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The Fence and the Neighbor: Emmanuel Levinas, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, and Israel among the Nations »

Book cover image of The Fence and the Neighbor: Emmanuel Levinas, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, and Israel among the Nations by Adam Zachary Newton

Authors: Adam Zachary Newton
ISBN-13: 9780791447840, ISBN-10: 0791447847
Format: Paperback
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Date Published: November 2000
Edition: (Non-applicable)

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Author Biography: Adam Zachary Newton

Book Synopsis

"The Fence and the Neighbor traces the contours of two thinkers, Emmanuel Levinas and Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who crossed the divide between Talmud and philosophy "proper." Adam Zachary Newton shows how the question of nationalism that has so long haunted Western philosophy - the question of who belongs within its "fence," and who outside - has long been the concern of Jewish thought and its preoccupation with law, limits, and the place of Israel among the nations. To those unfamiliar with Talmudic thought Newton shows how deeply its language and concerns shape Levinas. He also offers an introduction to Leibowitz, a conservative religious thinker who was an outspoken gadfly and radically critical voice in the Israeli political scene. Together, their common origin in Jewish Eastern Europe, a common concern with national allegiance, and the common fence of religious Judaism that makes them intellectual neighbors are voiced in penetrating and original dialogue."--BOOK JACKET.

Booknews

Newton (English, University of Texas-Austin) traces the contours of two thinkers, Emmanuel Levinas and Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who crossed the divide between Talmud and philosophy. Newton shows how the question of nationalism within Western philosophy has long been the concern of Jewish thought and its preoccupation with law, limits, and the place of Israel in the world. Consideration is also given to the present state of Jewish thought and its potential for the future. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Table of Contents

Preface: Fences and Neighbors
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction: Signing the World1
Ch. 1Aggadic Man: Levinas and the Neighbor as (Br)Otherhood23
Ch. 2Mishurat haDin: Leibowitz, Nationhood, and the Fence of Halakhah101
Epilogue: The Present of "Future Jewish Thought"169
Notes187
Works Consulted241
General Index253
Scriptural Index259

Subjects