Openness and Insularity

Moses Isserles, Solomon Luria, their students in Poland, and Judah Loew ben Bezalel and his students in Ashkenaz all wrote during the 17th century. This volume describes the spiritual, literary work of Polish and Ashkenazi thinkers during the 16th-17th centuries, whose rich writings reflect an unexpectedly powerful reality at time when Jewish thought seemed to be diminishing. Although the tendency to open up to all past traditions soon faded away, a glimpse into the Jewish-Ashkenazi world of that time reveals its revival and renewal capability, a power that will similarly resurface in future generations.