This thesis contrasts the Plotinean attitude towards transcendence at the cosmological level with that of certain Kabbalistic authors of the 13th-17th century. Special emphasis is placed on the different approaches taken by each of the two sides to addressing the origin of otherness. Following a brief introduction to the notion of the question of transcendence, the first major part (chapter II) is dedicated to an exploration of the Plotinean conception of metaphysical "descent" from the One to subsequent hypostases. The second major part (chapter III) focuses on Kabbalistic conceptions of the descent from the indefinite infinite to the finite (limited) realm. Finally, I attempt to illustrate the questions and concerns common to each of the two cosmologies. In so doing, I make use of semiotic concepts to clarify the contrast between the two models.

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This research was conducted to determine the extent to which Jewish adults perceive themselves ethnically and/or religiously Jewish and how a range of personal characteristics, attitudes and practices related to the importance of ethnic and religious identity. A random sample of 540 individuals was taken from the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver's mailing list comprised of Jewish individuals in the Lower Mainland that identify with the Jewish community This sample completed a survey on the importance of Jewish ethnic and religious identity. There were significantly more people who felt it was very important or somewhat important to be ethnically Jewish than felt it was very important or somewhat important to be religiously Jewish: 92.1% versus 59.8%. Three hypotheses were tested to examine the relationship between the importance of ethnic and religious identity (dependent variables) and the importance of ethnic and religious identity and certain personal characteristics, attitudes and practices. Cross-tabulations and analysis of variance were done to test these hypotheses. A fourth hypothesis was tested with logistic regression which was used to build a model to predict whether a subject would rate "ethnic" Jewishness as "very important" vs. "not very important" and "religious" Jewishness as "important" or "unimportant" based on a set of predictor variables. The findings indicate a significant relationship between the two dependent variables, very few personal characteristics were related to the dependent variables, and a significant relationship was found between all the attitudes and the majority of the practices and the two dependent variables. The most important predictor of whether a subject would rate "ethnic" Jewishness as "very important" or "not very important" was the global attitude score. The most important predictors of whether a subject would rate "religious" Jewishness as "important" or "unimportant" were global attitude and attitudes and practices reported as important because they are divinely ordained. When global attitudes were taken out of the logistic regression model due to their high degree of overlap with the global practices, the most important predictor of whether a subject would rate "ethnic" Jewishness as "very important" or "not very important" were the global practices, proportion of Jewish friends, and attitudes and practices reported as important because they provide a connection to the Jewish people. The most important predictors for whether a subject would rate" religious" Jewishness as "important" or "unimportant" were marital status, global practice, denominational affiliation and attitudes and practices reported as important because they are divinely ordained. The individual's sense of identity and the factors that contribute to that identity are important aspects in the psychological functioning of members of ethnic, racial and religious minority groups. The information gathered from this study aids those in the helping profession in understanding the important and unique role religion and ethnicity plays in individual lives as well as identifying ethnic and religious priorities for community services.

Having been a male dominated pursuit, Bible interpretation has long reflected a male bias and encouraged sexual stereotyping in the study of biblical characters. The history of Jewish Bible interpretation and the traditional Jewish emphasis on works of specific exegetes have, in turn, colored the educational materials used in Jewish school curricula and stereotypes have been perpetuated as elementary school children study the Bible. This thesis focuses on eight women in Scripture. After examining the Bible, selected rabbinic exegetical works are studied to see how this literature reflects or changes the Bible's image. A review of textbooks and teaching tools used for Bible study follows to see how these educational materials present the biblical women, whether or not they mirror classical Jewish perspectives on biblical women, and if they offer a varied portrait of the figures.

A comparison is made between the manner in which motherhood is perceived from a liberal feminist point of view within the patriarchal framework of modern western society, and the way in which it is viewed in ultra-orthodox Judaism among middle-class women. In considering some aspects of motherhood and marriage, a comparison is made between the ethics of liberal feminism, rooted as they are in liberal ideology, and the ethics of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. The problem of the exploitation of women during child-rearing and child-bearing years, as a result of financial dependence on an individual man, and the lack of legislation and protection for women in the private sphere regarding physical and mental abuse in marriage, is considered and compared with that of ultra-Orthodox Judaism where the private sphere is religiously legislated. / Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

