Daniel Sperber
Encyclopedia
Daniel Sperber is a professor of Talmud
at Bar-Ilan University
in Israel
, and an expert in classical philology
, history of Jewish customs
, Jewish art history, Jewish education and Talmudic studies.
, Wales
. He studied for rabbinical ordination
at Yeshivat Kol Torah in Israel, earned a doctorate from University College, London in the departments of Ancient History and Hebrew Studies. He is married to Phyllis (Hannah) Magnus, a couples therapist, originally of Highland Park, Illinois
. One of their daughters, Abigail, is the founder of Bat Kol, a Jewish religious lesbian group.
. He has written extensively on many issues regarding how Jewish law can and has evolved. This includes a work in which he calls for a greater inclusion of women in certain ritual services. He is currently a professor of Talmud at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and serves as rabbi of Menachem Zion Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. In 2009, Sperber accepted an appointment as Chancellor of the Canadian Yeshiva & Rabbinical School
in Toronto.
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
at Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and an expert in classical philology
Classical philology
Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
, history of Jewish customs
Minhag
Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...
, Jewish art history, Jewish education and Talmudic studies.
Biography
Daniel Sperber was born on November 4, 1940 in Gwrych CastleGwrych Castle
Gwrych Castle is a Grade I listed 19th century country house near Abergele in Conwy county borough, North Wales.-History:Gwrych Castle was erected between 1819 and 1825 at the behest of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, grandfather of Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald. From 1894 until 1924,...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He studied for rabbinical ordination
Semicha
, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...
at Yeshivat Kol Torah in Israel, earned a doctorate from University College, London in the departments of Ancient History and Hebrew Studies. He is married to Phyllis (Hannah) Magnus, a couples therapist, originally of Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban municipality in Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. As of 2009, the population is 33,492. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located on the North Shore of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.-Overview:Highland Park was founded...
. One of their daughters, Abigail, is the founder of Bat Kol, a Jewish religious lesbian group.
Academic and rabbinical career
Sperber is the author of Minhagei Yisrael: Origins and History on the character and evolution of Jewish customsMinhag
Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...
. He has written extensively on many issues regarding how Jewish law can and has evolved. This includes a work in which he calls for a greater inclusion of women in certain ritual services. He is currently a professor of Talmud at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and serves as rabbi of Menachem Zion Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. In 2009, Sperber accepted an appointment as Chancellor of the Canadian Yeshiva & Rabbinical School
Canadian Yeshiva & Rabbinical School
The Canadian Yeshiva & Rabbinical School is a Jewish yeshiva located on the campus of the University of Toronto. Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum is both the founder and the Rosh Yeshiva. Rabbi Daniel Sperber serves as the Chancellor...
in Toronto.
Published work
- Minhagei Yisrael: Origins and History. Mossad Harav Kook, 1998–2007, 8 vol..
- Masekhet Derekh erets zuṭa u-Fereḳ ha-shalom (3rd Edition) [in Hebrew]. , 1994.
- Magic and Folklore in Rabbinic Literature, Bar-Ilan University Press, 1994. ISBN 9652261653
- Great is Peace, Jerusalem, 1979.
- Roman Palestine 200-400: Money and Prices, Bar-Ilan University Press, 1974; second edition with supplement 1991 . ISBN 9652261475
- Nautica Talmudica, Bar-Ilan University Press and E.J. Brill, 1986. ISBN 9004082492
- A Commentary on Derech Eretz Zuta Chapters 5-8, Bar-Ilan University Press, 1990.
- Essays on Greek and Latin in the Mishna, Talmud and midrashic 1982
- Nautica in Talmudic Palestine. Mediterranean History Review, vol. 15, 2001
- Paralysis in Contemporary Halakhah? Tradition 36:3 (Fall 2002), 1-13.
- Tarbut Homrit Be'eretz Yisrael Beyemai Hatalmud (Material CultureMaterial cultureIn the social sciences, material culture is a term that refers to the relationship between artifacts and social relations. Studying a culture's relationship to materiality is a lens through which social and cultural attitudes can be discussed...
in Eretz-Israel during the Talmudic Period), Vol. 2, Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi & Bar Ilan University - The Path of Halacha, Women Reading the Torah: A Case of Pesika Policy, Rubin Mass, Jerusalem, 2007 (Hebrew)
See also
- Shira HadashaShira HadashaKehillat Shira Hadasha in Jerusalem was founded in 2002 by a group of Jerusalem residents, including Tova Hartman. Its website describes its purpose as the creation of "a religious community that embraces our commitment to halakha, tefillah and feminism" in response to "the growing need of many...
- Jewish Orthodox Feminist AllianceJewish Orthodox Feminist AllianceThe Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance was founded in 1997 with the aim of "expand[ing] the spiritual, ritual, intellectual, and political opportunities for women with the framework of halakha," or Jewish law...
- List of Israel Prize recipients
External sources
- Sherman Lectures, University of Manchester, 2004
- Sperber, D., "Congregational Dignity and Human Dignity: Women and Public Torah Reading” (pdf) Edah 3:2, 2002
- Bar-Ilan University Talmud Department
- Sperber, D. "'Friendly' Pesaq and the 'Friendly' Poseq" (pdf) Edah 5:2, 2006
- http://www.edah.org/backend/coldfusion/speakerInfo.cfm?authorid=223&title=Jewish+EducationEdahEdahEdah was a Modern Orthodox Jewish organization, generally associated with the liberal wing of Orthodox Judaism in the United States and with the Religious Zionism movement of Israel. Its headquarters are located in Manhattan, New York City....
, Daniel Sperber speaker information]