arthur Green's book, in my opinion, is yet another such desperate attempt at rescuing the biblical God from oblivion. Although to me, as a Jewish theologian and Bible scholar, it is perfectly clear that Judaism is well able to survive and to continue making a valuable contribution to world society without the biblical God, it seems that this is not the case for Green. I shall enlarge upon my position a bit later.
It is somewhat amusing how Green repeatedly avows his non-belief in the God as depicted by the biblical writers. He makes it clear that in no way does he accept a fundamentalist reading of scripture. Historical and literary criticism do make sense to him as does also responsibly done archaeology. But a literal reading of the biblical text, what our rabbis call pshat, is not acceptable to him and for that I applaud him.
Yet, the reality of God and God's pertinence for Judaism must by all means be maintained, it seems, and so, to accomplish this, Green turns to Jewish mysticism and more particularly to Kabbalah. Because it is impossible to convey his thinking in detail here, let me just say that God, for Green, is imbedded in human conscience/soul. God resides in every person; we are all intimately God-related and therefore horizontally related to one another. This possession, human God-connected conscience, lies within everyone and is available to be tapped so as to be translated into beneficial action for the world, but not every human being is aware of the great gift that lies within each person`s self. Judaism's task/mission is to make humanity aware of this inherent gift and to challenge everyone to act upon it for the good of creation. Our world is in danger of self-destruction because of our advanced human evolutionary state which provides us with enormous powers for good or for evil. Humanity's suicide at whose brink we stand can be avoided and even reversed once all people realize that they are called to goodness by the God-within-them. It is the immanence of God and our potential awareness of it that calls us to transcend our basic biological existence which we share with all other earthly beings, animate and inanimate. The theology that Green bases himself on is the Talmud's Rabbi Ben Azzai's insistence that the most important biblical teaching is that we, humans, are created in the image of God and second, the challenge contained in God's call to Adam and Eve, (i.e., to humanity): ayekha - "where are you?"
With the exception of Green's repeated reference to Kabbalah in which he grounds his theology, there is nothing new, let alone radical, in his teaching. Much of the same is found in Mordecai Kaplan, Abraham Joshua Heschel, but in both cases, minus Green`s Kabbalah mysticism. Let me, however, make it clear that all these teachers' ultimate theological thrust is wise and well worth listening to.
My final remark is this: the very same valuable thrust toward achieving a fully realized humanity is found in Spinoza's writing. By following Spinoza, one arrives there without the biblical God, as well as without the supra-rational hermetic teachings of Kabbalah. Once we take the wonder of nature in its evolutionary development which encompasses everything and everybody in the universe seriously and realize our connectedness to and total dependence on it, we arrive at the very same mandate for humanity that Green proposes, but this time on the basis of our evolutionary intellect and rationality which nature provides.
New Pathways in Judaism
Rabbi Green strikes a good balance in this book between a scholarly and personal exploration of non-dual Judaism.He takes on topics that others would fear to go: God and Being, Evolution and the History of God, the nature of the Torah, and the meaning of Israel, both in the ancient and modern sense.
This is a great deal of ground to cover in 166 pages.But Green is deeply committed to his view of Judaism, and the path it should take in the future.I view this work, and some of his other writings, as a prologue and challenge to create a `new' and more vibrant Judaism.He wants to shift the focus of Judaism away from theism and dualism and toward panentheism and monism.He can't do this alone.He invites readers to do their own work and investigations along this unique path.
Perplexity of the Guide with an addendum
I need to first state that the title of this review is not meant to be facetious.In this book,Rabbi Green (not related) admits to his own perplexities as a heterodox Jew in the post-modern world.
I do have to make one admission before I continue.I studied with Rabbi Green at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974-1975 school year.I did well in his class and remember that he was and most likely still is a powerful teacher.
To write a review about this book is extremely hard.Rabbi Green is a scholar par excellence in his field.This book has many gems to be mined.One can see the depth of his learning in the area of Jewish mysticism and Judaism in general.
It is difficult to write a review about his theology for what one is really saying is that "I would have written it differently".
With that caveat, I truly begin. Rabbi Green is both politically and religiously progressive.Based on the book, I do not know which drives which.
Rabbi Green seeks to create a new horizon for Judaism in the 21st century.The problem he faces I believe is that he admits that he is a mystical-panentheist, using personal metaphors. Such a horizon can not bind.
He believes in an imperfect God, one who is evolving.His God appears to be rooted in our "evolving" consciousness.In this regard, it seems to me that God is subjective.Yet, on the other hand, he believes that God permeates all of creation.To draw from another myth, his struggle with God reminds me more of Odysseus wrestling with the shape shifter Proteus.
His chapter on Torah was the most satisfying.Both a beginner and those advanced in the study of Torah can learn from Rabbi Green's sensitivity with the text.I agree with him that Spinoza does a disservice to Torah by treating it like any other book.I would recommend Leo Strauss' book on Spinoza as another means to untie the knot.(For those who have a certain prejudice against Leo Strauss, I note that he began his career as a Jewish scholar.He was a friend of Gershom Scholem and well respected by Walter Benjamin.The late Saul Lieberman supposedly made a similar remark about Leo Strauss as he made against Gershom Scholem about their respective studies.)As a counterpoint to Rabbi Green, I would recommend the Jewish writings of Leo Strauss presently being edited by Kenneth Hart Green.Leo Strauss offers another approach to interpreting the Bible which may offer another way for someone Jewish to understand their Tradition.
I am not convinced about Rabbi Green's understanding of evolution.It is somewhat simplistic.It appears that he wants to overlap modern science with religion.To me, science and religion are inexorably in conflict.Science by definition is atheistic.By definition, they can not prove miracles.
Again, for those who are following Rabbi Green's path, I would also suggest that they read Hans Jonas' writing post Gnosticism.He offers an alternative myth about God and his self-limitation and our responsibility in the world.He has also written about saving the planet which is the basis of the Green movement in Germany and the environmental movement in Japan.His writings have not caught on in the United States and should become a part of Jewish renewal.
I would have liked Rabbi Green to address the issue of sacred limits.
Among the many controversies in this book, his chapter on Israel may gather the most attention.I think his treatment concerning the State of Israel is basically misguided.As an aside, I thought the Prayer for Israel does not speak tomessianic pretensions since I had always thought that it was written by Agnon.
Even if you disagree with Rabbi Green, you must admire his honesty.It takes great courage to show one's beliefs so nakedly.The book should be read.But, I imagine that it will be only discussed in the rarefied air.For those who seek the continuation of Judaism, the question really is, "Will it play in Peoria?"I am afraid that it will never find its way there.
Last, but not least, I think the word Seeker does a disservice to Rabbi Green's life quest.Though it is not original to me, I believe that he is a spiritual explorer.We should be so fortunate to be like Rabbi Green to explore the heights as well as the depths of the spiritual map.
My true review is a 3 plus/ 4 minus.
An addendum:I would also recommend the writings of Lev Shestov, who through his philosophic studies, tries to burst through the idea of God to God.He is heavy on Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pascal, Nietzsche, etc.He wrote also on Husserl.
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