Michael

S.

Berger, Ph.D

Books:
Rabbinic Authority (Oxford University Press, 1998), 226 pp.
The Emergence of Ethical Man, ed. mss. of Joseph Soloveitchik (Ktav, 2005), 212 pp.
Return and Renewal: Reflections on Teshuva and Spiritual Growth, edited with
Reuven Ziegler mss. of Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein (Maggid, 2018), 230 pp.

Articles:
"Towards a New Understanding of Judah Halevi's Kuzari," Journal of Religion 72/2 
(1992):210-28.
"Rabbinic Authority: A Philosophical Analysis," Tradition 27/4 (1993):61-79.
"Women in Judaism from the Perspective of Human Rights," with Deborah E. 
Lipstadt, in Religious Human Rights in Global Perspective: Religious 
Perspectives, ed. by John Witte, Jr. and Johan van der Vyver 
(Dordrecht/London/Boston, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1995), pp. 295-
322; repr. in Human Rights in Judaism: Cultural, Religious, and Political 
Perspectives, ed. by Michael J. Broyde and John Witte, Jr. (Northvale, NJ: 
Jason Aronson Press, 1998), pp. 77-112.
"The Halakhic Basis for Civil Disobedience in a Democratic State," in Tolerance, 
Dissent, and Democracy: Philosophical, Historical, and Halakhic 
Perspectives, ed. by Moshe Sokol (Jason Aronson, Inc., 2001).
"U-viqashtem mi-sham: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's Response to Martin Buber's 
Religious Existentialism," Modern Judaism 18 (1998):93-118.
"Two Models of Medieval Jewish Marriage: A Preliminary Study," Journal of 
Jewish Studies 52:1 (2001): 59-84. Repr. in Michael J. Broyde and
Michael Ausubel, eds., Marriage, Sex, and Family in Judaism (Lanham. 
Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005), 116-48. 
“Orthodoxy and Jewish Federations: Reflections from ‘Out-of-Town’,” in Toward a 
Renewed Ethic of Jewish Philanthropy, ed. by Yossi Prager (Jason 
Aronson, Inc., 2010), 157-90.
 
Book chapters: 
“Marriage, Sex, and Family in the Jewish Tradition: A Historical Overview,” in 
Michael J. Broyde and Michael Ausubel, eds., Marriage, Sex, and Family 
in Judaism (Lanham. Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005), 1-14.
“Maimonides on Sex and Marriage,” in Michael J. Broyde and Michael Ausubel, 
eds., Marriage, Sex, and Family in Judaism (Lanham. Md.: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, 2005), 149-91. 
“Sex, Marriage and Family in Judaism,” in Don Browning, M. Christie Green and 
John Witte, Jr, eds., Sex, Marriage and Family in the World Religions (New 
York: Columbia University Press, 2006), 1-75. 
“Taming the Beast: Rabbinic Pacification of 2nd century Jewish Messianism,” in 
James K. Wellman, Jr. ed., Belief and Bloodshed: Religion and Violence 
across Time and Tradition (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007), 47-61.
“Talmud/Halakhah (Jewish Law)” chapter in The Cambridge Guide to Jewish 
History, Religion and Culture, ed. by Judith R. Baskin and Kenneth Seeskin 
(Cambridge University Press, 2010), pp. 311-36. 
“The Concept of Family in Judaism,” in The Concept of Education and the Concept 
of Family in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Key Concepts in Interreligious 
Discourses series. Ed. Georges Tamer. De Gruyter, 2025 (forthcoming).

Book Reviews: 
Hilkhot Tzava (Religious Laws of Army Service) by Zecharia Ben-Shelomo, 
Tradition (1991):98-101. 
In God's Mirror by Harold Schulweis, Midstream November (1991):46-48. 
The Temple: Its Symbolism and Meaning Then and Now by Joshua Berman, Jewish 
Book Council News 13/3 (1995):5-6. 
Surviving Sacrilege: Cultural Persistence in Jewish Antiquity by Steven Weitzman, 
JAAR Fall 2008. 
The Peace and Violence of Judaism. Shofar ;
Values in Halakha: Six Case Studies by Aharon Lichtenstein, Tradition 56:3 
(Summer, 2024), pp.103-121

Translations:
"Conversion: Birth and Judicial Process" by Aharon Lichtenstein, Tradition Fall 
1987 
Articles by Yehuda Amital and Nahum Rabinowitz in Jewish Tradition and 
the Nontraditional Jew, ed. Jacob J. Schacter (Northvale, N.J. and 
London: Jason Aronson, 1992), pp. 119-38, 177-204. 

