Jose Faur: The Horizontal Society and Political Thought by Jose Faur

Masterfully illuminating the timeless wisdom of the Geonim and ancient sages of Sepharad, alongside the works of Maimonides, Ḥakham Dr. José Faur’s Tora offers an unparalleled outlook on Judaism, combining ancient traditions with contemporary disciplines. The Collected Works of Hakham Dr. José Faur is a multi-volume set offering readers an opportunity to delve into his unique understanding of Tora, which was nearly washed away by the oceans of time. This first volume focuses on Faur’s societal and political ideas. In his paradigm-shifting book, The Horizontal Society, Faur explores how Jewish society is built on a horizontal structure emerging from a voluntary covenant with God, unlike vertical societies where authority is derived from power. Elucidating the pivotal role the Law plays in shaping Jewish society, he lays out the fundamental principles that underpin this unique structure. Two previously unpublished works, Forbidden Meditations and Text and Society, further build on this idea. Forbidden Meditations, a holistic guide to Faur’s worldview, discusses the invasion of mental assimilation through Western modes of thinking that displace Jewish norms and values. Tackling these complex and relevant ideas, Faur draws from his own life stories to elucidate and demonstrate various ideas. In Text and Society, Faur asserts that, to understand Jewish texts, it is necessary to move beyond philological and literary standards and to examine the living traditions of the Oral Tora transmitted by God to Israel. Complementing these three books is a collection of articles and essays Faur penned for different publications, covering diverse contemporary topics, and adding further valuable insight into his thinking.