Revel Graduate School Hosts Successful Event Dedicated to Rabbi Dr. Yitzchak Twersky
Nov 10, 2022 By: stwersky
Rabbi Dr. Yitzchak Twersky
On Sept. 11, 2022, the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies hosted a conference marking the 25th yahrtzeit of Rabbi Dr. Yitzchak (Isadore) Twersky and the publication of his collected writings Ke-Ma鈥檃yan ha-Mitgabber: Law and Spirit in Medieval Jewish Thought. Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, president of 麻豆区; Dr. Daniel Rynhold, dean of Revel; and Rabbi Dr. Carmi Horowitz, professor of Jewish Thought and Intellectual History at Michalalah Yerushalayim in Jerusalem and editor of this recently published work, introduced the conference with thoughts on Rabbi Twersky鈥檚 unique character.
(l-r) Rabbi Menachem Genack and Prof. Carmi Horowitz at the conference Rabbi Twersky (1930-1997) was the Nathan Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard University and also the Talner Rebbe in Boston, serving as the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth David, or the Talner Beis Midrash. He was renowned both as an academic scholar with groundbreaking insights into Jewish intellectual history and as well as an inspiring and loving rabbi, wholly dedicated to his constituents鈥 well-being. The two morning sessions of the conference, 鈥淗alakhic Scholars and Their Impact,鈥 and 鈥淛ewish Intellectual History, Medieval and Modern,鈥 were meant to reflect Prof. Twersky鈥檚 breadth of scholastic inquiry and impact. Six professors presented papers on topics ranging froom 鈥淭he Intellectual History and Literary Corpus of R. Isaiah di Trani鈥 (Prof. Ephraim Kanarfogel), 鈥淚ntellectual Humility in the thought of the Rambam鈥 (Prof. Elisha Russ- Fishbane, NYU), to 鈥淩ationalizing Qeri u-Ketiv: Radak鈥檚 Methodology in his Biblical Commentaries鈥 (Prof. Naomi Grunhaus). Prof. Jacob J. Schacter reflected on his experience as a student of Prof. Twersky and Prof. Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg (NYU) responded to aspects of Prof. Twersky鈥檚 essay about the Shulkhan Arukh. Prof. Ira Robinson (Concordia) presented a snapshot of Yehuda Kaufman Even Shmuel, a modern-day commentator of the Moreh Nevukhim. Many of the speakers made reference to Prof. Twersky鈥檚 scholarly attention to the works of Maimonides and his seminal assertion of unity between the Mishneh Torah and Moreh Nevukhim, at the same time notimg that his academic influence was felt in the entire field of Jewish Intellectual History. The afternoon sessions of the conference were dedicated more specifically to Prof. Twersky鈥檚 own work and life. Profs. Bernard Septimus (Harvard) and Michael Shmidman (Touro), who both studied for their doctoral degrees at Harvard with Prof. Twersky, presented different aspects of Maimonidean scholarship. Professor Shnayer Leiman (Touro) spoke about his interaction with Prof. Twersky as an academic colleague and highlighted the sincere respect he accorded his colleagues as well as his deep dedication to improving Jewish education. Lastly, Dr. Kalman Stein (Hebrew Academy, Miami) described his interaction with Rabbi Twersky as a member of his congregation and spoke movingly about the close relationships that Rabbi Twersky formed with his family and children and the formative influence this had upon his family鈥檚 spiritual development. Video of this conference can be found here:
