Irving Greenberg
Encyclopedia
Irving Greenberg, (1933-) also known as Yitz Greenberg, is a Modern Orthodox
rabbi, Jewish-American scholar and author. He is known as a strong supporter of Israel
and a promoter of greater understanding between Judaism
and Christianity
.
In 1953 Greenberg was ordained at Yeshiva Beis Yosef. He earned a PhD. from Harvard University
and served as the rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center
, an associate professor of history at Yeshiva University
, and as a founder, chairman, and professor in the department of Jewish studies of the City College of the City University of New York
. He has also served as the President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
. He is married to the Orthodox Jewish feminist writer Blu Greenberg
.
His great teacher in Jewish Thought was Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. One of his major contributions has been as a teacher, and a whole generation of distinguished scholars, including Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
and Michael Berenbaum consider him their mentor.
Greenberg's thought centers on the concept of 'Tikkun Olam' of humanity working as Co- Creator with God in improving the world. Another crucial concept of his thought is that of 'Covenant' and he sees the Jewish people's Covenant with God as enjoining them to set an example for the moral edification of mankind.
Only part of his post-holocaust theology has been published. Greenberg sees the Holocaust as a seminal event in Jewish history, which should be seen as the "breaking of the covenant" between God and the Jewish People. It is also latest stage in God's tzimtzum
from the world. The Holocaust drives home the point that the fate of the world is in humanity's hands. If there can be such a strong evil in the world as manifest in the Holocaust, there can also be realized in the world the most incredible good.
yeshiva
, the dormitories of which are named for his late son, J.J., and which is operated by his nephew Rabbi Natan Greenberg.
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....
rabbi, Jewish-American scholar and author. He is known as a strong supporter of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and a promoter of greater understanding between Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
In 1953 Greenberg was ordained at Yeshiva Beis Yosef. He earned a PhD. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and served as the rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center
Riverdale Jewish Center
The Riverdale Jewish Center is an Orthodox synagogue in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City.The rabbi as of 2011 is Jonathan Rosenblatt...
, an associate professor of history at Yeshiva University
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...
, and as a founder, chairman, and professor in the department of Jewish studies of the City College of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. He has also served as the President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership is a leadership training institute, think tank, and resource center. It is an inter-disciplinary and inter-denominational movement, in which rabbis from all of the major Jewish denominations in North America are participants...
. He is married to the Orthodox Jewish feminist writer Blu Greenberg
Blu Greenberg
Blu Greenberg is an American writer specializing in Modern Judaism and women's issues. She is the author of On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition and Black Bread: Poems, After the Holocaust ....
.
Thought
Greenberg's thought involves a dynamic reading of current Jewish history through use of traditional Jewish categories of thought. He has written extensively about the Holocaust and about the historical and religious significance of the State of Israel.His great teacher in Jewish Thought was Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. One of his major contributions has been as a teacher, and a whole generation of distinguished scholars, including Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Joseph Telushkin
Joseph Telushkin is an American rabbi, lecturer, and author.-Biography:Telushkin attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, was ordained at Yeshiva University, and studied Jewish history at Columbia University....
and Michael Berenbaum consider him their mentor.
Greenberg's thought centers on the concept of 'Tikkun Olam' of humanity working as Co- Creator with God in improving the world. Another crucial concept of his thought is that of 'Covenant' and he sees the Jewish people's Covenant with God as enjoining them to set an example for the moral edification of mankind.
Only part of his post-holocaust theology has been published. Greenberg sees the Holocaust as a seminal event in Jewish history, which should be seen as the "breaking of the covenant" between God and the Jewish People. It is also latest stage in God's tzimtzum
Tzimtzum
Tzimtzum is a term used in the kabbalistic teaching of Isaac Luria, explaining his concept that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his infinite light in order to allow for a "conceptual space" in which a finite and seemingly independent world could exist...
from the world. The Holocaust drives home the point that the fate of the world is in humanity's hands. If there can be such a strong evil in the world as manifest in the Holocaust, there can also be realized in the world the most incredible good.
Controversy
Because of his independent thinking Rabbi Greenberg has frequently met with harsh criticism from fellow Orthodox Rabbis. An initial strong supporter of Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion, he later became critical of some aspects of Israeli policy. Greenberg, however, continues to raise financial support for the Bat AyinBat Ayin
Bat Ayin is a village and an Israeli settlement and in Gush Etzion, on the edge of the Judean hills in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and Hebron. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva 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...
, the dormitories of which are named for his late son, J.J., and which is operated by his nephew Rabbi Natan Greenberg.
Works
- Cloud of Smoke, Pillar of Fire: Judaism, Christianity, Modernity After the Holocaust (1976)
- The Third Great Cycle of Jewish History (1981)
- Voluntary Covenant (1982)
- The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays (1988)
- The Ethics of Jewish Power (1990)
- Judaism and Christianity: Their Respective Roles in the Divine Strategy of Redemption (1996)
- Covenantal Pluralism (1997)
- Living in the Image of God: Jewish Teachings to Perfect the World (1998)
- For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter Between Judaism and Christianity (2004)
External links
- Articles by Yitz Greenberg on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
- http://frontrow.bc.edu/program/greenberg/Lecture by Greenberg at Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
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