Isaac S.D. Sassoon
Encyclopedia
Isaac S.D. Sassoon is an observant Sephardic rabbi (hakham
) and educator. Hakham Sassoon was born into the Sassoon family
of London. His initial education was under the tutelage of his father, the renowned scholar Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon, Hakham Yosef Doury, and others. Later studies were at the prestigious Gateshead Yeshiva and various yeshivoth
in Israel. He holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Lisbon.
Continuing his family's tradition of academic achievement, Hakham Sassoon has published on topics ranging from Scriptural commentary and history, to issues of current concern to the Jewish community http://www.jewishideas.org/node/26. Hakham Sassoon teaches at the Institute of Traditional Judaism
-The Metivta and lectures widely.
Highly esteemed in the Sephardic community, Hakham Sassoon has contributed to the maintenance of the heritage of the Babylonian Jewish community http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/14/25.htm and has provided the Syrian Jewish
community with an updated and corrected siddur
(Jewish prayer book) reflecting that community's traditions.
He has recently published a book called "The Status of Women in Jewish Tradition" addressing the particular religious tradition's outlook on women. He primarily refers to the Tora, Talmudh, and Dead Sea Scrolls in exploring the authentic position on the "continuum of patriarchal condescension." His goal, in writing the book, was to give authentic answers to a popular
(if not hackneyed) question.
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
) and educator. Hakham Sassoon was born into the Sassoon family
Sassoon family
The Sassoon family was an Indian family of Iraqi Jewish descent and international renown, based in Bombay, India. It was descended from the famous Ibn Shoshans, one of the richest families of medieval Spain...
of London. His initial education was under the tutelage of his father, the renowned scholar Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon, Hakham Yosef Doury, and others. Later studies were at the prestigious Gateshead Yeshiva and various yeshivoth
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Israel. He holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Lisbon.
Continuing his family's tradition of academic achievement, Hakham Sassoon has published on topics ranging from Scriptural commentary and history, to issues of current concern to the Jewish community http://www.jewishideas.org/node/26. Hakham Sassoon teaches at the Institute of Traditional Judaism
Institute of Traditional Judaism
The Institute of Traditional Judaism, also known as the Metivta or the ITJ, is the rabbinical school sponsored by the Union for Traditional Judaism. The Metivta trains men for the rabbinate, and also offer study programs for men and women which do not lead to ordination...
-The Metivta and lectures widely.
Highly esteemed in the Sephardic community, Hakham Sassoon has contributed to the maintenance of the heritage of the Babylonian Jewish community http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/14/25.htm and has provided the Syrian Jewish
Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: from the Jews who inhabited the region of today's Syria from ancient times Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern...
community with an updated and corrected siddur
Siddur
A siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as it is known today has developed...
(Jewish prayer book) reflecting that community's traditions.
He has recently published a book called "The Status of Women in Jewish Tradition" addressing the particular religious tradition's outlook on women. He primarily refers to the Tora, Talmudh, and Dead Sea Scrolls in exploring the authentic position on the "continuum of patriarchal condescension." His goal, in writing the book, was to give authentic answers to a popular
(if not hackneyed) question.
Selected works
- The Status of Women in Jewish Tradition," Cambridge University Press (2011)
- Destination Torah: Notes and Reflections on Selected Verses from the Weekly Torah Readings, a commentary on Chumash (Hebrew language edition Ve-ha'arev Na), ISBN 0881256390 ISBN 0-88125-639-0
- Uriel da CostaUriel da CostaUriel da Costa or Uriel Acosta was a philosopher and skeptic from Portugal.-Life:Costa was born in Porto with the name Gabriel da Costa...
, Examination of Pharisaic Traditions, ed. and trans. with Herman Prins Salomon, Brill, Leiden, (1993) [orig. ed. Amsterdam, 1623] - The Marrano Factory: The Portuguese Inquistion and Its New Christians 1536-1765, Antonio Jose Sariava (Author), Herman Prins Salomon (Translator), I. S. D. Sassoon (Translator), Leiden, 2001. ISBN 9004120807
- Siddur Ve-ha'arev Na (2007), a prayerbook according to the Syrian nusachNusachNusach is a concept in Judaism that has two distinct meanings. One is the style of a prayer service ; another is the melody of the service depending on when the service is being conducted.-Meaning of term:Nusach primarily means "text" or "version", in...
.
Articles
- The Relevance for Today of Uriel Da Costa's 'Examination of Pharisaic Traditions' , Studia Rosenthaliana, vol. 28, no. 1 (1994)
- Et Lirpoh (A Time to Heal), Hadoar, vol. 82, no. 4 (2004).
- Review essay http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-138949904.html on Agunot entitled Ra'ah Ma'aseh Ve'Nizkar Halakhah, Judaism, vol. 54, nos. 1-2 (2005)