Passion and Violence:
The Sacrifice of Isaac as a Philosophical Story

By :  Miriam Feldmann Kaye Adjunct Associate Professor, JTS Posted On Jul 18, 2022 / 5782 | Monday Webinar Stories and Storytelling

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The Sacrifice of Isaac is a paradigmatic episode in Jewish philosophy, ethics, and interpretation. But new ideas in modern and postmodern philosophy call us to re-read this narrative, and change the ways we have often read the story. We will re-tell this story according to an “old-new” method, amalgamating historical and emblematic ways of viewing the story, but also bringing new ideas to the fore, especially around the ideas of passion and holiness in Jewish thought. Dr. Miriam Feldman Kaye proposes important suggestions for reading the Sacrifice of Isaac in our contemporary world.

Part of the series, “Stories and Storytelling”

With Dr. Miriam Feldmann Kaye, Adjunct Associate Professor 

ABOUT THE SERIES

Join JTS scholars to explore a selection of stories drawn from across ancient, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish literature. We will consider the power of shared stories, the unique ways in which they transmit values, norms, culture, and information, and how they can bring Jews together across time and space.  

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