As one might expect most of my outlook on Judaism has been influenced by my father. Also nearly as obvious is that my father’s outlook has been extensively influenced by his own teacher Hakham Jose (Yosef) Faur. I have just been informed of a new website for Hakham Faur which includes several articles available for download. Though not not fully comprehensive there are some excellent ones up there, including Anti-Maimonidean Demons (PDF) in which I happen to be footnoted.
The discerning reader will notice differences between Haham Faur’s, my father’s, and my own writings (aside from the drastic dropoff in scholarship and sophistication as found on this blog). What was transmitted to me at least was more of a system of thought which could then be applied elsewhere, but will differ based on individual experiences.
Enjoy!
(כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא דַרְכֵיכֶם דְּרָכָי (ישעיהו נה:ח
Hakham Jose Faur Website
March 14, 2008 Odds & Ends
Interesting. But I would strongly suggest they clean up or delete their forums, which have been taken over by porn.
Yeah, that’s a problem. I didn’t bother with the forums much like how I don’t read most comments on blogs. Even without the porn I doubt the forums for Haham Faur would be productive. Given the nature of his normal audiences, discussions would be dominated either by rabid followers or rabid detractors.
I guess you could say I only look at the site for the articles. :-)
I read the article which you link to and call “excellent”. The guy basically accuses all of the post-Rambam Rishonim of intentionally and surreptitiously replacing the Torah with imported Christian theology. I fail to see how a person who believes this can be considered Orthodox by any definition, nor how they can be honest about keeping halacha if it is indeed so heavily based on fraud motivated by paganism.
(In addition, the article seems to be riddled with mistakes from beginning to end, but that would take much more effort to demonstrate, and I don’t have time for it now)
To Shlomo – I too had problems/issues with the article. However, these were based on idealogy rather than ‘mistakes’ I noticed in the article. Do you have an example of a ‘mistake’ and a way to prove it?
To Shlomo,
Orthodox is a Christian term. I think that speaks for itself.
Anon: Replace “Orthodox” with “Torah committed”, or a similar term, and Shlomo’s point stands. No need to play word games.
While parts of his comments may be considered conjecture, it’s not like Hakham Faur invented this stuff out of his own head.
He has a new book out, “The Horizontal Society”. Section V (the only one I’ve been able to read) is dedicated to the Anti-Maimonidean–Bogus Talmudist–Kabbalah–“Rabbis of France” axis that congealed after the arrival of the Almohades and the destruction of al-Andalus and Muslim Spain.
He makes his arguments forcefully and cogently, and instead of dismissing them as “heresy”, which is PRECISELY what those whom he criticizes would be expected to do, ARGUE HIM ON THE MERITS. Look at his sources – the meat is in the footnotes guys – determine their context, and see if something may have been misconstrued, or could be construed differently or in a positive light.
It’s hard: I know. I hope to start the process soon enough. Until then, show a modicum of respect for this man, who has known too much disrespect and not enough sheer gratitude for his level of erudition, knowledge, and kindness – if you ever get the chance to meet him in person, which I sincerely hope you get the chance to do.
Section V as the only part available to me: “The Horizontal Society” is supposedly his most readable book. I have only otherwise read parts of Homo Mysticus and the above-linked article on the anti-Maimonideans.
-e
Hi,
The archive is being redesigned. In the meantime, there is a makeshift archive up at http://faur.derushapublishing.com.
Thank you!
LQ”Y
The new website, containing the archive and information about Faur’s books, can now be found at:
http://www.JoseFaurStudies.org
Berakhoth!!
pp
hola soy paulina espero se encuentren bien y espero alguna comunicacion con nosotros saludos¡¡
Shlomo, his claims are backed up by statements made by the same rabbis giving praise to holy trininty, bashing rambams ways very harshly, and god’s corporeality.Read section V of horizontal soceity.
Does the potential truth both you so much that you need to reject off the bat?
a) the language of “post-Rambam rishonim” is an argument ad authoritas. he accuses certain human beings of saying and doing certain unsavory things, which are recorded in the annals of history and documents with their names on them. whether later Jews or their contemporaries decided to ‘canonize’ them as “rishonim” or not is inconsequential.
Do you have a strong factual objection to any of the claims about imported Christian politico-religious frameworks?
b) I don’t fail to see how a person who believes this can be considered Orthodox, considering that it’s not especially far from what rabbi dr. david berger wrote in his own history of the anti-maimonidean polemics, but Hakham Faur is Sephardic and likely has little interest in your Hellenistic label regardless.
Orthodoxy is a Greek word, and look at that, one that comes to us by way of Christianity. It means “correct dogma.” But who would dare suggest that any part of modern Jewry is influenced by Christian values… surely not someone Orthodox!
c) halakha is based on the codified laws of the talmudh. has absolutely nothing to do with the anti-maimonidean movement seven or eight centuries after its closing. I would have a problem keeping halakha “based on” dishonest manipulations of certain “rishonim,” and so should anyone, but we practice RABBINIC Judaism, whose laws ceased to be legislated several centuries before these machinations.
d) out of curiosity did you ever get around to finding the mistakes?