David Birnbaum’s Academic Portfolio

 “…researched extensively, presented in a scholarly manner and creative in thesis…a theodicy/theology/philosophy which maintains its internal consistency and which provides a framework within which to find the answers…courageously ventures into new territory…must be admired for its originality, its logical consistency and its courage”

Rabbi Dale Polakoff

Great Neck Synagogue, NY

 “Birnbaum addresses the subject with an originality of approach which is wholly his own, and is bound to stir the minds of his readers. Although the works is essentially that of a Jew conducting his enquiry from the standpoint of Jewish religious thought, students of other faiths, lay and clerical, too will find the volume sustaining long-asked questions and challenging long-held beliefs.”

Isaac L. Swift, Rabbi Emeritus

Congregation Ahavath Torah, Englewood, NJ

 “I have read GOD and EVIL with interest and profit. It is a searching, knowledgeable, and readable attempt to confront the fundamental moral problem of theodicy with its most severe contemporary test, that of the Holocaust.”

Berel Lang, Professor of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies

Chairman, Department of Philosophy

State University of New York at Albany

 “Mr. Birnbaum has bravely entered into the vast fields of theodicy, an intellectual and spiritual terrain usually known for its complexity, difficulty and obscurity. GOD and EVIL represents a new, unflinching, yet reverential attempt to orient the events of history… With an evident intellectual daring, Birnbaum is not content to merely defend God…a fascinating, original and provocative reformulation of medieval Lurianic Kabbalah… It is a solution which will stimulate Jew and Christian alike.”

Richard A. Cohen, Associate Professor of Philosophy 

Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, OH

 “…an intellectually engaging work. Birnbaum’s relentless inquiry and probing approach to the issue of theodicy offer the reader an adventure of ideas… I recommend the book highly.”

Rabbi William E. Kaufman

Temple Beth El, Fall River, MA

Visiting Professor of Philosophy

Rhode Island College, Providence, RI

Author, Contemporary Jewish Philosophies

 “…a masterpiece for our times…”

Benjamin Blech, Rabbi, Young Israel of Oceanside

Author, “Theodicy” tape series

New York, NY

 “…is sure to be regarded as a major contribution to the Jewish study of theodicy…the first major theological study that systematically confronts this problem directly and in detail… All subsequent work on the presence of evil in this world will have to take seriously this book and the cogent and direct analysis it brings to the topic.”

Peter J. Haas, Associate Professor 

of Jewish Literature and Thought

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

 “This book accomplishes a remarkable feature. It manages to provide a theodicy within the framework of traditional Jewish belief and philosophy and not only a theodicy which works, but which does so with intellectual rigor and emotional satisfaction. The intellectual honesty and emotional sensitivity are apparent on every page.”

Professor David M. Goldenberg, Associate Director

Annenberg Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA

“David Birnbaum’s engrossing book God and Evil is a highly informed discussion of the perennial problem of theodicy. Steeped in Jewish learning, it is a strikingly original midrash on a very difficult theme, written with a boldness and passion, and is a pleasure to read…”

David Winston, Professor of Hellenistic and Judaic Studies

Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA

 “God and Evil is an engaging and thoughtful work. It brings a fresh new approach to an old problem, utilizing classical Jewish and other sources in a dynamic, compelling and creative manner…. As a person who has spent many years dealing with the problem of theodicy, I must confess that I approached your book with skepticism. I thought that all that could be said, had been said. Nevertheless, I was surprised at what I learned from your work. Thank you for writing it.”

Dr. Byron L. Sherwin, Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Spertus College of Judaica, Chicago, IL

"the best book in print on the subject."

HERITAGE JOURNALS

"Author and scholar David Birnbaum wrestles with the age-old problem of the existence of evil…a compelling, stimulating and creative contribution…"

JUDAICA BOOK NEWS

"Birnbaum's God and Evil is an extremely significant volume which grapples forthrightly and originally with the problem… well-organized… clearly written… persuasive… Birnbaum comes as close as possible to solving the awesome dilemma of evil in a world created by a just God."

JEWISH WORLD

"Birnbaum wrestles with the problem of evil from a Jewish perspective, but provides fresh insights for Christians as well. This is a good book, written in a faith, and with honesty and passion."

THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

Georgetown University

"Wiesel and Birnbaum share a deep respect for, and loyalty to, their ancestral faith. Yet the contrast between their approaches is ultimately perhaps as instructive as the approaches themselves. Birnbaum's approach is essentially that of the Intellectual, philosopher, and theologian…"

CANADIAN CATHOLIC REVIEW

"a bold and highly original synthesis… audacious yet sensitive, traditional and yet highly innovative…yet within the parameters of an authentically Jewish halakhic point of view…an intellectual odyssey."

JEWISH REVIEW