Op-ed and other short articles:
"Recruiting Jewish Educators among Jewish Studies Graduate Students," Ten Da'at
Spring 1996, pp. 83-86. 
"Re-examining No-Fault Divorce," Emory Report, "First Person" column (April 22, 
1996) 
"Jewish Educators: Broadening the Pool," Jewish Education News 22:3 (2001): 73-
75. 
“Jewish Education in an Age of Personalized Religion,” PEJE 10th anniversary 
issue (2007). 
“Religious Purposefulness in Jewish Day Schools,” Hayidion Autumn 2008, 6-13. 
“Developing a Framework for Effective Jewish Day School Leadership,” Hayidion 
Spring 2011, 24-26. 
“A Tale of Two Philanthropists,” eJewish Philanthropy, Oct. 10, 2012 
() 
“A Compelling, yet More Demanding, Vision for 21st Century Day Schools,” 
Hayidion Autumn 2014, pp. 21-22. 
“Change is in the Air – Now Let’s Make it Last,” with Leah N. Meir, eJewish 
Philanthropy, Sept. 17, 2018 (in-the-air-now-lets-make-it-last/) 
“Setting the Stage (or table) for Effective Change: A Lesson from Sukkot,” eJewish 
Philanthropy, Sept. 26, 2018 (stage-or-table-for-effective-change-a-lesson-from-sukkot/) 
“Thanksgiving – the Power of Noticing,” eJewish Philanthropy, Nov. 14, 2018 
() 
“Getting to Sustainability: The Case of the Jewish New Teacher Project,” eJewish 
Philanthropy, Sept. 19, 2019 (sustainability-a-case-study-of-the-jewish-new-teacherproject/?utm_source=Sept+19%2C+2019&utm_campaign=Sept+19&utm_
medium=email) 
Quoted significantly in “What’s New on Your Holiday Table,” by Flora Rosefsky, 
Atlanta Jewish Times Aug 13, 2021 
“Inflating Grades vs. Enhancing Performance,” Inside Higher Education Sept. 1, 
2021

