This book throws new light on the origins of probability and statistics. Heretofore these were thought to be entirely the creation of recent centuries, but it is demonstrated here that probability has a much longer history, reaching back to biblical times. Study of the Talmudic sources, with frequent reference to selected commentaries, as well as post-Talmudic sources, reveals that such reasoning was used by Talmudic rabbis from the first centuries of the Christian era in dealing with juridical problems. The Talmudic rabbis even formulated the rudimentary rules of the arithmetic of probabilities and later also the mathematical theory of combinations and permutations. It is shown that almost all the conceptions of probability which are entertained today, as well as some of the enigmas which beset contemporary philosophers of probability and induction, are described in the rabbinic writings. Readers interested in the history of ideas and the philosophy of science, the development of logic and mathematics, as well as students of Jewish thought and medieval philosophy, will find much to engage their attention.

Probability and Statistical Inference in Ancient and Medieval Jewish Literature (Heritage)

Religion & Spirituality

Rabinovitch, Nachum L

Judaism

University of Toronto Press

Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch (1928-2020) was one of the supreme rabbinic scholars of our time, a bold and expert decisor of Jewish law, a talmudic scholar with vast knowledge and the ability to find new depth and beauty in ancient texts, and a philosophical exegete who was able to draw deep inferences about the human condition from biblical and rabbinic sources. Pathways to Their Hearts is a synthesis of the philosophical positions Rabbi Rabinovitch had developed over the course of many decades on matters related to the life of the individual. There are chapters on free will and the human condition, the way the Torah’s commands interact with moral change, the tension between law and the purposes of law, the difference between religious and secular ethics, the importance of intellectual independence, and the nature of halakhic decision-making. There is a fascinating comparison between scientific method and the search for the reasons for the commandments, and a powerful chapter on the relationship between Torah and science. The view that Torah and science are opposed, argues Rabbi Rabinovitch, was imported into Judaism from non-Jewish sources. This outstanding work - vast in scope, monumental in scholarship - represents the distilled wisdom of one of the great Jewish minds of our generation.

Pathways to Their Hearts: Torah Perspectives on the Individual

Maggid Books

Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel challenge Torah scholars to articulate a vision of state and society that embodies the highest standards of security, sanctity, and justice. Rabbi Nachum L. Rabinovitch (1928-2020) spoke of these issues with a rare sensitivity and wisdom. Based on Maimonides' halakhic and philosophical writings, Pathways to God argues that sanctity and good governance work together. National sanctity requires security and justice, which are themselves building blocks of a holy culture. The Torah articulates a vision of liberty, equality, rights, and responsibilities, which relates closely to modern democratic ideals but is not identical to them. The miraculous rebirth of the nation of Israel in the Land of Israel is an opportunity to improve not only the individual, but the collective as a whole.

Pathways to God: Torah, Society, and State

Maggid

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rabinovitch, Nachum L. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rabinovitch, Nachum L

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rabinovitch, Nachum L. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Probability and Statistical Inference in Ancient and Medieval Jewish Literature (Heritage)

Pathways to Their Hearts: Torah Perspectives on the Individual

Pathways to God: Torah, Society, and State