Dynamic Repetition – History and Messianism in Modern Jewish Thought

“Sharvit offers an exciting reorientation of a well-studied segment of the Jewish philosophical canon. By aligning repetition with messianism, he reads and rereads major figures of the German-Jewish tradition to uncover possible new lines of thought in their work. . . . Dynamic Repetition is a wonderful analysis of these writers and texts and should be of major interest to those with any level of experience in this field.” * Germanic Review *
“Sharvit’s insights offer a profound and illuminating perspective on the interplay between historical continuity and transformative change, making this work an indispensable contribution to the study of modern Jewish philosophy.” * Journal of Interdisciplinary History of Ideas *

“The slightest gap separates the repetition of the same and repetition with a difference, but through that opening messianic redemption may somehow find its way. Or so suggested four of the most powerful Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, Rosenzweig, Kafka, Benjamin, and Freud, according to Gilad Sharvit’s arresting new reading of their legacy. Analytically rigorous, boldly imaginative, and lucidly written, Dynamic Repetition demonstrates how that most improbable of hopes is itself a revenant that refuses to die.”

-- Martin Jay, author of Genesis and Validity: The Theory and Practice of Intellectual History
“Many have pondered the peculiar form of messianism characteristic of early 20th century German Jewish thought, but Sharvit’s elegant hypothesis is a winner. According to Sharvit, the messianic drive of Rosenzweig, Kafka, Benjamin, and Freud is neither the Hegelian progressive thrust, which strives towards the completion of history, nor the apocalyptic death-wish, which hopes for the abrupt end of the world: it is based on a dynamic repetition, conceived not as a compulsion to repeat and stabilize, but rather as an impulse to reach forward into the future and innovate. Pace the popular opinion which perceives Weimar Jewish messianism as radical and uncompromising, Sharvit proposes a more moderate view which may be summed up by the talmudic equivalent of Søren Kierkegaard, Rabbi Tarphon: ‘You are not required to complete the work, but neither you are free to desist from it.’” -- Agata Bielik-Robson, University of Nottingham