PAPERS AT CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA, INVITED ACADEMIC LECTURES
"The Philosophical Argument of Halevi's Kuzari," Association for Jewish Studies 
Conference, Boston, December 1990 
“Biblical and Rabbinic Understandings of Atonement," Conference on Guilt and Atonement 
in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem, December 1993 
"A Re-examination of the Periodization of Halakha," Association for Jewish Studies 
Conference, Boston, December 1993 
“U-vikashtem mi-sham: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's Response to Existentialism," 
Association for Jewish Studies Conference, Boston, December 1995 
“Periodization in the Talmud and Beyond," SECSOR (Southeastern Commission for the 
Study of Religion), March 1996 
“The History and Halakha of the Agunah Problem," International Conference on Orthodoxy 
and Feminism, February, 1997
“The Halakhic Basis for Civil Disobedience in a Democratic State," The Orthodox Forum, 
April, 1997
"The Textual Revolution: Is the Periodization of Jewish Law a Function of Texts?", 
Comparative Sacred Texts Seminar, Emory University, November 1997
"The Spiritual Odyssey of Halakhic Man: Joseph B. Soloveitchik's U-vikashtem mi-sham," 
The Soloveitchik Institute Inaugural Symposium, Boston, December, 1997
“The State of Israel and Jewish Messianism," the Alice Tate Lecture in Judaic Studies at 
UNC Charlotte, March 1998
"Bystanders and Rescuers," the inaugural Tenenbaum Lecture at Columbia College, 
Columbia, South Carolina, November, 1998
"Conceptions of Marriage in Jewish Law," Candler Faculty Luncheon, April 1999
"Bhrgu and Moses Go Back to the Future: The Transformative Role of Time in 
Commentarial Narrative," AAR, Boston, November 1999
"How did Judaism Survive 2,000 Years in Exile," Cullum Lecture Series in Religion, 
Augusta State University, March 2001
Participant in "Forum on Religion and Violence," Emory University, October 2001
Respondent to Brooks Hollifield on "Evidential Christianity," Emory University's Graduate 
Division of Religion faculty-student colloquy, November, 2002
“Taming the Beast: Rabbinic Pacification of 2nd century Palestinian Messianism,”
Conference on Religion, Conflict and Violence: Exploring Patterns Past and
Present, East and West, University of Washington, May 2004
“The Reception of Rabbi Judah’s Mishnah: A Re-examination,” Conference in honor of
Professor David Halivni, May 2005
Respondent to Philip Reynolds, “How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments,” Faculty
luncheon, Candler School of Theology, November, 2007
“The Orthodox Community and Federations: The View from ‘Out-of-Town,” Orthodox 
Forum on Philanthropy, March 2008
Panel Discussion,PEJE Biennial Conference, “The Future of Jewish Education,” April 2008
Session chair, “The Situation in Israel,” Orthodox Forum on Relationship of Orthodox Jews 
and Other Jewish Ideologies, March 2009
“American Religion and American Judaism: Natural and Intentional Communities,” 
Southeastern Conference for the Study of Religion, March 2011
Panelist, “Jewish Models of Conflict Resolution,” Association of Jewish Studies 
Conference, December 2011
Respondent to Jonathan Crane’s “A Phenomenology of Confidentiality, Secrecy and 
Privacy,” Tam Institute for Jewish Studies Seminar Series, Feb 2012
Participant in Wabash Center research project on the Religious Site Visit, Georgia 
Perimeter College, October 2013 
Panelist, “Survey of the Long Term Impacts of Liberal Education on Religious Studies 
Majors,” American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, Nov 2013
“Fitting In: American Jewish Self-Understanding over the Course of the 20th Century,” 
Conference on Re-thinking Jewish Identity and Jewish Education, Brandeis 
University, March 30-31, 2014
“American Judaism: The Interplay of Intentional and Natural Communities,” Association of 
Jewish Studies Conference, December 13, 2015
“Israel and the Intentional Judaism of American Jews,” Leffell Seminar on Israel Studies, 
White Plains, New York, August 1-3, 2016
“Technology and the Religious Self: Trends in American Judaism,” Oxford University 
Summer Institute on Modern and Contemporary Judaism, Oxford, UK July 2-10, 
2017
“Innovation in a Preservationist Mode: New Strategies in Contemporary Ultra-Orthodoxy,” 
SECSOR, Athens, GA March 1, 2020
Participant and respondent in virtual Oxford Summer Institute on Modern and 
Contemporary Judaism, July 5-8, 2020
“Judaism in Society,” part of Faiths in Conversation series, SMU Perkins School of 
Theology and The Dallas Institute, December 7, 2020 (Zoom)
Participant and respondent in virtual Oxford Summer Institute on Modern and 
Contemporary Judaism, “Disruption, Resilience, Rebuilding,” July 6-7, 2021
Panelist, “Pew’s Jews,” National Jewish Retreat, Stone Mountain, GA, August 12, 2021
“Intentional Jews: The Influence of American Religion on American Judaism,” National 
Jewish Retreat, Stone Mountain, GA August 15, 2021
“The Concept of Family in Judaism,” Bavarian Research Center for Interreligious 
Discourses, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Oct. 6-7, 2021 (Zoom)
“Best Practice in Higher Education Workshop,” webinar sponsored by the Center of 
Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Effat University (Jedda, Saudi Arabia), Oct. 
18, 2021
Respondent, session on “Catholic Theology and Jews,” Catholic Theological Society of 
America, Atlanta, GA June 10, 2022