Jerusalem

It is very difficult to describe Daniel Sperber. He has amazing spontaneity, a childlike enthusiasm, immense humbleness, and an incredible willingness to share and discuss—I found him remarkable in so many ways.

I am grateful that he was so liberal with his time, and agreed to walk into my tent, which I was able to set up on one of the roads of the Jewish quarter in the old city. His sense of humor was hidden in small gestures. He was extremely open to question and shared his knowledge without any inhibition.
The time we spent in his three-story personal library was unique. I was surprised to find books from both the Hindu and Judaic traditions. It was almost dreamlike to enter such an erudite writer's world. He even shared with me the index of his new book on Hindu and Judaic thought.
There are some people you never forget. For me, Daniel Sperber is one of them.

A British-born academic and rabbi who lives in Jerusalem, Daniel Sperber is a professor of Talmud at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. His subjects include classical philology, history of Jewish customs, Jewish art history, Jewish education, and Talmudic studies. Sperber is the author of Minhagei Yisrael: Origins and History on the Character and Evolution of Jewish Customs.
Sperber is also one of the few rabbis who have called out for a greater inclusion of women in certain ritual services, including ordination.