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Echoes Of Glory The story of the Jews in the classical era 350 BCE-750 CE By Rabbi Berel Wein (Author)  List Price: $59.99 Online Discount: 20% You Pay Only: $47.99 Catalog #: ECHH ISBN-10: 0899063403 ISBN-13: 9780899063409 Binding: Hardcover / Pages: 333 Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches / Weight: 3.50 LBS Published: by Shaar Press In Stock?: YES Quantity:  1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950

Description:

RABBI BEREL WEIN has become a household word on six continents, as a foremost rosh yeshivah, rabbi, lecturer and historian. His scintillating presentations of Jewish history have won him a host of admirers -- and deservedly so.

Perceptively, wittily, wisely and accurately, he presents an ancient story as if it were happening before our eyes. He relates old dilemmas to today’s problems and shows how Jewish history is an endless and inspiring continuum.

In this, his third masterwork, Rabbi Wein takes us from the end of the First Temple Era to the times of the Geonim. He transports us to the eras of Alexander the Great; the miracle of Chanukah; the creation of the Mishnah and Talmud, and how they saved Jewish life for all time; the Roman Empire and the courageous rebellion of Bar Kochba; the rise of Christianity; such great Geonim as R’ Saadia, R’ Sherira and R’ Hai, and how they led the monumental Torah centers of Babylonia and North Africa; the emergence of Islam and the Jewish response; Jewish life taking root in the then barbarous lands of Europe.

Rabbi Wein places Jewish history in the context of the times. Just as important, he tells it from the perspective of the Jews, not through the eyes of Jewry’s enemies and conquerors, as history books commonly do.

The author has a voracious appetite for history and even the places where it happened. When he tours the world, he sees it as the locale of Jewish eternity, the settings where our nation took shape, the building blocks of today. His broad experience lets him paint the picture of yesterday with the broad strokes of scholarly insight.

In this new volume, Rabbi Wein introduces us to times that were exotic, exciting, dangerous, triumphant. This book does them justice. Seldom is a must reading so enjoyable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Berel Wein is the rabbi of Congregation Bais Torah, Suffern, New York, and the rosh yeshiva of Shaarei Torah of Rockland. He is a member of the Illinois bar, the former Executive Vice-President and Rabbinic Administrator of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and an avid student of general and Jewish history. He is the recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s Jewish Educator of the Year award for 1993. He is the “author” of a popular, major cassette series on Jewish history, which has made his “ Chicago accent” internationally known. Rabbi Wein is the author of Triumph of Survival – The Story of the Jews in the Modern Era, and Herald of Destiny -- The Story of the Jews in the Medieval Era, which have received wide acclaim.

Table of Contents

Excerpts

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Other Selected Titles by Rabbi Berel Wein:
Fingerprints On Universe
Herald Of Destiny
Living Jewish
Sand and Stars I
Triumph Of Survival

More...   Click here for full list

Table of Contents

Prologue

• Up From Despair / Focus on the Land of Israel / An International Faith / The Centrality of the Oral Law

• Going Home
• A Hostile Welcome / Rebuilding of the Temple Is Halted / In the Wake of Purim / Ezra / The Second Temple / Building a New Community / Nechemiah / Persian Tolerance / The "Great Assembly" / A Vital Partnership

• Greece and Hellenism
• The Beginning of Greek Dominance / Alexander the Great / Division of the Greek Empire / Division of the Commonwealth / A Corrupting Alliance / Translation of the Seventy /
• Hellenism / The Spread of Greek Culture / The Development of Philosophy / Three Schools of Thought / The Philosophic Challenge / The Ravages of Hellenism

• Twin Hellenism - Ptolemaic And Seleucid
• The Jews of Alexandria / Parallel Governments / The Sadducees / Tax Collection / Division of Power / The Persistence of Hellinism / Antiochus III / An Attmept to Rob the Temple

• Economic and Social Life in Judah in Second Temple Times
• The Basis of the Economy / Agriculture / Produce / Other Resources / The Trades / Slavery / Population Centers

• Chanukah and the Hasmoneans
• The Greek Notion of Sports / Jason's Decline / Menelaus and Lysimachus / Civil War / Persecution / Mattisyahu and His Sons / Yehudah HaMaccabee /
• The Miracle of Chanukah / Significance of the Miracle / The Hasmonean Kingdom / Lysias and Philip / Yehudah Defeats the Syrians

