Marc B. Shapiro

Marc B. Shapiro (Hebrew: מלך שפירא, born 1966) is a professor and the author of various books and articles on Jewish history, philosophy, theology, and rabbinic literature.

Education and career

Shapiro received his BA at Brandeis University and his PhD at Harvard University, where he was the last PhD student of Professor Isadore Twersky. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Ephraim Greenblatt. Shapiro's father is Edward S. Shapiro, who has published books on American history and American Jewish history.

Shapiro holds the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies at the University of Scranton. Shapiro is an on-line lecturer for Torah in Motion, for which he also leads Jewish history tours to Europe and Morocco. He often writes for the Seforim Blog.

Shapiro has been a resident of West Orange, New Jersey.

Writing

Shapiro's writings often challenge the bounds of the conventional Orthodox understanding of Judaism, using academic methodology while adhering to Modern Orthodox sensibilities. His publications have had mixed reception, ranging from criticism within the American publication Jewish Action, to support throughout the spectrum of Modern Orthodoxy .

Shapiro's book, ''Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg,'' a biography of Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, was a National Jewish Book Award Thirteen Principles of Faith are unquestionable dogma. Gidon Rothstein, writing in the Association for Jewish Studies Review, called the book's collection of sources "remarkable."

Shapiro's 2006 book, '' Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox'', discusses how the Orthodox world related to Saul Lieberman, who was a recognized talmudic scholar who chose to teach at the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Shapiro's 2008 book, ''Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters'', looks at how Maimonides has been understood in both the traditional and the academic worlds. It also deals with Maimonides' attitude towards superstition.

In 2015, Shapiro's book ''Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History'', was released, documenting the phenomenon of internal censorship in Orthodoxy; where Adam Ferziger said the book "is the outstanding product of a master of rabbinic literature and an extraordinarily sharp-eyed and meticulous scholar." Yair Hoffman, writing in the Hareidi online website Yeshiva World News, criticized the book, saying that "there is a plethora of material that simply should not have been included in the book because it does not back up his thesis." Ezra Glinter, writing in The Forward, praised Shapiro's "evenhanded, evidence-heavy approach" and that he was not a "polemicist," but said "his argument could also have benefited from a more critical thrust."

In 2019 Shapiro published ''Iggerot Malkhei Rabbanan'' which contains more than thirty years of correspondence with some of the world's most outstanding Torah scholars.

Books, Articles, Lectures

*''Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, 1884–1966'' (London, 1999)
*''Collected Writings of R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg,'' 2 Volumes (Scranton, 1998, 2003)
*''The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides' Thirteen Principles Reappraised'' (Oxford, 2004)
*''Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox'' (Scranton, 2006)
*''Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters'' (Scranton, 2008)
*''Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History'' (Oxford, 2015)
*''Iggerot Malkhei Rabbanan'' (Scranton, 2019)
Shapiro posts at the Seforim BlogShapiro series on the Mir Yeshiva escape to ShanghaiShapiro series on Saul LiebermanShapiro series on his latest book, ''Iggerot Malkhei Rabbanan''Shapiro series on the rise of Reform and the rabbinic responseShapiro series on Zechariah Frankel and the Positive-Historical SchoolShapiro class on kitniyotShapiro class on Torah study on Christmas EveShapiro class on Rabbi Yitzhak NissimShapiro class on Rabbi Elijah BenamozeghShapiro lecture on Rabbi Joseph MessasShapiro lecture on Rabbi Zvi Yehuda and the Hazon IshShapiro lecture on Issues of Dogma in Recent Orthodox LiteratureSeforim Chatter interviewCredo 13Shapiro Academia page

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Marc B.
Jewish historians
Judaic studies
University of Scranton faculty
American Modern Orthodox Jews
1966 births
Living people
Harvard University alumni
Brandeis University alumni
People from West Orange, New Jersey