Rabbi Dr. Devorah Schoenfeld
Loyola University Chicago

Dr. Schoenfeld is Associate Professor of Judaism in the Theology department of Loyola University Chicago, and is also a student in the Kollel Executive Ordination Track at Yeshivat Maharat. Her book "Isaac on Jewish and Christian Altars", which compares medieval Jewish and Christian commentaries on the near-sacrifice of Isaac, was published by Fordham University Press in 2012. She has also published on comparative theology, Midrash and dream interpretation.
Subject area:
Jewish-Christian Relations, Comparative Theology, Midrash, Parshanut
Publications:
Books:
-
Isaac on Jewish and Christian Altars: Polemic and Exegesis in Rashi and the Glossa Ordinaria, Fordham University Press, New York, November 2, 2012.
Articles:
-
“Akedah: How Jews and Christians Explained Abraham’s Faith”, TheTorah.com, October 2017.
-
“Holy Disagreement: Hevruta Study as Interreligious Engagement in a Multifaith Classroom,” co-written with Jeanine Diller, in Teaching Interreligious Encounters, Alex Hwang and Marc Pugliese, eds., Oxford University Press, 2017.
-
“Rashi’s Commentary on the Bible,” Oxford Bibliographies, May 2016
-
“’You Will Seek From There’: The Cycle of Exile and Return in Classical Jewish Theology,” in Theology and Migration in World Christianity: Contextual Perspectives, Peter Phan and Elaine Padilla, eds., Palgrave-MacMillan, New York, 2014.
-
"'The Destiny of All Men': Rabbinic and Medieval Justifications for the Death of Moses," in Jane Beal, ed., Illuminating Moses, Brill, Leiden, 2014.
-
“Twelfth Century Literal Bible Commentaries: Comparing Jewish and Christian.”. Religion Compass, December 2013.
-
“Formalism, Morality and Ovadia Yosef,” The Journal of Textual Reasoning, 6:1 December 2010\
Articles forthcoming:
-
“Scribes as Active Readers: Manuscript Development and Jewish-Christian Polemic in Rashi and in the Glossa Ordinaria.” forthcoming in Johannes Heil, ed., From Theodulf to Rashi: Uncovering the Origins of European Biblical Scholarship, Brill, Leiden, no date (accepted for publication in 2011).
-
“‘A good argument to penitents’: Sin and Forgiveness in Midrashic Interpretations of the Golden Calf,” forthcoming in Edmondo Lupieri, ed., The Reception of Golden Calf Traditions in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
-
“‘Therefore do Maidens Love You’: Passion and Pluralism in Jewish and Christian Song of Songs Commentaries” in progress for the Brill companion to Comparative Theology.
Sample of teaching:
Target audience:
Adults, college age
Speaking fee:
TBD