Judah ben Samuel Halevi Achievements - Essay Example

The traditional norms and values of Judaism, which were largely based on religious conceptions, were philosophized by the works of Halevi. With reference to this, his contributions to Judaism have been influential in terms of its history and culture. The emergence of Judah ben Samuel Halevi as an intellectual contributor to Judaism has been discussed in the essay. This must be considered along with the historical fact that sustenance of Jewish tradition in a religiously repressive environment had been challenging.

The philosophy of Halevi has influenced a lot in this regard. The objective of this essay is to critically analyze the role of Judah ben Samuel Halevi in Jewish history and culture. Judah Halevi moved to Spain to pursue the career of a physician. His early years in Spain were a tribute to the Jewish culture. It was a period which saw perseverance of the Jews in maintaining their culture and beliefs. Popkin has referred to the Jewish life in this period as fragile (177). There were continued Christian efforts made during this period to reinstate the dominance they had in Southern Spain.

However, this was continually contested by the relentless Muslim Almoravid’s efforts to retain their sovereignty. The representation of this resistance in Halevi’s poetry gained recognition among the Jews. . His prose were perceived well and accepted by the Jewish community as it reflected the Jewish desire for being with God and the passion to return to Zion, the Promised Land. (Popkin 177). He has been referred to as one of the first major thinkers in Muslim Spain. Another Jewish philosopher who lived in Muslim Spain in the same period was Neo-Platonist Solomon ibn Gabirol (Popkin 177).

The contribution of Judah ben Samuel Halevi, which became a major milestone in the history of Jews, came in the last decade of his life. In this period, he wrote the prose titled, ‘Book of the Khazars’. This book is known for its intellectual and philosophical content on Judaism. With reference to the Jewish culture, this work from then onwards has served as the religious and philosophical framework for Judaism. Moreover, it could address the philosophical challenges that Judaism faced as a culture and religion at this period of time.

This must be read together with the fact that this prose was written in a period when the Jews were striving for an intellectual backing due to the acute pressure from Christianity. This book was persuasive in nature and could successfully bind the Jews together in their traditions and norms. It urged the readers to prioritize their social systems in the order of the mandates as set by their ancestral traditions (Popkin 177). Judah ben Samuel Halevi’s literature became even more influential as he himself set an example by following the philosophical call of change that he made through Book of the Khazars.

In the year 1140, he abandoned his personal luxuries that he had in Spain and set out for Egypt, the holy land. This exemplary act along with his philosophies bound Jews together as a culture and religion. Thus, his