The Jewish Intellectual Tradition

“The book, situated between academic and creative writing, presents an innovative view of the history and impact of Jewish intellectualism. It does this by allowing readers to immerse themselves in the book and manuscript collections of five influential thinkers, rabbis, and scholars… Discussions of their collections are supplemented by immersive, fictionalized descriptions of their intellectual endeavors and those of other Jewish thinkers, offering insights into what they might have thought, dreamed, and pondered. This novel way of approaching intellectual history adds greatly to the reading experience. The combination of fictionalized prose and historical description provides a well-rounded overview of the individuals’ work and the surrounding cultures and literatures from which they drew inspiration and knowledge. … With The Jewish Intellectual Tradition, Kadish, Shmidman, and Fishbane have published an insightful and impressive book, approaching Jewish intellectual history from exciting new vantage points. By looking at book history and the history of select Jewish libraries across time and cultures, they provide readers with new perspectives on the Jewish history of knowledge.”

— Katharina Hadassah Wendl, Reading Religion

"Jewish intellectual tradition has produced unprecedented achievements and contributions to Jewish and non-Jewish culture throughout millennia. This rich and thoughtful book identifies the key principles inherent in this tradition and seeks to 'demonstrate how applying them judiciously' can benefit society at large… The authors exquisitely cover two thousand years of scholarship and achievement in multiple genres and fields."

—Diane Mizrachi, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California Los Angeles, AJL Reviews (September / October 2021)

"In this highly engaging and innovative work, [Kadish, Shmidman, Fishbane] try to identify what it is from the Jewish intellectual tradition that can be used for the betterment of people and society as a whole. The authors have isolated these principles, namely: respect for tradition while encouraging independent thinking; a precise system of logical reasoning in pursuit of the truth; and a universal and never-ending education. The book shows how these principles are fundamental to intellectual productivity, leading to making a better society. And the proof is in the Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals… The three authors, all scholars in their own right, have detailed this amazing intellectual tradition that should be a source of immense pride not to just every Jew but to every human being.”

— Ben Rothke, Jewish Press

“From tenured pro­fes­sor­ships to nobel prizes, Jews have excelled in all manor of schol­ar­ship. Many authors have explored where this ded­i­ca­tion to learn­ing comes from—The Jew­ish Intel­lec­tu­al Tra­di­tion: A His­to­ry of Learn­ing and Achieve­ment by Alan Kadish, Michael Shmid­man, and Sim­cha Fish­bane is anoth­er impor­tant voice in the conversation. … The three authors present the infor­ma­tion thought­ful­ly, build­ing a robust book­shelf before their read­ers’ eyes. The book serves as a help­ful teach­ing tool because of its short­ened expla­na­tions of mys­ti­cal texts, and ear­ly mod­ern trends—like the birth of Reform Judaism—that edu­ca­tors may find use­ful. As a whole, it’s a help­ful intro­duc­tion, not only to Jew­ish thought, but to Jew­ish his­to­ry and literature.”

—Rab­bi Marc Katz, Jewish Book Council

“One of the most impressive aspects of the book is the breadth of the authors’ knowledge, which, of course, matches the wide scope of the topic they are writing about. They draw from a vast range of sources—from classical texts to contemporary academic research—to provide a comprehensive overview of the Jewish intellectual tradition. At the same time, they write with precision, clarity and passion; thus, making the material accessible to readers of all levels of expertise. …[T]his book is an outstanding contribution to the field of Jewish studies, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Jewish intellectual tradition at large. Its insightful and engaging exploration of the ways in which Jewish thought has shaped Western civilization is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers for years to come.”

—Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, The Jewish Link