• The Hasmonean Dynasty
• A Clouded Destiny / Alexander Balas / Yonasan's Rise / Changes of Power / Tryphon's Treachery / Shimon's Victory / A Tragic Breakdown / The Exterminaiton of a Family / Jewish Independence Regained / Enlarging Judah's Borders / Dissent from Within /
• Efforts of the Pharisees / A Troubled End / The Essenes / Yehudah Aristobulus / Opposition to the Hasmoneans / Two Brothers Die / Shomis Alexandra / Alexander Yannai / Alexander Yannai and the Pharisees /
• A School System / Sacrilege in the Temple / Civil War / Alexander Yannai's End / A Period of Healing / Shomis Loses Power

• Rome the Colossus
• Julius Caesar / A Conflict of Approaches / Tiberius / Caligula / Claudius / Nero

• Aristobulus, Hyrcanus and Antipater
• Brother Against Brother / The Rabbis Withdraw from Politics / A Pig on the Temple Mount / Pompey's Intervention / Second Siege of the Temple / Pompey's Regime / Alexander's Escapes / Disbanding of the Sanhedrin /
• Caesar and Pompey / Antipater's Ascension / Herod / Herod's Trial / Antipater's Wiles / Herod's Persistence / Hillel / A New Focus / The Houses of Hillel and Shammai / Further Atrocities of Herod / Family Murders / Herod's Temple / Hillel's Legacy

• The End of the Second Commonwealth
• A Respite from Cruelty / Corruption in the High Priesthood / The Zealots / Pontius Pilate / Gaius and Agrippa / Claudius / The Pathe to Revolt / Florus / Inner Strife / A Fatal Triumph /
• Josephus Flavius / Vespasian's Campaigns / The Year of the Four Emperors / Three Factions in Jerusalem / A Meeting with Vespasian / Yavneh / Titus Attacks Jerusalem / Tishah b'Av

• Yavneh and Its Wise Men
• The Sanhedrin / Preserving the Oral Law / A Smaller Community / The Synagogue / Five Disciples / Titus and Domitian / The Leadership in Yavneh / The New Nasi / Changes in Yavneh / Nerva

• The Rise of Christianity
• Roots of the Religion / Paul / A Series of Paradoxes / Too Much the Same / A Widening Gap / One Good Word

• Bar Kochba
• Yavneh Disbanded / Lod / Roman Fury Unleashed / The Jews Revolt / Hadrian / The Sanhedrin Reconvenes / A Third Rebellion / High Hopes / The Fall of Beitar / A Failed Promise

• Rabbi Akiva and the Aftermath of Bar Kochba's Defeat
• A True Martyr / Rabbi Akiva's Disciples / Acher / Ambivalence Towards Rome / Hope for Peace / The Power of the Nasi / Antoninus and Rabbi

• Mishnah
• Rabbi's Project / Notebooks of the Scholars / Sections of the Mishnah / Migration from the Homeland / Rabbi Chiya / Rabbi's Legacy

• The Valley of Babylonia
• Rav / The Sidra / Hutzal / Nehardea / Sura / The Mantle Passes to Babylonia / Rav's Work / Rav's Prayers / Rav's Disciples / The Sassanian King / Sura and Pumbedisa / The Exilarch / Rav Huna and Mar Ukva / Rabbi Yochanan

• Rome Declines and Dies
• The Yeshivos in Tiberias and Caesarea / Decline of the Samaritans / Destruction of Nehardea / Growth of Pumbedisa / Constantine / Decline of the Jews in Israel / The Jewish Calendar / The Christian Calendar / Babylonian Leadership / Abbaye and Rava
• A Warring Family / "Julian the Apostate" / The Empire Weakens / Shifting of the Yeshivos / Rav Ashi / Reviving the Yarchei Kallah / Truce with Parthia / Leader of Pumbedisa / Leaders in Sura / Declining Fortunes in Babylonia

• The Talmud - The Book of the Jews
• Talmud Yerushalmi / Talmud Bavli / Aggadah / The Power of the Talmud / Toward Deeper Understanding

• The Era of Byzantium
• The New Rashei Galusa / The Savoraim / Life Under the Byzantines / Jews in the Western Empire / Jewish Life Under Christianity / The Synagogue / Monastic Living

• Islam and the Jews
• The Founding of Islam / The Influence of Judaism / The Rule of the Sword / The Spread of Islam / Sunnis and Shiites / Omayyads and Abbasids / The Jews and Islam / The Effects of Islam

• The Era of the Geonim
• Bustenai / Bustenai and the Geonim / The Courts / The Role of the Babylonian Geonim / Chisdai and Shlomo / The Abbasids / Anan and the Birth of Karaism / The Waning Power of the Reish Galusa / The Legacy of the Geonim