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Founding God's Nation: Reading Exodus

Paperback |English |030026464X | 9780300264647

Founding God's Nation: Reading Exodus

Paperback |English |030026464X | 9780300264647
Overview

"Scholar Leon Kass explores how Exodus raises and then answers the central political questions of what defines a nation and how a nation should govern itself."--
ISBN: 030026464X
ISBN13: 9780300264647
Author: Leon R Kass
Publisher: Yale University Press
Format: Paperback
PublicationDate: 2022-03-15
Language: English
PageCount: 752
Dimensions: 5.7 x 2.2 x 9.0 inches
Weight: 35.2 ounces
A chapter-by-chapter explanation of the Book of Exodus, revealing its wisdom about nation building and people formation "Kass draws from Exodus' record of the founding of Judaism timely--even urgent--universal lessons about twenty-first-century preconditions for human flourishing in any community. Compelling modern reflections on ancient wisdom."--Bryce Christensen, Booklist (starred review) In this long-awaited follow-up to his 2003 book on Genesis, humanist scholar Leon Kass explores how Exodus raises and then answers the central political questions of what defines a nation and how a nation should govern itself. Considered by some the most important book in the Hebrew Bible, Exodus tells the story of the Jewish people from their enslavement in Egypt, through their liberation under Moses's leadership, to the covenantal founding at Sinai and the building of the Tabernacle. In Kass's analysis, these events began the slow process of learning how to stop thinking like slaves and become an independent people. The Israelites ultimately founded their nation on three elements: a shared narrative that instills empathy for the poor and the suffering, the uplifting rule of a moral law, and devotion to a higher common purpose. These elements, Kass argues, remain the essential principles for any freedom-loving nation today.
Editorial Reviews


"Accessible . . . General readers interested in the Hebrew Bible will get much from Kass's trenchant work."--
Publishers Weekly
"Kass draws from Exodus' record of the founding of Judaism timely--even urgent--universal lessons about twenty-first-century preconditions for human flourishing in any community. Compelling modern reflections on ancient wisdom."--Bryce Christensen,
Booklist (starred review)
"Using the techniques of close reading and 'living with the text' that have made him such a revered teacher, Kass has come to understand Exodus as more than a narrative of national formation."--Matthew Continetti,
Washington Free Beacon
"Despite its many confusions, our era has somehow contrived to produce the ideal teacher in Leon Kass . . . Out of [an] open-minded reading of Exodus, a familiar story takes on fresh meaning: Now, through Kass's commentary, Exodus offers us a profound reflection on what it means to be a true people, not merely an aggregate of individuals or a network of families."--George Weigel,
First Things
"Leon Kass invites believer and unbeliever alike to read the book of Exodus alongside him . . . [His] remarkable commentary provides insights on every page, from which to learn and with which to wrestle."--James R. Rogers,
Law & Liberty
"Leon Kass' brilliant new book provides an opportunity for professors of political philosophy to add the book of Exodus to the canon of works that they assign to their students. . . . At last, someone has done for Exodus what so many political philosophers have done for Plato's
Republic, Aristotle's
Politics, and a host of secular works."--,
Christians in Political Science
"Exodus wants not merely to be heard but to be heeded--understood in soul-forming ways. Kass responds to this imperative with a keen sense of the spiritual and political drama of Exodus. He registers in warm, clear prose the rich resonances and emotional and intellectual tones of the book's essential events and themes."--Jacob Howland,
Jewish Review of Books
"Kass's book asks important questions of the text, and offers sensible and sometimes innovative answers. If the book is translated into Hebrew, it will live forever as a commentary on the text alongside other philosophic commentaries. . . . Everyone who aims to think about the text will do well to consult Kass."--Michael S. Kochin,
Claremont Review of Books
"By reading the Bible as a significant political teaching, Kass illuminates a critical yet neglected ... dimension of the account and begins making the case for its compelling wisdom."--Steven H. Frankel,
Interpretation
"This is an extraordinary book."--L. J. Greenspoon,
Choice
"A wondrous achievement of humanistic scholarship at its very best, making Exodus's ancient words live again as a source of political wisdom and spiritual inspiration for our time."--Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
"What Leon Kass describes as living with the book over two decades enabled him to glean from it insights into the deepest existential questions, what Kass himself calls 'longings of the soul.' His greatest achievement is to give readers a glimpse of these insights and suggest to us the possibility--and profound value--of exploring them ourselves."-- Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
"Leon Kass maps the Book of Exodus with unmatched intelligence. We have known the book through the interpretations of generations of sages, but here he reads it as though for the first time to see the Jewish nation emerging from slavery and taking its civilizing shape. This is the most exciting book I've read in years"--Ruth Wisse, professor emerita of Yiddish Literature, Harvard University
"Building on his earlier insightful study of the family in Genesis, Leon Kass turns to the formation of the Israelite nation in Exodus, with an openness to discovery sparked by perceptive observations and guided by fundamental questions."--Ronna Burger, Catherine & Henry J. Gaisman Professor of Philosophy, Tulane University
"To be guided through Exodus by Leon Kass is to discover in those familiar stories a font of political wisdom and a provocation to reflection on the meaning of human flourishing."--Mary Ann Glendon, author of
A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights


Leon R. Kass is the Addie Clark Harding Professor Emeritus in the Committee on Social Thought and the College at the University of Chicago and Dean of the Faculty at Shalem College in Jerusalem. His books include
The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis.

Books - New and Used

The following guidelines apply to books:

  • New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
  • Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
  • Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.

Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.

Shipping Fees

  • Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
  • Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
  • No additional fees and charges.

Delivery Times

The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.

Estimated delivery times:

  • Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
  • Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days

Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.  

Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times. 

Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.). 

If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.

You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

  • Gift cards
  • Downloadable software products
  • Some health and personal care items

To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)

  • Book with obvious signs of use
  • CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
  • Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
  • Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery

Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.

Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.

If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:

  • Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
  • Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
  • Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.


Shipping Cost


We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

$37.81

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Overview

"Scholar Leon Kass explores how Exodus raises and then answers the central political questions of what defines a nation and how a nation should govern itself."--
ISBN: 030026464X
ISBN13: 9780300264647
Author: Leon R Kass
Publisher: Yale University Press
Format: Paperback
PublicationDate: 2022-03-15
Language: English
PageCount: 752
Dimensions: 5.7 x 2.2 x 9.0 inches
Weight: 35.2 ounces
A chapter-by-chapter explanation of the Book of Exodus, revealing its wisdom about nation building and people formation "Kass draws from Exodus' record of the founding of Judaism timely--even urgent--universal lessons about twenty-first-century preconditions for human flourishing in any community. Compelling modern reflections on ancient wisdom."--Bryce Christensen, Booklist (starred review) In this long-awaited follow-up to his 2003 book on Genesis, humanist scholar Leon Kass explores how Exodus raises and then answers the central political questions of what defines a nation and how a nation should govern itself. Considered by some the most important book in the Hebrew Bible, Exodus tells the story of the Jewish people from their enslavement in Egypt, through their liberation under Moses's leadership, to the covenantal founding at Sinai and the building of the Tabernacle. In Kass's analysis, these events began the slow process of learning how to stop thinking like slaves and become an independent people. The Israelites ultimately founded their nation on three elements: a shared narrative that instills empathy for the poor and the suffering, the uplifting rule of a moral law, and devotion to a higher common purpose. These elements, Kass argues, remain the essential principles for any freedom-loving nation today.
Editorial Reviews


"Accessible . . . General readers interested in the Hebrew Bible will get much from Kass's trenchant work."--
Publishers Weekly
"Kass draws from Exodus' record of the founding of Judaism timely--even urgent--universal lessons about twenty-first-century preconditions for human flourishing in any community. Compelling modern reflections on ancient wisdom."--Bryce Christensen,
Booklist (starred review)
"Using the techniques of close reading and 'living with the text' that have made him such a revered teacher, Kass has come to understand Exodus as more than a narrative of national formation."--Matthew Continetti,
Washington Free Beacon
"Despite its many confusions, our era has somehow contrived to produce the ideal teacher in Leon Kass . . . Out of [an] open-minded reading of Exodus, a familiar story takes on fresh meaning: Now, through Kass's commentary, Exodus offers us a profound reflection on what it means to be a true people, not merely an aggregate of individuals or a network of families."--George Weigel,
First Things
"Leon Kass invites believer and unbeliever alike to read the book of Exodus alongside him . . . [His] remarkable commentary provides insights on every page, from which to learn and with which to wrestle."--James R. Rogers,
Law & Liberty
"Leon Kass' brilliant new book provides an opportunity for professors of political philosophy to add the book of Exodus to the canon of works that they assign to their students. . . . At last, someone has done for Exodus what so many political philosophers have done for Plato's
Republic, Aristotle's
Politics, and a host of secular works."--,
Christians in Political Science
"Exodus wants not merely to be heard but to be heeded--understood in soul-forming ways. Kass responds to this imperative with a keen sense of the spiritual and political drama of Exodus. He registers in warm, clear prose the rich resonances and emotional and intellectual tones of the book's essential events and themes."--Jacob Howland,
Jewish Review of Books
"Kass's book asks important questions of the text, and offers sensible and sometimes innovative answers. If the book is translated into Hebrew, it will live forever as a commentary on the text alongside other philosophic commentaries. . . . Everyone who aims to think about the text will do well to consult Kass."--Michael S. Kochin,
Claremont Review of Books
"By reading the Bible as a significant political teaching, Kass illuminates a critical yet neglected ... dimension of the account and begins making the case for its compelling wisdom."--Steven H. Frankel,
Interpretation
"This is an extraordinary book."--L. J. Greenspoon,
Choice
"A wondrous achievement of humanistic scholarship at its very best, making Exodus's ancient words live again as a source of political wisdom and spiritual inspiration for our time."--Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
"What Leon Kass describes as living with the book over two decades enabled him to glean from it insights into the deepest existential questions, what Kass himself calls 'longings of the soul.' His greatest achievement is to give readers a glimpse of these insights and suggest to us the possibility--and profound value--of exploring them ourselves."-- Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
"Leon Kass maps the Book of Exodus with unmatched intelligence. We have known the book through the interpretations of generations of sages, but here he reads it as though for the first time to see the Jewish nation emerging from slavery and taking its civilizing shape. This is the most exciting book I've read in years"--Ruth Wisse, professor emerita of Yiddish Literature, Harvard University
"Building on his earlier insightful study of the family in Genesis, Leon Kass turns to the formation of the Israelite nation in Exodus, with an openness to discovery sparked by perceptive observations and guided by fundamental questions."--Ronna Burger, Catherine & Henry J. Gaisman Professor of Philosophy, Tulane University
"To be guided through Exodus by Leon Kass is to discover in those familiar stories a font of political wisdom and a provocation to reflection on the meaning of human flourishing."--Mary Ann Glendon, author of
A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights


Leon R. Kass is the Addie Clark Harding Professor Emeritus in the Committee on Social Thought and the College at the University of Chicago and Dean of the Faculty at Shalem College in Jerusalem. His books include
The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis.

Books - New and Used

The following guidelines apply to books:

  • New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
  • Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
  • Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.

Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.

Shipping Fees

  • Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
  • Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
  • No additional fees and charges.

Delivery Times

The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.

Estimated delivery times:

  • Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
  • Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days

Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.  

Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times. 

Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.). 

If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.

You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

  • Gift cards
  • Downloadable software products
  • Some health and personal care items

To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)

  • Book with obvious signs of use
  • CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
  • Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
  • Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery

Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.

Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.

If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:

  • Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
  • Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
  • Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.


Shipping Cost


We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

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