The kuzari by yehuda halevi

Cover of the Hebrew language Warsaw edition of the Kuzari. Although the rabbi in the Kuzari is not named, the cover makes reference to Yitzhak ha-Sangari. Historical foundation [ edit ]. Influence of the Kuzari [ edit ]. Translations [ edit ]. Contents [ edit ]. First essay [ edit ]. Introduction [ edit ]. Superiority of his faith [ edit ].

Second essay [ edit ]. Question of attributes [ edit ]. Third essay - the oral tradition [ edit ].

The kuzari by yehuda halevi: The Kuzari was written

Fourth essay - Names of God [ edit ]. Fifth essay - Arguments against philosophy [ edit ]. Commentaries on the book [ edit ]. Bibliography [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions. Oxford : Oxford University Press. ISBN LCCN S2CID Harvard Ukrainian Studies. Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi. The Jews of Khazaria 3rd ed.

For the legitimate trustees of his spiritual heritage have been mystics, and not the succeeding generations of Jewish philosophers. Language: Hebrew. External links [ edit ]. These are the key concepts that run through the entire teaching of Judaism, according to R. Halevi, and they provide a fitting answer to the Khazar king's distress.

A second point of importance is the content of the dream: "Your intentions are pleasing to the Creator, but not your deeds.

The kuzari by yehuda halevi: One of the most famous

Halevi lays the foundations for the polemic that he will conduct with the philosophers. One of the striking differences between philosophy and Judaism is the importance that Judaism attaches to human action, as opposed to the scorn with which philosophy relates to it. Thus says the philosopher to the king of the Khazars:. If you have reached such disposition of belief, be not concerned about the specific set of rituals with which you worship God, or how you offer prayer or praise, or which words or language or actions you employ.

If you wish, you could even fabricate your own religion, for worship and praise and correcting your traits… Or fashion your religion according to the laws of reason set up by philosophers, and strive after purity of soul… I, 1. The Khazar king agrees that the philosophical idea is logical and beautiful, but it does not relieve his distress, as he says to the philosopher:.

Your words are convincing, yet they do not correspond to what I wish to find. I know already that my soul is pure and that my entire desire is to gain the favor of God. But nonetheless I was told that my deeds are not pleasing, though my intentions are. There must no doubt be a way of acting that is intrinsically pleasing, and not just through the intentions attached to them.

All this constitutes the background for Judaism's outlook, as explained by R. Halevi, which attaches great importance to action. It is in action and in the fulfillment of the mitzvot that one finds the embodiment of religious service. This itself, as R. Halevi calls it, is "the root of faith and the root of heresy" I, The Khazar king himself understands this:.

After what you have said, I should not think so. Only according to the philosophers can one be pious without deciding how to draw near to God: through Judaism, through Christianity, or through some other religion, or through a religion that he fabricates for himself. But with this outlook, we are relying on reasoning, speculation and dialectics.

According to this everyone might endeavor to belong to a creed dictated by his own speculation, a thing which would be absurd.

The kuzari by yehuda halevi: The Kuzari, full title Book of

II, We noted above that the king converts to Judaism already at the end of the first section, but the problem of the dream that triggered the entire discussion is only resolved at the end of the book in the final exchange:. The Khazar king: Since you believe in everything that you have said, God already knows your inner feelings, for everything is revealed to Him, and He knows all hidden things.

The Rabbi: This is only true when one is prevented from acting. But man is [generally] free both in the realm of will and in the realm of action. One can therefore argue against one who seeks visible reward without visible action. Thus it says: "You shall blow the trumpets and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God… and they shall act as a reminder of you" Bamidbar … [And it says:] "A remembering of blowing" Vayikra This does not mean that God needs a reminder or rousing; however, one's actions require perfection, in order to be worthy of reward.

In a similar vein, in order for one's prayers to be accepted, they must be expressed verbally in the form of supplication and request, both the intention and the action complete. It seems to people, however, as if the blowing of the trumpets involves reminding — and the Torah spoke in the language of man. If, however, the action lacks the proper intention, or if the intention is not accompanied by the proper action, there is no hope for reward.

Only when action is impossible, is there small benefit if a person confesses his intention and apologizes to God for his inability to act… V, This seemingly innocent question of the Khazar king reveals itself as being entirely non-innocent when we recall his initial dream. On the level of narrative, the king's query may be seen as a "trick question.

Did this spiritual quest only reveal to the kuzari by yehuda halevi the true path, or did it perhaps also resolve his personal distress? The answer to this question will now be given by the Rabbiwhen he answers the king's question: Does mere intention suffice? The Rabbidoes not disappoint us: "If, however, the action lacks the proper intention, or if the intention is not accompanied by the proper action, there is no hope for reward.

It seems to me that it is not only R. Halevi's literary and artistic sense that brings him to conclude his book precisely on this point, thus closing the circle and connecting the end of the book with its beginning. The central point through which R. Halevi chooses to present the faith of the Jews and their commitment to that faith is the certainty of revelation.

This revelation, according to R. Halevi, is so real on the historic level that it weakens the connection of converts — those who were not partners to this revelation — to Judaism. We shall deal with this issue later in the course. The Rabbi's final words about the God of Israel provide the Khazar king with an answer about how to deal with his dream, but they also provide him with solid proof that the God whose angel appeared to him in a nocturnal dream was the God of Avraham, and not the god of Aristotle, for only the God of Israel desires not only intention but action as well.

From this point on, the Khazar king is a partner to the God of Israel's revelation to His people. His faith springs not only from, and perhaps not primarily from, logical persuasion, something that the Rabbi speaks about throughout the book, but rather from his commitment to the certitude that grew out of the living and unmediated encounter with the God of Israel in that very dream.

Only now, at the end of the book, does the true role of the dream become apparent. It serves not only to stimulate the Khazar king to search and investigate, but it is also the backdrop and foundation of the unmediated revelation of the new faith of the Khazar king — the faith in "the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders.

Translated by David Strauss. For example, God's revelation to His people at Mount Sinai is briefly mentioned in the first section, and a detailed description is given later after the Khazar king himself says: "Now go on and tell me. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia Wikidata item. In the introduction, the author states that the purpose of his work is to reply to the attacks of those who wish to denigrate Judaism.

The Kuzari is considered one of the most important works of Jewish religious apologetic and has been reprinted many times in several languages. Related Topics Prophecy.