Levinas, Judaism, and the Feminine: The Silent Footsteps of Rebecca

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book grew out of my dissertation, which I defended in 1999 at the University of Memphis. Although my fundamental interests in Levinas’s use of the feminine and the role of Judaism and his Jewish writings in his philosophical thought have not changed, the project has changed dramatically . I thank the members of the philosophy department at the University of Memphis for the lively community they created in which to do graduate work. I extend my deepest gratitude to Tina Chanter and Robert Bernasconi , both of whom nurtured my initial interest in Levinas’s thought. I am especially grateful to Tina for encouraging me to pursue my own project and to find my own voice in which to express it. Len Lawlor’s continued support, personally and professionally, is always in the background of my philosophical life. My community in Memphis still remains a vital part of my life, even from its distant location. I thank, in particular, Rabbi Micah Greenstein, whose support over these past ten years has been invaluable and whose life always serves as an example to me. I am grateful to the many people with whom I have corresponded over the years about this project. I had the opportunity to present versions of several chapters at conferences, and the feedback that I received was invaluable . I am grateful to Eric Nelson, Kent Still, and Antje Kapust for including my paper on the Binding of Isaac in their conference “Addressing Levinas,” hosted by Emory University. The reception of my paper at this conference indicated that my project indeed had an audience. Earlier versions of this book were published or are forthcoming in the following places, and I wish to extend my gratitude to these publishers for permission to reprint this material. Two different versions of chapter 8 are forthcoming: one as “The Responsibility of Irresponsibility: Taking Another Look at the Akedah,” in Addressing Levinas, edited by Eric Nelson, Kent Still, and Antje Kapust; and the second as “The Voice of God and the Face of the Other,” in The Journal of Textual Reasoning. An earlier version of chapters 3 and 9 is forthcoming as “From Eros to Maternity: Love, Death, and the ‘Feminine’ in the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas,” in Women and Gender in Jewish Philosophy, edited by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson. An earlier version of chapters 4 and 6 appeared as “Re-Inhabiting the House of Ruth,” in Feminist Interpretations of Emmanuel Levinas, edited by Tina Chanter. An earlier version of chapter 5 appeared as “‘For Love Is as Strong as Death’: Taking Another Look at Levinas on Love,” in Philosophy Today. I am grateful to the Chagall estate, the Artists Rights Society, and Art Resource for permission to use the cover image. The people I would like to thank at Penn State are too numerous to name. However, I do wish to name a few. Susan Welch, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, supported my research. The Institute for Arts and Humanities awarded me a grant to bring this project to completion. The Jewish studies program provided me with generous financial support, and I would like to thank in particular Alan Block and Caroline Eckhardt. I would also like to thank the Penn State Philosophy Department for its generous support. I am particularly grateful to have had the good fortune to work with John Stuhr, the former head of the philosophy department. In addition to benefiting from his administrative talents, I am grateful for the support that he has given me over these last few years, which helped make it possible for me to complete this book. I wish to thank Emily Grosholz for her support and for her own work in poetry that led me to Eleanor Wilner’s poems. Thanks also go to Greg Recco, Erin Jones, and Joshua Miller, whose admirable proofreading talents helped advance the manuscript to its final stage. The people at Indiana University Press have been a joy to work with. I thank Janet Rabinowitch for seeing the initial promise of this project and Dee Mortensen for helping to bring it to completion. Dee is what all firsttime authors hope for—a firm but gentle presence. She has been a true supporter during the final stages of this project. I would like to thank Merold Westphal, whose generosity as a reader allowed him to see a place for my book in his series. I would like to thank Jane Lyle, Miki Bird, and Tony Brewer for...