Moses Mendelssohn Flashcards
(30 cards)
What was Mendelssohn?
A secular Jew
Who was Mendelssohn influenced by?
Spinoza
What did Spinoza reject?
He rejected medieval synthesis of faith and reason, he also rejected Maimonidian belief the Torah contianed a hidden esoteric ( mysterious) meaning.
What did Spinoza believe religion was?
A framework for ethical religion
What did Mendelssohn translate?
He translated the Pentateuch ( first 5 books of the bible) into German - Jews could now learn the language of the country in which they lived
How did Mendelssohn spear head commentaries on the scripture ( the blur ( Mendelssohn’s Hebrew commentary) )?
He combined Jewish scholarship and secular thought.
What type of followers did Mendelssohn have?
Prussian followers during the Masaklim ( 18-19 century of europe) in which they fostered the Haskalah. This encouraged Jews to abandon Medieval patterns of life and thought
What did Mendelssohn encourage in education?
He encouraged the modernization of Jewish education to include the teaching of secular culture.
During the Masaklim what else did Mendelssohn try to reform?
He attempted to reform Jewish education by wiidening the curriculum to include secular subjects e.g. they wrote textbooks in Hebrew and established Jewish schools
During the Masaklim period what was produced?
The first Jewish literary magazine, the Gardener in 1783, it included poems and fallacies in classical biblical Hebrew.
In 1840 where did the Haskalah spread?
It spread to Russia, this is where important contributions to Hebrew literature was made. Textbooks and European literature were translated into Hebrew.
In Russia, what where peoples thought on traditional Rabbinical Judaism?
They were critical of traditional Rabbinic Judaism and it was a way of hostility for Jews to preserve faith of their fathers.
What is the idea of Interfaith dialogue?
The idea of different religions cooperating together through positive interactions.
Interfaith dialogue is discussed in relation to what?
The holy land
What does Mendelossohn say about truth?
The knowledge of truth is a indispensable part of human life, so truth must be accessible to all, regardless of creed or nation. Therefore we should work together to find this.
What does Mendelssohn say about Jersulaem?
It is a plea for religious tolerance ( were all religions are welcomed the holy land)
What does Mendelossohn say about Judaism being the only path to truth?
No religion, not even Judaism can be the only path to Gods truth, therefore freedom of thought and tolerance to other systems of thought are a required for happiness.
What does Mendelossohn believe the disapora helped?
It helped Jews integrate themselves into the cultures that host them, integrating with other cultures doesn’t mean you are abandoning your religion.
How did Mendelssohn trigger Jewish enlightenment ?
With his Passionate double emphasis on the modernization of Jewish culture, paired with the emancipation of Diaspora Jewry.
What did Mendelssohn believe lead to a rise in?
Led to a rise in the reform movement.
So what are the ways Mendelssohn has contributed to Judaism?
1) The Haskalah movement ( leading to a rise in reform Jews)
2) He translated the Penteauch into German ( increasing jewish number)
3) Encouraged Jewish intergration into secular societies
4) The disapora encouraged loyalty to God and Israel ( talk about Holocaust)
What are additional contributions of Mendelssohn?
Ideas of free will
Immorality of the soul
Beliefs about Judaism
Existence of God.
What did Mendelssohn believe about Free will?
Every act has a cause, meaning that human freedom cannot exist, so we don’t truly have free will, so we cant truly be held responsible for our actions. So therefore God will decide whether it is goodness or not.
What is Mendelssohn believe about the immortality of the soul?
There are an infinite number of souls that form our inner part of the universe, which imposes itself on our body,it is the same and God’s goodness guarantees that the soul will retain its consciousness.
