Full Description
Jewish law, known as halakhah, is a unique legal system that has developed over nearly two millennia, across multiple continents, and in innumerable different contexts. Dealing not only with ritual, Jewish law extends to virtually every aspect of life, including ethics, business, war, and sex. This Handbook highlights foundational questions about the nature of Jewish law, emphasizing what distinguishes it from other legal systems and illuminating its vitality throughout history.
The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law navigates core issues such as halakhah's authority, interpretation, and the meaningfulness of an ancient legal system in a modern period. With contributions from an interdisciplinary cast of authors, the Handbook spans law, history, sociology, and religion. Its chapters draw from a wide range of sources, including traditional texts such as Mishnah and Talmud, rabbinical codes, and legal opinions known as responsa. Moreover, chapters addressing pressing modern issues cover the material from diverse denominational perspectives.
As halakhah remains deeply woven into the fabric of Jewish life and scholarship, The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law offers readers an in-depth understanding of this rich and enduring legal tradition.
Contents
Editors' Introduction
Zev Eleff, Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, Chaim Saiman
Part 1: Reading Foundational Jewish Texts and Law
1 The Theology of Classical Jewish Law: The Written Torah and The Oral Torah DS History, Theology And Authority - Berachyahu Lifshitz
2 How Do the Tannaim Read the Torah? - Elizabeth Shanks Alexander
3 How Does the Talmud Read the Mishnah? - Leib Moscovitz
4 How Do the Rishonim Read the Talmud and the Geonim? - Ephraim Kanarfogel
5 How Do the Codes Read Earlier Rabbinic Texts? - Tirza Y. Kelman
6 How Did the Nos'ei Kelim ("Arms-Bearers") Read Shulhan Arukh? - Noam Samet
7 Questions of Law: The Significance of Rabbinic Responsa for Jewish Law - Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg
8 Rendering the Infinite: Law, Meaning, and Ritual in Classical and Early Modern Jewish Mysticism - Ariel Evan Mayse
Part 2: Distinguishing Characteristics of Jewish Law
9 Close, Yet Creative, Reading: Understanding Rabbinic Interpretative Strategies - Elana Stein Hain
10 Halakhah and Aggadah in the Talmud and Post-Talmudic Literature - Suzanne Last Stone
11 Talmud Torah: The Paramount Value of Study in Jewish Law - Ayelet Hoffman Libson
12 Formal Law and its Relationship to Minhag/Takkanot - Marcus Mordecai Schwartz
13 Codification and Other Strategies of Consensus-Building in Jewish Law - Joseph M. Davis
14 Doubt, Stringency, and Leniency in Jewish Law - Shlomo C. Pill
15 Formalism in Jewish Law - Chaim Saiman
16 Jewish Law as a Duty-Based System and Why it Matters - Benjamin Porat
Part 3: Jewish Law and Practice in Moderrnity
A. Movements and Denominations
17 Modernity, Secularism, and the Transformation of Jewish Law - Leora Batnitzky
18 Jewish Law and Orthodox Law - Adam S. Ferziger
19 Lawmaking in the Conservative Movement: A Balance of Law and Norms - Roberta Rosenthal Kwall
20 North American Reform Judaism and the Halakhah: Guidance versus Governance - Mark Washofsky
21 The Impact of Zionism on Jewish Law - Arye Edrei
B. Halakhic Responses to Modernity
22 Halakhic Responses to Modernity: Attitudes Toward Non-Jews in Liberal Societies - Ethan M. Tucker
23 Halakhic Responses to Modernity: The Role of Scientific Findings in Contemporary Jewish Law - Daniel Reifman, Israel Belfer, Rachel Pear
24 Divorce and Agunah: Halakhic Responses to Modernity - Rachel Levmore,and Steven Gotlib
25 Jewish Commercial Law and Modern Political Economy: The Interface of Halakhah and Marketplace Norms- Itamar Rosensweig
26 Jewish Legal Responses to COVID-19 - Shlomo Zuckier
C. Halakhah and State
27 What is Jewish Law? A Conceptual View From US Courts - Michael A. Helfand
28 Issur Arkaot and Dina DeMalkhuta Dina: Interrelationships Between Jewish and Secular Legal Systems - Steven H. Resnicoff
29 The Rabbinical Courts of our Generation - Amihai Radzyner
D. Halakhah and Personhood
30 Judaism and the Modern Family - Zev Eleff
31 Feticide in Halakhah: Attitudes, Approaches, and Application - Elli Fischer
32 Organ Donation and Brain Death in Jewish Law - Adena Berkowitz
