Hirsch and Krochmal Emerged vis-a-vis The Concept of a Jewish State

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Hirsch and Krochmal Emerged vis-a-vis The Concept of a Jewish State

The concepts of nationhood and nation building in the period of the Emancipation are very much a feature of cultural and intellectual history. This is particularly apparent in the work of Krochmal. Krochmal's authority in the so-called Historical School identifies him with the view that modern relevancies can be adduced from the ancient texts of the Torah. In discussing the Torah as a way of life for modern Jews, Kaplan cites as a guiding principle that "the primary requisite for the continuity of Jewish consciousness is not blind acceptance of the traditional beliefs, but a vital interest in the objects upon which those beliefs were centered."3 In other words, a historical rather than legalist consciousness governs acceptance of culturally definition. According to Kaplan, Krochmal's approach was to find relevant and universal meaning behind the concrete symbol or mere fact, even though the symbol may have appeared antique: "By making accessible and intelligible numerous facts which seemed to have relevance only in the traditional setting, by furnishing the modern Jew with a connected and plausible account of the Jewish past, they have revitalized the ancient texts and have made possible the retention of the Torah in its widest sense as an object of Jewish consciousness."4 What is lost in the programmatically interpretive approach to history is scientific or factual precision, says Kaplan. However, the emphasis on making meani

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20Edward W. Jelenko, "Samson Raphael Hirsch," Great Jewish Personalities in Modern Times, ed. Simon Novek (Washington, DC: B'nai B'rith Adult Jewish Education, 1960) 69.

__________. The Religion of Ethical Nationhood: Judaism's Contribution to World Peace. London: Macmillan, 1970.

7G.F.W. Hegel, Philosophy of Fine Art, vol. 1, trans. F.P.B. Osmaston (London: G. Bell & Sons Ltd., 1920) 245.

8Jay M. Harris, Nachman Krochmal: Guiding the Perplexed of the Modern Age (New York: New York University Press, 1991) 118.

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		Harris Krochmal \| Nineteen Letters \| God5 Krochmal's \| Judaism48 Hirsch \| Kaplan Hirsch \| Torah Krochmal \| Krochmal Hirsch \| World Spirit \| David Solomon \| Absolute Spirit \| jewish culture \| jewish history \| jewish tradition \| hirsch's view \| jewish identity \| jewish experience \| world history \| nineteen letters \| wagnalls encyclopedia sv \| nation building \| jewish spiritual \| jews nahum norbert \| sv jews nahum \| encyclopedia sv jews \| nahum norbert glatzer \|