Max Kadushin ( be, Макс Кадушын; December 6, 1895 – July 23, 1980) was a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
best known for his organic philosophy of
rabbinics
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian ...
.
Biography
Born in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
, Max Kadushin grew up in Seattle; his father operated a store for gold miners going to the Klondike. Kadushin came to New York in 1912. After graduating from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
and getting a B.A. in 1912, Kadushin studied for the rabbinate at the
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 ...
and was ordained in 1920. There he encountered
Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (born Mottel Kaplan; June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983), was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist ...
and soon became a key figure in Kaplan's
Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism is a Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization rather than a religion, based on concepts developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). The movement originated as a semi-organized stream wi ...
movement. As his studies in
aggadah
Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, ...
continued during the late 1920s, however, he found himself drifting away from Kaplan's decidedly
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
approach to rabbinics and began to argue for a more
aftermodernist approach—one that placed greater weight on the enduring significance of the
aggadah
Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, ...
.
In 1921, Kadushin became the rabbi of Congregation B'nai Israel of Washington Heights in New York City. In 1923 he married Evelyn Garfiel, a psychologist and professor, who later became well known for her book on Jewish prayer, ''The Service of the Heart'' (1958). Their son,
Charles Kadushin, became a notable sociologist and
social network
A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...
analyst at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and later, the Graduate Center of the
City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
.
In 1926, Kadushin moved to Chicago, where he became the rabbi of Humboldt Boulevard Temple. In 1931, Kadushin moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he served as the rabbi of the University of Wisconsin Hillel. In 1932, he received a Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
From 1942 to 1952 he was director of the Hebrew High School of Greater New York, later known as the Marshaliah Hebrew High School. During the next several years he served two congregations in the New York area, the Bay Shore Jewish Center of Long Island, 1953–1954, and Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, Bronx, New York, 1954-1958. From 1958 to 1960 Kadushin was professor of midrash and homiletics at the Academy for Higher Jewish Learning in New York City.
In 1960 Kadushin was invited to become visiting professor in ethics and rabbinic thought at The Jewish Theological Seminary. He held this position from 1960 to 1980, the year of his death.
Kadushin is now regarded as an important figure in the history of twentieth-century
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...
. In 1990, the book, ''Teaching for Christian Hearts, Souls & Minds'', written by the Rev. Locke E. Bowman, Jr., after conversations with one of Kadushin's students,
Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, was an attempt to apply Kadushin's theories of ''value concept''s and ''organic Judaism'' to Christian teaching.
Works
"The Theology of Seder Eliahu" (1932)
This work, a commentary on
Seder Eliahu, was derived from Kadushin's Ph.D. dissertation. In it, he argues that ancient
rabbinic
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century Common era, CE, after the codification of the ...
texts possess organic, experiential consistency despite the sometimes non-linear character they possess.
"Organic Thinking" (1938)
Generally regarded as Kadushin's most important work, this volume establishes the fundamentals of Kadushin's philosophy—
value-concepts, indeterminacy of belief, and
normal mysticism—in a relatively straightforward manner. Although much of the work consists of textual analysis, the influence of
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found applicat ...
is more apparent in this volume than in any of Kadushin's other works.
"The Rabbinic Mind" (1952)
This volume, which focuses almost entirely on
Talmudic
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
hermeneutics
Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...
, builds on both of his previous works.
"Worship and Ethics" (1964)
This volume focuses primarily on rabbinic
moral theology
Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...
and
Jewish mysticism
Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 1 ...
. It is notable, among other reasons, for Kadushin's relative denunciation of
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
as a tradition with which traditional rabbinic philosophy cannot easily be reconciled. Kadushin sees more practical value in
normal mysticism, the complex but decidedly non-
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
everyday religious experience of any pious and observant Jew.
"A Conceptual Commentary on the Mekilta" (1969)
"A Conceptual Commentary on Midrash Leviticus Rabbah" (1987)
These two volumes represent Kadushin's efforts to apply his system of
hermeneutics
Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...
to classic rabbinic texts.
Quotations
"What is not defined usually cannot be defined."
"Torah is not only personified, but possesses the quality of a personality."
"
iritual experience in most religions is seldom an unmixed blessing. Left to itself, uncontrolled, it may manifest itself in the most absurd of human vagaries and sanctify not only unsocial but anti-social behavior and utterly callous selfishness."
[''Organic Thinking'', p. 59.]
References
External links
Guide to the Max Kadushin papers Jewish Theological Seminary of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadushin, Max
1895 births
1980 deaths
Rabbis from Minsk
People from Minsky Uyezd
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
American Conservative rabbis
American Jewish theologians
Philosophers of Judaism
Process theologians
20th-century American rabbis
Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients