The Male Body in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Theology

“In this groundbreaking study, Yakir Englander looks at the ultra-Orthodox understandings of the male body and the challenges of sexuality to a life of piety. Drawing from classical rabbinic texts and from more recent Jewish pietistic teachings, both Hasidic and Lithuanian, he offers a profound analysis of Jewish sexuality, piety, and maleness.”


—Susannah Heschel, Dartmouth College





“Dualisms of body and mind/soul, and implied contrasts between real/ideal and insider/outsider pervade Abrahamic traditions, producing in Lithuanian Jewish ultra-Orthodox thought distinctive ethical dilemmas and ritual resolutions. Yakir Englander explores these philosophical and practical strategies with scholarly mastery, historical situatedness, and passionate lucidity.”


—Michael Jackson, author of Critique of Identity Thinking





“With the sympathy of a former practitioner and the insight of a historian, Yakir Englander brilliantly reveals attitudes toward the body in ultra-Orthodox Lithuanian Judaism. While these attitudes are often negative, there are also surprising voices of dissent from the prevailing dogma, voices that suggest a world more complex and fascinating than most outsiders realize. Englander’s concluding remarks on the effect of COVID-19 on this cloistered community demonstrate how these stringently religious Jews, like all of us, cannot escape their bodies.”


—David Biale, University of California Davis





“The Male Body in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Theology is an eloquently written, deeply researched, and groundbreaking study,


showing how a rich cultural world, hitherto envisioned as the temple of the intellect, actually places the gendered body in central stage. Englander also challenges the dichotomy between the Hasidic and Lithuanian persuasions, demonstrating the commonality in construction of spiritual authority through hagiography, reaching back to childhood. Thus, he has made a major contribution to religious studies at large.”


—Jonathan Garb, Hebrew University of Jerusalem