David Berger (professor)
Encyclopedia
David Berger is the dean of Yeshiva University
's Bernard Revel Graduate School, as well as chair of Yeshiva College's Jewish Studies department. He is the author of The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference
and "The Jewish Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages- A Critical Edition of the Nizzahon Vetus".
from Yeshiva College in 1964; he majored in Classics and was class valedictorian. He then went on to Columbia University
where he completed a Master of Arts
degree in 1965 and his Doctor of Philosophy
in 1970. He received rabbinic ordination
from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
and is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America
, the official organization representing Modern Orthodox
rabbis.
, Nostra Aetate
,and Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik
's "Confrontation". The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU) asked him to write a response to Dabru Emet
and that response was subsequently adopted as the OU's official position. He has also contributed an essay about Jacob Katz
's views on medieval Jewish-Christian debate in the book, Pride of Jacob.
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
's Bernard Revel Graduate School, as well as chair of Yeshiva College's Jewish Studies department. He is the author of The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference
The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference
The Rebbe the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference is a book by Rabbi Dr. David Berger on the topic of Chabad messianism and the mainstream orthodox Jewish reaction to that trend...
and "The Jewish Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages- A Critical Edition of the Nizzahon Vetus".
Education
Berger received a Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Yeshiva College in 1964; he majored in Classics and was class valedictorian. He then went on to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where he completed a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in 1965 and his Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1970. He received rabbinic 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...
from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...
and is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America
Rabbinical Council of America
The Rabbinical Council of America is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU...
, the official organization representing Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
rabbis.
Activities
Before Berger prominently criticized Chabad, he was most famous as an expert on interfaith dialogue and medieval Jewish-Christian debate. He has written commentaries on Dominus IesusDominus Iesus
Dominus Iesus is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was approved in a Plenary meeting of the Congregation, and bears the signature of its then Prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, and of its then Secretary, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, now...
, Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
,and Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty....
's "Confrontation". The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU) asked him to write a response to Dabru Emet
Dabru Emet
The Dabru Emet is a document concerning the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. It was signed by over 220 rabbis and intellectuals from all branches of Judaism, as individuals and not as representing any organisation or stream of Judaism.The Dabru Emet was first published on September...
and that response was subsequently adopted as the OU's official position. He has also contributed an essay about Jacob Katz
Jacob Katz
Jacob Katz was a Jewish historian and educator. He established the history curriculum used in Israel's High Schools....
's views on medieval Jewish-Christian debate in the book, Pride of Jacob.
Books
- The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox IndifferenceThe Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox IndifferenceThe Rebbe the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference is a book by Rabbi Dr. David Berger on the topic of Chabad messianism and the mainstream orthodox Jewish reaction to that trend...
, Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2001. ISBN 978-1-874774-88-4 - The Jewish Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages; A Critical Edition of Niẓẓaḥon Vetus, Jason Aronson, 1996. ISBN 1-56821-919-9
External links
- Rabbinical Council of America profile
- Marissa Brostoff, "Yeshiva U. Brings on Critic of Chabad", The ForwardThe ForwardThe Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, October 24, 2007.