The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2018 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Rosenzweig, Franz
(1886–1929).
German Jewish theologian. He was born into an
assimilated
family, and, as a young man, he was much influenced by a relative, E. Rosenstock-Huessy, with whom he conducted a correspondence, later published in part. Under this influence, Rosenzweig contemplated converting to Christianity, but in 1913, after attending a
High Holy Day
Service, he resolved to remain faithful to Judaism. Influenced by Herman
Cohen
and Martin
Buber
, and while still a soldier in the First World War, he wrote
Der Stern der Erloesung
(1921; tr. W. W. Hallo,
The Star of Redemption
, 1971). After the War, Rosenzweig founded the Freies Juedisches Lehrhaus (‘The Free Jewish House of Learning’) for assimilated Jews to study the Jewish classics. From 1921, he was afflicted with progressive paralysis, but he continued to work translating
Judah
Halevi's poems, and, with Martin Buber, he started translating the Hebrew scriptures. This project was completed by Buber after the Second World War.
Rosh
(acronym):
Rosh ha-Shanah
(Heb., ‘New Year’). The Jewish
New Year
. Rosh ha-Shanah is celebrated on 1 Tishri (and 2 in the
diaspora
). The four names of the festival in the Jewish tradition reflect the various themes of the day: Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Teru’ah (‘Day of Blowing the Horn’ (
shofar
)), Yom ha-Din (‘Day of Judgement’), and Yom ha-Zikkaron (‘Day of Remembrance’). On the first afternoon, the
Tashlikh
ceremony is often performed, although there is no reference to this in the
Talmud
.
Rosh ha-Shanah
.
A tractate of the Jewish
Talmud
. The tractate deals with the laws and customs of the various
New Years
in the Jewish
Calendar
.
Rosh
odesh
(new month):
Roshi
(Jap., ‘old master’). Title of a Zen master. Initially, the title was hard-earned, being bestowed by people at large on one who was recognized as having realized the
dharma
of the Buddha by direct experience, and as having sustained it in everyday life (
muj
d
-no-taigen
). ‘Roshi’ has now become a more general title of a Zen teacher, who may be monk or lay, man or woman; and it has degenerated even further into a term of respect for any old or venerated monk.

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