Prophetic Judaism

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While Rabbinic Judaism—the Judaism of everyday laws—has declined in the modern era, Prophetic Judaism—the Judaism of profound, universalist ethical proclamations—has risen to the forefront of Jewish self-understanding. Peter Berkowitz of the Hoover Institution explains in this clip why Prophetic Judaism flourished after the Haskalah: Judaism as an ethical code was most compatible with the Jews’ status as liberal and democratic citizens. William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, applies this thesis to the American context, noting the importance of Abraham Joshua Heschel’s book The Prophets.

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