The object of this dissertation is to illustrate the significance of Prana (life breath):- -As it obtains in the oral tradition -With reference to the Aramaic Rouhah -In Pranayama (breath control) -In Surya Namaskar (Obeisance to the sun) The role of Prana in man was recognised and venerated since time immemorial. In the introduction, Prana is perceived as a global, anthropological phenomenon. Chapter one provides a theoretical framework linking Pranato Oral Tradition by focusing on Marcel Jousse and his teachings; the Orality Perspective and the Orality - Literacy interface. Since the earliest record of the terms; yoga, Prana and Pranayama appear in the Vedas, the significance of the Vedas, especially as they exemplify oral expression, is mentioned. Chapter two focuses on: firstly, Prana within the context of yoga and secondly, Prana and its relation to the Aramaic Rouhah. The congruency of thought on the breath suffices to entrench Prana as a global entity. In chapter three, the enhancement of the quality and quantity of Prana via Pranayama (control of the breath) is discussed. Pranayama sets out with the purpose of achieving complete harmonisation of the body-mind axis, and thereby proceeding to the divinisatlon of energy. A cohesive whole is established by three essential and integrated elements; the breath (Prana), the physical gesture (asana) and the spoken gesture (mantra) in Surya Namaskar. Oral features in these elements are analysed in chapter four. The conclusion serves to emphasize that the wealth of oral tradition is amply evident in the concepts of Prana, Rouhah and Prananayama. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Jewish Tractate Mourning are important texts about death in their respective traditions. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a manual read by the living to the deceased as the deceased journeys through the many realms of the after-life. It is an abstract, philosophical text. The Tractate Mourning on the other hand, is a highly empirical and pragmatic text that guides the living through their loss. It is concerned only with the living left behind and offers no guidance to the deceased. Despite this profound difference however, this thesis has as its objective to show that both traditions, as evidenced through these texts, share an underlying emotion: compassion. Through the concern shown to the deceased as he or she stumbles through the often terrifying realms of the after-life in the Tibetan tradition, and through the precise and detailed instructions given to the living in the Jewish tradition as the mourners are guided through their grief, both texts exhibit profound compassion.

In Hebrew, as in English, the masculine form takes precedence over the feminine, and consequently many masculine terms can serve both generic and sex-specific functions. Almost all biblical laws, whether formulated in the imperative or in the third person, appear in singular or plural masculine form, and therefore present a major difficulty in terms of gender interpretation. The position of women in the legal covenant is thus rendered highly ambiguous. / The tannaitic sages, Jewish biblical exegetes of the first post-Christian centuries, were acutely aware of the problem and wrote numerous midrashim which interpreted ambiguous terms of gender in the biblical legal corpus. They determined the extent to which the various gender references referred to women. / These interpretations have been almost totally neglected in modern biblical and rabbinic scholarship, and are here collated and carefully analyzed for the first time. It is shown that though the sages operated within an ideological framework, their exegetical procedures played a major role in their legislation.

This thesis is divided into three distinct yet related chapters. The first chapter deals with the question of the actual calendar which is used in Jubilees. The work criticizes scholarly opinions concerning the calendar which have gone relatively unchallenged since the Qumran discovery. The chapter concludes that while the calendar question is difficult and many calendars can be detected as functioning in the work, it is the 28-day month which is dominant and not months of 30, 30 and 31 days. In the second chapter which deals with the genealogy of the patriarchs, the attention of the reader is directed to the names of the wives of the patriarchs. The question which the thesis raises at this point is related to the function of these women in the narrative in relation to the etymology of their names. The conclusion reached is that the narrative and the etymology of the names are clearly related. For example, when the etymological meaning of a woman is favourable, the narrative at that point is positive and vice versa. Chapter Three deals with chronology which is in close proximity to both calendar and genealogy. The question the thesis asks is how the chronology of Jubilees relates to the chronologies of MT, LXX and SP and also raises the question as to which chronology that of Jubilees is dependant upon for its structure. It is determined that Jubilees and SP are most closely related. The structure itself of the chronology of Jubilees is examined and it is concluded that the design is more concerned with past history than future history. The implications of the thesis on the questions of date and authorship are considered. The conclusion is reached that the author is a member of an unnamed conservative-pietist sect who wrote at a time later than Antiochus IV.

Excerpt from introduction: This thesis aims to examine Kafka's life and work in relation to what is arguably the crucial factor in his complex historical, cultural, literary and religious background. The particular relevance of his Jewishness is a subject that has occasionally been discussed in the study of Kafka; attention has been drawn to it especially by his Jewish contemporaries and friends, but the issues involved in it have not yet received exhaustive investigation. The main part of my thesis is devoted to the subject of Kafka's interest in Jewish mysticism, notably in its Hasidic form, in the later years of his life. It shows how his search to regain a sense of participation in Jewish tradition, combined with religious impulses deeply inclined towards an esoteric spirituality, led him to practise his art in the light of this interest as a religious pursuit with unmistakably mystical intent. What I hope becomes clear from my work is the course of individual development by which growing concern for his relation to Jewish tradition led Kafka to deeper appreciation of his historical situation, and guided his increasing sense of moral and spiritual commitment to his time, despite (or because of?) the deficiencies he perceived in it, in a 'task' undertaken through the medium of his art. In selecting nine stories from the Landarzt collection for commentary in the final chapter, I have chosen to concentrate on a crucial period in Kafka's literary development that began in 1916/17, when his continuing, earnest assessment of his position as a Jew had an evidence influence upon his choice of narrative subject and technique. The stories have been considered not in the published sequence of the Landarzt collection, but in an order that seems appropriate to discussion of various aspects of their Jewish context. Where possible, my commentaries upon these stories are related to themes previously identified in discussion of the Oktavhefte, which were begun soon after the collection was completed and contain the chief evidence of Kafka's growing mystical pre-occupation.