The radical American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan

Acknowledgments . . ix
Preface . . xiii

Introduction . . 1
1 Excommunications: Kaplan and Spinoza . . 7
2 Self-Reliance: Kaplan and Emerson . . 28
3 Nationalism and Righteousness: Ahad Ha-Am and Matthew Arnold . . 46
4 Universalism and Pragmatism: Felix Adler, William James, and John Dewey . . 66
5 Kaplan and Peoplehood: Judaism as a Civilization and Zionism . . 88
6 Kaplan and His God: An Ambivalent Relationship . . 110
7 Kaplan's Theology: Beyond Supernaturalism . . 132
8 Salvation: The Goal of Religion . . 157
9 Salvation Embodied: The Vehicle of Mitzvot . . 177
10 Mordecai the Pious: Kaplan and Heschel . . 206
11 The Law: Halakhah and Ethics . . 226
12 Kaplan and the Problem of Evil: Cutting the Gordian Knot . . 249
Conclusion . . 267

Appendix: "Thirteen Wants" of Mordecai Kaplan Reconstructed . . 277
Notes . . 279
Selected Bibliography and Note on Sources . . 325
Index . . 319