![Marc Shapiro picture 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Marc_Shapiro_picture_5.jpg)
Marc B. Shapiro (Hebrew: מלך שפירא, born 1966) is a professor and the author of various books and articles on Jewish history, philosophy, theology, and rabbinic literature.
Education and career
Shapiro received his BA at
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
and his PhD at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, where he was the last PhD student of Professor
Isadore Twersky
Isadore Twersky (born Yitzchak Asher Twersky, October 9, 1930 – October 12, 1997) was an Orthodox rabbi and Hasidic Rebbe, and university professor who held the position of the '' Nathan Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosop ...
. He received
rabbinical ordination from Rabbi
Ephraim Greenblatt Ephraim Greenblatt (1932–2014) was a rabbi and ''Halakha, halachic'' authority in the United States, and at the end of his life in Jerusalem. He was famous for his many halachic answers
and is considered a leading disciple of Moshe Feinstein.
Bio ...
. Shapiro's father is
Edward S. Shapiro
Edward S. Shapiro (born 1938) is a historian of American history and American Jewish history. He received his BA at Georgetown University and his PhD at Harvard University. His doctoral dissertation was ''The American Distributists and the New Deal ...
, who has published books on American history and American Jewish history.
Shapiro holds the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies at the
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
. Shapiro is an on-line lecturer for Torah in Motion, for which he also leads Jewish history tours to Europe and Morocco. He often writes for the Seforim Blog.
Shapiro has been a resident of
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census. .
Writing
Shapiro's writings often challenge the bounds of the conventional Orthodox understanding of Judaism, using academic methodology while adhering to Modern Orthodox sensibilities. His publications have had mixed reception, ranging from criticism within the American publication
Jewish Action
''Jewish Action'' is an American Orthodox Jewish magazine published by the Orthodox Union.
The magazine generally presents a Modern Orthodox viewpoint, and covers "topics of interest to an international Orthodox Jewish audience... ncludingartic ...
, to support throughout the spectrum of
Modern Orthodoxy
Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to Torah Umadda#Synthesis, synthesize Jewish principles of faith, Jewish values and the halakha, observance of Jewish law with t ...
.
Shapiro's book, ''Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg,'' a biography of
Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg (1884–1966) was an Orthodox rabbi, posek ("decisor" of Jewish law) and rosh yeshiva. He is best known as the author of the work of responsa ''Seridei Eish''.
Weinberg was considered a genius in his time - with m ...
, was a
National Jewish Book Award
The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.[National Jewish Book Award
The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.][Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...]
Thirteen Principles of Faith are unquestionable dogma. Gidon Rothstein, writing in the Association for Jewish Studies Review, called the book's collection of sources "remarkable."
Shapiro's 2006 book, '' Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox'', discusses how the Orthodox world related to
Saul Lieberman
Saul Lieberman (Hebrew: שאול ליברמן, May 28, 1898 – March 23, 1983), also known as Rabbi Shaul Lieberman or, among some of his students, The ''Gra"sh'' (''Gaon Rabbeinu Shaul''), was a rabbi and a Talmudic scholar. He served as Professo ...
, who was a recognized talmudic scholar who chose to teach at the Conservative
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...
.
Shapiro's 2008 book, ''Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters'', looks at how Maimonides has been understood in both the traditional and the academic worlds. It also deals with Maimonides' attitude towards superstition.
In 2015, Shapiro's book ''Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History'', was released, documenting the phenomenon of internal censorship in Orthodoxy; where
Adam Ferziger
Adam S. Ferziger (born November 10, 1964, in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn) is an intellectual and social historian whose research focuses on Jewish religious movements and religious responses to secularization and assimilation in modern and ...
said the book "is the outstanding product of a master of rabbinic literature and an extraordinarily sharp-eyed and meticulous scholar." Yair Hoffman, writing in the Hareidi online website
Yeshiva World News
''Yeshiva World News'' (YWN) is an Orthodox Jewish online news publication. It also has multiple services catering to Jews all over the world.
History
Yeshiva World News started in 2003 as a news aggregation blog by its founder Yehudah Eckstein. ...
, criticized the book, saying that "there is a plethora of material that simply should not have been included in the book because it does not back up his thesis."
Ezra Glinter, writing in
The Forward
''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...
, praised Shapiro's "evenhanded, evidence-heavy approach" and that he was not a "polemicist," but said "his argument could also have benefited from a more critical thrust."
In 2019 Shapiro published ''Iggerot Malkhei Rabbanan'' which contains more than thirty years of correspondence with some of the world's most outstanding Torah scholars.
Books, Articles, Lectures
*''Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, 1884–1966'' (London, 1999)
*''Collected Writings of R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg,'' 2 Volumes (Scranton, 1998, 2003)
*''The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides' Thirteen Principles Reappraised'' (Oxford, 2004)
*''Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox'' (Scranton, 2006)
*''Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters'' (Scranton, 2008)
*''Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History'' (Oxford, 2015)
*''Iggerot Malkhei Rabbanan'' (Scranton, 2019)
Shapiro posts at the Seforim BlogShapiro series on the Mir Yeshiva escape to ShanghaiShapiro series on Saul LiebermanShapiro series on his latest book, ''Iggerot Malkhei Rabbanan''Shapiro series on the rise of Reform and the rabbinic responseShapiro series on Zechariah Frankel and the Positive-Historical SchoolShapiro class on kitniyotShapiro class on Torah study on Christmas EveShapiro class on Rabbi Yitzhak NissimShapiro class on Rabbi Elijah BenamozeghShapiro lecture on Rabbi Joseph MessasShapiro lecture on Rabbi Zvi Yehuda and the Hazon IshShapiro lecture on Issues of Dogma in Recent Orthodox LiteratureSeforim Chatter interviewCredo 13Shapiro Academia page
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Marc B.
Jewish historians
Judaic studies
University of Scranton faculty
American Modern Orthodox Jews
1966 births
Living people
Harvard University alumni
Brandeis University alumni
People from West Orange, New Jersey