How is it possible, after the Shoah, to declare one's faith in the God of Israel? Breaking the Tablets is David Weiss Halivni's eloquent and insightful response to this question. Halivni, Auschwitz survivor and one of the greatest Talmudic scholars of the past century, declares that at this time of God's near absence, Jews can still observe the words of the Torah and pray for God to come near again. Jews must continue to study the classic texts of rabbinic Judaism but now with greater humility, recognizing that even the greatest religious leaders and thinkers interpret these texts only as mere people, prone to human error. Breaking the Tablets is important reading for anyone who feels burdened by the question of how it is possible to believe in God and practice their religion.

"This small volume has been skillfully edited....Halvini [and Ochs] give us much to reflect on and ponder." - Jewish Book World

"Halivni speaks with the authority of scholarly erudition, life experience, and longing for the restoration of both Torah and God's nearness. . . . His passion and authenticity are deeply moving…. Breaking the Tablets is a careful and imaginative tracing in rabbinic literature … it is a significant contribution to post-Shoah theology." - CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly

"When Holocaust survivor and renowned Talmudist David Weiss Halivni writes a work of theology dealing with the question of God and the Holocaust, attention is merited. When he writes a work that is traditional and radical, at once personal and philosophical, one's interest deepens." - Journal of Genocide Research, January 2009