It is an honor and a privilege to offer this second volume of Iggud: Selected Essays in Jewish Studies to the scholarly and general reading public. The articles included in the volume are expanded versions of lectures originally presented at the Fourteenth World Congress of Jewish Studies, held in August 2005, in the divisions of the History of the Jewish People and Contemporary Jewish Society. These articles have undergone a careful and selective refereeing process. Both the editors of these volumes and the executive of the World Union of Jewish Studies are confident that this new format, which replaces the older Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies, will become an important publishing forum for scholars of Jewish studies around the world. The present collection includes thirty-one articles written by scholars from every continent except Africa and Antarctica, a potent testimony to the truly worldwide scope of Jewish studies. Worthy of note in this context is the relatively high representation, among the authors of articles submitted and eventually chosen for publication, of scholars from Germany and Eastern Europe—a demonstration of the renaissance of many aspects of Jewish studies in those countries over the past few decades. The articles are divided into six chronological and/or topical categories: history of the Jews in the medieval and early modern periods; history of the Jews in Eastern Europe; Holocaust studies; Zionism and the State of Israel; gender and history; intellectual history. The authors, senior scholars and younger researchers alike, apply a wide variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to their topics, ranging from social and economic history to sociological field work and literary analysis. The result, we believe, is an impressive collection of studies that illuminate in innovative ways the topics chosen for investigation. As this volume of Iggud reaches the stage of publication, we acknowledge the unstinting assistance of the staff of the World Union of Jewish Studies: Dr. Ronela Merdler, Executive Director of the World Union, who has overseen every stage in the process of producing this volume with her endless patience and good judgment, and Yochi Kahana, the secretary of the World Union, who has enabled us to keep track of myriad details and correspondence with authors. Thanks also to colleagues on the executive of the World Union, under the leadership of our president, Prof. Sara Japhet, whose support and encouragement helped make Iggud into a reality and, we hope, an important new addition to the field of Jewish studies. Gershon Bacon Bar-Ilan University, February 2009

Iggud: Selected Essays in Jewish Studies. Articles published in the Iggud Volumes will be based on the best lectures which were given in the World Congress for Jewish Studies held in Jerusalem once every 4 years, and these volumes will therefore replace the Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies which have been published thus far. I am certain that this upgrade in publication format will bring respect to the researchers and their research, a reverence they greatly deserve. In the first volumes of Iggud were gathered articles based on lectures given on the 14th Congress held in August 2005. The current volume is dedicated to three subjects: The Bible and Its World, Rabbinic Literature, Jewish Law and Jewish Thought. In editing this volume I enjoyed the cooperation of two colleagues: Prof. Aharon Shemesh of Bar Ilan University and Prof. Avraham Melamed of Haifa University, to each his work and experience. In the Bible and Its World Section eleven articles are published in Hebrew and five in English. This large number reflects truthfully the strenuous development in researching Bible commentators and their methods, a subject which is again central in Biblical Science of this era. Beside articles in this field, appears a selection of articles about Bible Study itself with its various spheres, such as Biblical criticism and prophetic books, archeology and realism, and the various ways that Biblical Literature takes. The Rabbinic Literature and Jewish Law section includes nine Articles in Hebrew and two in English. These studies span several branches of Talmud and Halakha, and show especially the expanding interest, these days, in the questions touching on the process of editing and forming of Rabbinic Literature. Further to these studies dealing with these aspects of the profession, appear discussions in issues of Halakha, Law and Talmudic tale history. Eight articles in Hebrew and two in English are published in the Third section, which is dedicated to Jewish Thought. The studies are naturally divided into studies of contemplation and teachings of the philosophers themselves, through their writings together with the era they lived in and the elements influencing them on the one hand, and in these several studies comparing between the first and the last and studying the connection between them, and studying their methods of research on the other hand.

Iggud: Selected Essays in Jewish Studies. Articles published in the Iggud Volumes will be based on the best lectures which were given in the World Congress for Jewish Studies held in Jerusalem once every 4 years, and these volumes will therefore replace the Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies which have been published thus far. I am certain that this upgrade in publication format will bring respect to the researchers and their research, a reverence they greatly deserve. The essays in this volume cover a broad span of issues concerning Jewish culture, offering a comprehensive linguistic analysis of the Hebrew and Jewish languages, a survey of ancient and modern Jewish and Hebrew literature, and an examination of the history of visual arts and musicology in the Jewish world.