R. Yehudah Halevi II: Defending the Despised Faith

Sourcesheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1POj6IVX8oP4DqLc8oAYUNFR8fNhXCJWqwi-K_cLAUVc/

Now that we've met Yehudah Halevi in the previous episode, we are ready to dive into his monumental work of Jewish Though, the Kuzari. The main claim of this book is often taken to be a definite proof of the truths of Judaism and its Torah, but what did the book's author think of it? Why, if the book is supposed to prove the truth of "the despised Jewish faith," does it go about this defense in such a strange way? And why would Rabbi Yehudah Halevi himself dismiss the importance of his own masterpiece, claiming it to be nothing more than a response to the claims of a Karaite? In this episode, we take a sophisticated, three-tiered approach to understanding and appreciating this extraordinary book, learn how it fits into its Arabic context, and consider its relevance to the 21st century.

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