Hakirah
Encyclopedia
Ḥakirah, The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought is a peer-reviewed journal
in the field of Jewish Law and Thought
. The journal is currently published by Hakirah, Inc. from editorial offices in Brooklyn
, NY, USA, with 2 annual issues.
Hakirah was created by a small group of individuals in Flatbush, New York who study together on Shabbos afternoon. Concerned about the lack of sophistication in Torah study and the excessive reliance on mysticism
and kabbalah
, it was the desire of the group to create a journal that would inspire the community toward a higher level of Torah study and analysis.
The early volumes of Hakirah relied mainly on articles by members of their original study group, Asher Benzion Buchman, David Guttmann, Sheldon Epstein, Yonah Wilamowsky and Heshey Zelcer. From about the third volume, however, Hakirah began to attract international attention whereupon Hakirah redefined its mission to include not just the Flatbush community but those who identified with the Flatbush Orthodox community.
Although not stated explicitly on either their Web page or journal, the orientation of the Hakirah board is toward a commitment to Orthodox Judaism that is accepting of the proven natural sciences and documented history, and cognizant of the general culture and zeitgeist
.
Hakirah tries to address important contemporary issues affecting the Orthodox Community as they arise. In this vein, Hakirah has solicited and published articles on “The Eruv
”, Mezizah B’Peh”, the “Slifkin Affair” and the current “Conversion Controversy" in a straightforward and detailed manner.
Hakirah is not affiliated with any political or rabbinic institution and gives no heed to “political correctness”. Its articles question accepted institutions of both the right (e.g., daf yomi
) as well as works and ideas of the modern Orthodoxy and the left.
Transliteration of Hebrew words into English should follow the conventions of either Encyclopedia Judaica or ArtScroll
.
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
in the field of Jewish Law and Thought
Jewish thought
Jewish Thought is a field of Jewish Studies that deals with the products of Jewish thought and culture throughout the ages, and their historical development...
. The journal is currently published by Hakirah, Inc. from editorial offices in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, NY, USA, with 2 annual issues.
Foundation and Early Years
Harkirah is a Jewish journal which publishes articles that reflect a wide range of Orthodox beliefs and ideas. Those who submit articles run the gamut from laypeople, to rabbis, doctors and professors. The first volume of Hakirah was published in the fall of 2004. Each volume generally contains about ten English and two Hebrew articles comprising a total of about 250 pages. A new volume appears about every six to seven months.Hakirah was created by a small group of individuals in Flatbush, New York who study together on Shabbos afternoon. Concerned about the lack of sophistication in Torah study and the excessive reliance on mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, it was the desire of the group to create a journal that would inspire the community toward a higher level of Torah study and analysis.
The early volumes of Hakirah relied mainly on articles by members of their original study group, Asher Benzion Buchman, David Guttmann, Sheldon Epstein, Yonah Wilamowsky and Heshey Zelcer. From about the third volume, however, Hakirah began to attract international attention whereupon Hakirah redefined its mission to include not just the Flatbush community but those who identified with the Flatbush Orthodox community.
Mission statement
The mission of Hakirah is to encourage members of the Flatbush community to study issues of Jewish law and thought in depth by analyzing original sources, and to provide these same individuals with a forum to disseminate the results of their study for peer review.Although not stated explicitly on either their Web page or journal, the orientation of the Hakirah board is toward a commitment to Orthodox Judaism that is accepting of the proven natural sciences and documented history, and cognizant of the general culture and zeitgeist
Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age."Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era.The...
.
Hakirah tries to address important contemporary issues affecting the Orthodox Community as they arise. In this vein, Hakirah has solicited and published articles on “The Eruv
Eruv
An Eruv is a ritual enclosure around most Orthodox Jewish and Conservative Jewish homes or communities. In such communities, an Eruv is seen to enable the carrying of objects out of doors on the Jewish Sabbath that would otherwise be forbidden by Torah law...
”, Mezizah B’Peh”, the “Slifkin Affair” and the current “Conversion Controversy" in a straightforward and detailed manner.
Hakirah is not affiliated with any political or rabbinic institution and gives no heed to “political correctness”. Its articles question accepted institutions of both the right (e.g., daf yomi
Daf Yomi
Daf Yomi "page [of the] day" or "daily folio") is a daily regimen undertaken to study the Babylonian Talmud one folio each day...
) as well as works and ideas of the modern Orthodoxy and the left.
Editor and Review Board
The staff of Hakirah are mainly volunteers and the core members are those on the Editorial Board: Asher Benzion Buchman, Sheldon Epstein, David Guttmann, Shlomo Sprecher and Heshey Zelcer. Two of the Board members have smicha but none are Rabbis by profession. R. Asher Benzion Buchman is the Editor-in-Chief.Important Articles
Hakirah contains articles from rabbis, doctors, scholars and lay-people throughout the world. Some of the articles which created a sensation upon publication are:- “Mezizah be-Peh – Therapeutic Touch or Hippocratic Vestige?” by Shlomo Sprecher argues against the need to perform Mezizah with the mouth and shows that Hatam Sofer was of the same opinion.
- “Is Handshaking a Torah Violation?” by Yehuda Henkin argues that for a man to shake a woman’s hand in a business setting is not a Biblical prohibition (see NegiahNegiahNegiah , literally "touch," is the concept in Halakha that forbids or restricts physical contact with a member of the opposite sex...
). See also letters and follow-up in the following volume.
- A pair of articles by Aharon Hersh Fried “Are our Children too Worldly?” and “Is there a Disconnect between Torah Learning and Torah Living” examines the failures of a yeshivaYeshivaYeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
education.
- “A Hagiographer’s Review of “Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters”” by Asher Benzion Buchman challenges the claim of an academic that Rambam was careless and made many errors.
- Three articles in volume 7 by Yehuda Henkin, Marc D. Angel and Eliezer ben Porat question the decision by a Beit Din in Israel that invalidated retroactively the conversion of thousands of converts to Judaism.
- An article in volume 9 by Joe Bobker, To Flee Or To Stay is a gut-wrenching article about the advice and decisions made by community leaders and rabbis on whether or not to flee the Nazi onslaught.
Policies
Upon the release of each new volume Hakirah posts the first two pages of each article on its web page except for the lead article which it publishes in full. When the following volume is published the full text of all the articles in the previous volume are made available on its web page.Transliteration of Hebrew words into English should follow the conventions of either Encyclopedia Judaica or ArtScroll
ArtScroll
ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York...
.