By
– October 10, 2011
A diverse collection of viewpoints in Jewish theology, from a reasonably well-mixed group of rabbis and thinkers: all the major movements are accounted for; men and women; American, Israeli, and even British voices. Although somewhat uneven — in any assembled collection of essays, some will be stronger, and some weaker — the strong pieces are quite strong, the highlights including works of Rabbis Jeremy Gordon, Asher Lopatin, and Tamar Elad-Appelbaum. The collection presents a fascinating range of opinions regarding halakhah and practice, anthropomorphic godlanguage, and the future of Jewish prayer and ritual life, among other philosophical and social issues. Whether the theology offered here is truly groundbreaking is debatable, but it is incontrovertibly thoughtful and often novel: the work of a new generation.
Amitai Adler is a Conservative rabbi. He teaches and writes in Los Angeles, CA, and has been published in Sh’ma and Jewish Bible Quarterly.