Lawrence A. Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Lawrence A. Hoffman is an American Reform
rabbi and a prominent scholar of Jewish liturgy
. He is known for his liberal religious views.
Hoffman is a Professor of Liturgy at Hebrew Union College
in New York
. He is a prolific author, with two separate books to his name that are used as liturgical guides. His writing examines means of improving the quality of praying for secular Jews. He has explored issues of liturgical change, but is most interested in the "community at prayer"—human and divine relationships in prayer.
Hoffman is co-founder and "intellectual visionary" of the Synagogue 3000 institute, an independent non-profit based in Los Angeles
which runs leadership-training programs and directs the rituals of more than 100 synagogues across North America.
, Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy, in 1987. His recent work involves translating medieval and ancient sources for secular Jewish congregations. Two of his books have been adopted by North American churches and synagogues as a guide to liturgical renewal.
Hoffman rose to prominence within the liturgical studies community following the publication of Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy in 1987. The methods he uses to translate Jewish texts go "beyond the text" and are traced back to the sociologist Peter Berger
. Critical reception of the book was mixed. Jack Kugelmass welcomed Hoffman's attempt to make a bridge between Jewish ethnographers and scholars of Jewish religious thought, but predicted the book would not interest anthropologists because Hoffman relies on "limited historical and very thin ethnographic references" to develop his thesis.
Hoffman first gained media attention for a series of articles in the early and mid-1990s advocating a "post-ethnic Judaism", which criticised efforts to turn Hanukah into a multicultural festival. They include:
Hoffman's recent work involves translating medieval and ancient sources in terms of "reasonable spirituality", which grasps the underlying spirituality of Jewish tradition without conceptualizing it in a purely sociocultural or theological way.
. He is one of the few Reform rabbis working in association with the Emerging church
to transform both synagogues and churches: in January 2006, the Synagogue 3000 institute hosted a landmark conference which brought together Emergent leaders and around a dozen Jewish "emergent" leaders; and in December 2007, Rick Warren
spoke at the institutes's biannual convention.
His early works include:
During the 1990s, he co-edited with Paul F. Bradshaw
, a former colleague of his at Notre Dame University, and Janet Walton of Union Theological Seminary
a series of five books on the dual liturgical traditions of Christianity and Judaism. The first two books discuss the history of the liturgies and the evolution of worship in Christian and Jewish communities in North America. The final three books were aimed at a more general audience and discuss the meaning of religious holidays, liturgical music and notions of the sacred and the profound.
Among his most recent works are:
Shorter articles include:
More articles by Lawrence Hoffman on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
rabbi and a prominent scholar of Jewish liturgy
Jewish liturgy
Jewish liturgy refers specifically to following the Torah in all of its rites and ceremonies, whether in the home or in the Synagogue. The main purposes of following the carefully laid out observances is to maintain uniformity, and to avoid improper and unacceptable practices at variance with those...
. He is known for his liberal religious views.
Hoffman is a Professor of Liturgy at Hebrew Union College
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is a prolific author, with two separate books to his name that are used as liturgical guides. His writing examines means of improving the quality of praying for secular Jews. He has explored issues of liturgical change, but is most interested in the "community at prayer"—human and divine relationships in prayer.
Hoffman is co-founder and "intellectual visionary" of the Synagogue 3000 institute, an independent non-profit based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
which runs leadership-training programs and directs the rituals of more than 100 synagogues across North America.
Academic career
Hoffman's first book came out in 1979, but he remained unknown outside of his field until the publication of his magnum opusMagnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy, in 1987. His recent work involves translating medieval and ancient sources for secular Jewish congregations. Two of his books have been adopted by North American churches and synagogues as a guide to liturgical renewal.
Hoffman rose to prominence within the liturgical studies community following the publication of Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy in 1987. The methods he uses to translate Jewish texts go "beyond the text" and are traced back to the sociologist Peter Berger
Peter L. Berger
Peter Ludwig Berger is an Austrian-born American sociologist well known for his work, co-authored with Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge .-Biography:...
. Critical reception of the book was mixed. Jack Kugelmass welcomed Hoffman's attempt to make a bridge between Jewish ethnographers and scholars of Jewish religious thought, but predicted the book would not interest anthropologists because Hoffman relies on "limited historical and very thin ethnographic references" to develop his thesis.
Hoffman first gained media attention for a series of articles in the early and mid-1990s advocating a "post-ethnic Judaism", which criticised efforts to turn Hanukah into a multicultural festival. They include:
- "On being a Jew at Christmas", Cross Currents magazine, Fall 1992
- "What do American Jews believe?", Commentary magazine, August 1996
Hoffman's recent work involves translating medieval and ancient sources in terms of "reasonable spirituality", which grasps the underlying spirituality of Jewish tradition without conceptualizing it in a purely sociocultural or theological way.
Personal views
Hoffman supports interfaith dialogue and is a signatory to the Dabru EmetDabru 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...
. He is one of the few Reform rabbis working in association with the Emerging church
Emerging Church
The emerging church is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, post-evangelical, anabaptist, adventist, liberal, post-liberal, reformed, charismatic,...
to transform both synagogues and churches: in January 2006, the Synagogue 3000 institute hosted a landmark conference which brought together Emergent leaders and around a dozen Jewish "emergent" leaders; and in December 2007, Rick Warren
Rick Warren
Richard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...
spoke at the institutes's biannual convention.
Works
Hoffman has written or edited thirty-three books.His early works include:
- The Canonization of the Synagogue Service (University of Notre Dame Press, 1979)
- Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy (Indiana University Press, 1987)
- The Art of Public Prayer: Not for Clergy Only (Pastoral Press, 1988)
During the 1990s, he co-edited with Paul F. Bradshaw
Paul F. Bradshaw
Paul F. Bradshaw is Professor of Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame.A specialist in the early history of Christian liturgy, he has taught at the University of Notre Dame since 1985...
, a former colleague of his at Notre Dame University, and Janet Walton of Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
a series of five books on the dual liturgical traditions of Christianity and Judaism. The first two books discuss the history of the liturgies and the evolution of worship in Christian and Jewish communities in North America. The final three books were aimed at a more general audience and discuss the meaning of religious holidays, liturgical music and notions of the sacred and the profound.
Among his most recent works are:
- Covenant of Blood: Circumcision and Gender in Rabbinic Judaism (University of Chicago Press, 1996)
- The Journey Home: Discovering the Deep Spiritual Wisdom of the Jewish Tradition (Beacon Press, 2002)
- Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2006)
Shorter articles include:
- Criteria for Evaluating Liturgy (Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility Vol.14/no.264, 1983)
- From Ethnic to Spiritual: A Tale of Four Generations (Synagogue 3000, 1995)
- How Spiritual are America's Jews? with Steven M. Cohen (Synagogue 3000, March 2009)
More articles by Lawrence Hoffman on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner