Chapter 2 Tort Liability in Maimonides
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TRANSGENDER JEWS and HALAKHAH1 Rabbi Leonard A
TRANSGENDER JEWS AND HALAKHAH1 Rabbi Leonard A. Sharzer MD This teshuvah was adopted by the CJLS on June 7, 2017, by a vote of 11 in favor, 8 abstaining. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Aaron Alexander, Pamela Barmash, Elliot Dorff, Susan Grossman, Reuven Hammer, Jan Kaufman, Gail Labovitz, Amy Levin, Daniel Nevins, Avram Reisner, and Iscah Waldman. Members abstaining: Rabbis Noah Bickart, Baruch Frydman- Kohl, Joshua Heller, David Hoffman, Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Jonathan Lubliner, Micah Peltz, and Paul Plotkin. שאלות 1. What are the appropriate rituals for conversion to Judaism of transgender individuals? 2. What are the appropriate rituals for solemnizing a marriage in which one or both parties are transgender? 3. How is the marriage of a transgender person (which was entered into before transition) to be dissolved (after transition). 4. Are there any requirements for continuing a marriage entered into before transition after one of the partners transitions? 5. Are hormonal therapy and gender confirming surgery permissible for people with gender dysphoria? 6. Are trans men permitted to become pregnant? 7. How must healthcare professionals interact with transgender people? 8. Who should prepare the body of a transgender person for burial? 9. Are preoperative2 trans men obligated for tohorat ha-mishpahah? 10. Are preoperative trans women obligated for brit milah? 11. At what point in the process of transition is the person recognized as the new gender? 12. Is a ritual necessary to effect the transition of a trans person? The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly provides guidance in matters of halkhhah for the Conservative movement. -
How Did Halacha Originate Or Did the Rabbis Tell a “Porky”?1 Definitions Written Law the Written Law Is the Torah Or Five Books of Moses
How Did Halacha Originate or Did the Rabbis Tell a “Porky”?1 Definitions Written Law The Written Law is the Torah or Five books of Moses. Also known from the Greek as the Pentateuch. (What status is the Tanach?) Oral Law An Oral Law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or community …, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, ...2 lit. "Torah that is on the ,תורה שבעל פה) According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law mouth") represents those laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five lit. "Torah that is in writing"), but nonetheless are ,תורה שבכתב) "Books of Moses, the "Written Torah regarded by Orthodox Jews as prescriptive and co-given. This holistic Jewish code of conduct encompasses a wide swathe of rituals, worship practices, God–man and interpersonal relationships, from dietary laws to Sabbath and festival observance to marital relations, agricultural practices, and civil claims and damages. According to Jewish tradition, the Oral Torah was passed down orally in an unbroken chain from generation to generation of leaders of the people until its contents were finally committed to writing following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when Jewish civilization was faced with an existential threat.3 Halacha • all the rules, customs, practices, and traditional laws. (Lauterbach) • the collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the Written and Oral Torah. (Wikipedia) • Lit. the path that one walks. Jewish law. The complete body of rules and practices that Jews are bound to follow, including biblical commandments, commandments instituted by the rabbis, and binding customs. -
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Z"L
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik z"l Byline: Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is Dean of the David Cardozo Academy in Jerusalem. Thoughts to Ponder 529 The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik z”l * Nathan Lopes Cardozo Based on an introduction to a discussion between Professor William Kolbrener and Professor Elliott Malamet (1) Honoring the publication of Professor William Kolbrener’s new book “The Last Rabbi” (2) Yad Harav Nissim, Jerusalem, on Feb. 1, 2017 Dear Friends, I never had the privilege of meeting Rav Soloveitchik z”l or learning under him. But I believe I have read all of his books on Jewish philosophy and Halacha, and even some of his Talmudic novellae and halachic decisions. I have also spoken with many of his students. Here are my impressions. No doubt Rav Soloveitchik was a Gadol Ha-dor (a great sage of his generation). He was a supreme Talmudist and certainly one of the greatest religious thinkers of our time. His literary output is incredible. Still, I believe that he was not a mechadesh – a man whose novel ideas really moved the Jewish tradition forward, especially regarding Halacha. He did not solve major halachic problems. This may sound strange, because almost no one has written as many novel ideas about Halacha as Rav Soloveitchik (3). His masterpiece, Halakhic Man, is perhaps the prime example. Before Rav Soloveitchik appeared on the scene, nobody – surely not in mainstream Orthodoxy – had seriously dealt with the ideology and philosophy of Halacha (4). Page 1 In fact, the reverse is true. -
Feminist Critiques of Rabbinic Law Through the Lens of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Andrea Pemberton
The ART of Producing Responsa: Feminist Critiques of Rabbinic Law through the Lens of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Andrea Pemberton Prior to the mid-twentieth century, when assisted reproductive technologies (ART) stepped on to the medical scene, supplications and prayers to God were the primary means for religious Jewish couples to cope with the issue of infertility. However, with the advent of artificial insemination techniques, fertility hormones, in vitro fertilization, and surrogacy, new medical technologies have successfully generated proactive methods for infertile individuals to have biological children of their own. Yet as these controversial technologies emerge, and prove to be of interest and use to Jewish persons, rabbis are compelled to contend with this new and challenging issue. In an effort to comply with halakha, or rabbinic law, modern rabbis have interpreted ART in various ways, putting restrictions on certain forms and implementing guidelines for their use in general. For religious Orthodox Jews, halakha is a prominent feature of everyday life that influences his or her actions and interactions in the most direct way. Because of this observance, Orthodox couples undergoing fertility treatment and utilizing ART take seriously the guidance of their rabbis, who are seen as authorities on halakha. Consequently, a potential problem that emerges from the halakhic discourse on assisted reproductive technologies is that this set of symbolically-loaded medical procedures takes place within the female body, yet is dictated by the tractates of a male-dominated religious legal system. The purpose of this paper, then, is to utilize feminist critiques of gender bias in legal systems to critically analyze Orthodox rabbinic discourse on assisted reproductive technologies. -
The Legal Status of Abuse
HM 424.1995 FAMILY VIOLENCE Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff Part 1: The Legal Status of Abuse This paper was approved by the CJT,S on September 13, 1995, by a vote of' sixteen in favor and one oppossed (16-1-0). V,,ting infiwor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Ben :Lion BerBm<m, Stephanie Dickstein, £/liot JY. Dorff, S/wshana Gelfand, Myron S. Geller, Arnold i'H. Goodman, Susan Crossman, Judah f(ogen, ~bnon H. Kurtz, Aaron L. iHaclder, Hwl 11/othin, 1'H(~yer HabinoLviiz, Joel /t.,'. Rembaum, Gerald Slwlnih, and E/ie Kaplan Spitz. hJting against: H.abbi Ceraicl Ze/izer. 1he Committee 011 .lnuish L(Lw and Standards qf the Rabhinical As:wmbly provides f};ztidance in matters (!f halakhnh for the Conservative movement. The individual rabbi, hou;evet~ is the authority for the interpretation and application of all maltrrs of halaklwh. 1. Reating: According to Jewish law as interpreted by the Conservative movement, under what circumstance, if any, may: A) husbands beat their wives, or wives their husbands? B) parents beat their children? c) adult children of either gender beat their elderly parents? 2. Sexual abu.se: What constitutes prohibited sexual abuse of a family member? 3· verbal abuse: What constitutes prohibited verbal abuse of a family member? TI1e Importance of the Conservative Legal Method to These Issues 1 In some ways, it would seem absolutely obvious that Judaism would nut allow individu als to beat others, especially a family member. After all, right up front, in its opening l T \VOuld like to express my sincere thanks to the members or the Committee on Jew·isll Law and Standards for their hdpfu I snggc:-;tions for impruving an earlier draft of this rcsponsum. -
Maimonides' Contradictory Positions Regarding
MAIMONIDES’ CONTRADICTORY POSITIONS REGARDING THE KARAITES: A STUDY IN MAIMONIDEAN JURISPRUDENCE Yuval Sinai Netanya Academic College The contradictory positions that appear in Maimonides’ various writ- ings regarding the appropriate treatment of Karaites and heretics have merited extensive discussion in both modern and traditional scholarship.1 The problem is this. In a number of responsa and in the Epistle to Teiman (Yemen), Maimonides expresses a consistent attitude of ideological and practical vehemence towards hereticism.2 Thus, in a responsum, Maimonides prohibits counting Karaites in a prayer-quorum (minyan) or even including them for purposes of the group recitation of the Grace after Meals (zimun).3 In another responsum he states that “divorces performed by Karaites have no validity as divorces according to our Law.”4 And in the Epistle to Teiman Maimonides expressed himself scathingly against Karaites and heretics:5 It is incumbent upon you to know that the rule that nothing may be added to or diminished from the laws of Moses applies equally to the Oral Law, that is, to the traditional interpretation transmitted through the sages of blessed memory. Be cautious and on your guard lest any 1 See, e.g., comments of Y. Kapach in the Commentary on M. Hul. 1:2, n. 33; J. Faur, Studies in Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, pp. 136–144 ( Jerusalem, 1978); I. Shailat, Letters and Essays of Moses Maimonides (Maaleh Adumim, 1988), pp. 142, and pp. 668–669; D. Lasker, “The Karaite’s Influence on the Rambam,” in Sefunot 68 (2) (1991), pp. 146–149; G. Blidstein, “Maimonides’ Approach to the Karaites,” in Tehumin 8, pp. -
Parshat Vayishlach Dec 13-14, 2019
Thank you to Steve & Vivian Dorfman for sponsoring this week's Tefilla Notebook in memory of Steve's mother, Anne Gendis, Chana Braina bat Yosef a"h, whose yahrtzeit is on 20 Kislev. 16 Kislev ● Parshat Vayishlach Dec 13-14, 2019 Dearest Members and Friends, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13 One of William Shakespeare’s best-known quotes is: “Be not afraid of greatness – some are 4:26pm CANDLELIGHTING born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” 4:30pm MINCHA/KABBALAT SHABBAT Those who achieve greatness often defy advance prediction. Such a man was the late Rabbi SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 Eleazar Menachem Man Shach, whose 18th yahrtzeit we commemorated last month. A 8:30am RABBI’S GEMARA SHIUR Lithuanian-born yeshiva-trained scholar lucky enough to emerge from Nazi-overrun Europe, 9:15am SHACHARIT in 1940 he settled in Palestine where he struggled to find income as a yeshiva teacher, despite his previous 3:45pm PRE MINCHA SHIUR experience running a significant yeshiva in Europe. He was eventually hired to teach at Ponevezh, a 4:20pm MINCHA remarkable institution created by the legendary Ponevezher Rav, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman. Rabbi 4:40pm SEUDAH SHLISHIT Shach proved very popular with students, although he was initially overshadowed by his colleague Rabbi 5:25pm MA’ARIV Shmuel Rozovsky, a masterful pedagogue whose clarity and scholarship made him the undisputed superstar 5:30pm SHABBAT ENDS Talmud lecturer at the yeshiva. In retrospect, Rabbi Shach was typical of many rabbis like him who had survived the Holocaust – qualified, competent, pious, a scholar, and deeply committed to the cause of reestablishing the world that had been Sun. -
Jewish Law Research Guide
Cleveland State University EngagedScholarship@CSU Law Library Research Guides - Archived Library 2015 Jewish Law Research Guide Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library Follow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/researchguides Part of the Religion Law Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Repository Citation Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library, "Jewish Law Research Guide" (2015). Law Library Research Guides - Archived. 43. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/researchguides/43 This Web Page is brought to you for free and open access by the Library at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Law Library Research Guides - Archived by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Home - Jewish Law Resource Guide - LibGuides at C|M|LAW Library http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/sites/1185/guides/190548/backups/gui... C|M|LAW Library / LibGuides / Jewish Law Resource Guide / Home Enter Search Words Search Jewish Law is called Halakha in Hebrew. Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life. Home Primary Sources Secondary Sources Journals & Articles Citations Research Strategies Glossary E-Reserves Home What is Jewish Law? Need Help? Jewish Law is called Halakha in Hebrew. Halakha from the Hebrew word Halakh, Contact a Law Librarian: which means "to walk" or "to go;" thus a literal translation does not yield "law," but rather [email protected] "the way to go". Phone (Voice):216-687-6877 Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and Text messages only: ostensibly non-religious life 216-539-3331 Jewish religious tradition does not distinguish clearly between religious, national, racial, or ethnic identities. -
Review of Recent Halakhic Periodical Literature
Hyman Tuchman REVIEW OF RECENT HALAKHIC PERIODICAL LITERATURE SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE ly be pecuniary, through the impo- sition of penalties or an obligation An interesting analysis is made to pay damages by the party which by Dr. Z. Warhaftig in the Chesh- defaulted. But the contract could van-Kislev, 1958 issue of SiTUi of not assure nghts of any sort to the "Specifc Performance of Contracts" object itself with which the contract in Jewish Halakhah as contrasted was concerned, certainly not by with the curent secular law in Is- compelling the part to the contract raeL. Can a part to a contract be to produce the object, to hand over compelled to carr out its provi- the property. Transfer of own- sions, or is a monetary penalty the ership occurs simultaneously with only recourse against the defaulter? the agreement to sell or else the As we know, Israeli law denves contract does not afect in any way to a great extent from English law the fact of ownership:' which was introduced into Palestine In English law however the in- after England obtained possession stitution of "specifc performance" of the country under the mandate. of a contract did develop as part of The author, himseH a learned attor- the doctre of equity which "recog- ney and a member of the Israeli nized that not in every case could a Knesset, states that in the event a monetary payment suffce to com- contract is not honored, most legal pensate the part desirng penorm- systems require only the payment ance of the contract. Neverteless, of a penalty stipulated in advance specifc penormance of a contract or the payment of damages. -
1 I. Introduction: the Following Essay Is Offered to the Dear Reader to Help
I. Introduction: The power point presentation offers a number of specific examples from Jewish Law, Jewish history, Biblical Exegesis, etc. to illustrate research strategies, techniques, and methodologies. The student can better learn how to conduct research using: (1) online catalogs of Judaica, (2) Judaica databases (i.e. Bar Ilan Responsa, Otzar HaHokmah, RAMBI , etc.], (3) digitized archival historical collections of Judaica (i.e. Cairo Geniza, JNUL illuminated Ketuboth, JTSA Wedding poems, etc.), (4) ebooks (i.e. HebrewBooks.org) and eReference Encyclopedias (i.e., Encyclopedia Talmudit via Bar Ilan, EJ, and JE), (5) Judaica websites (e.g., WebShas), (5) and some key print sources. The following essay is offered to the dear reader to help better understand the great gains we make as librarians by entering the online digital age, however at the same time still keeping in mind what we dare not loose in risking to liquidate the importance of our print collections and the types of Jewish learning innately and traditionally associate with the print medium. The paradox of this positioning on the vestibule of the cyber digital information age/revolution is formulated by my allusion to continental philosophies characterization of “The Question Concerning Technology” (Die Frage ueber Teknologie) in the phrase from Holderlin‟s poem, Patmos, cited by Heidegger: Wo die Gefahr ist wachst das Retende Auch!, Where the danger is there is also the saving power. II. Going Digital and Throwing out the print books? Critique of Cushing Academy’s liquidating print sources in the library and going automated totally digital online: Cushing Academy, a New England prep school, is one of the first schools in the country to abandon its books. -
צב | עב January Tevet | Sh’Vat Capricorn Saturn | Aquarius Saturn
צב | עב January Tevet | Sh’vat Capricorn Saturn | Aquarius Saturn Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 | 17th of Tevet* 2 | 18th of Tevet* New Year’s Day Parashat Vayechi Abraham Moshe Hillel Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov Rabbi Salman Mutzfi Rabbi Huna bar Mar Zutra & Rabbi Rabbi Yaakov Krantz Mesharshya bar Pakod Rabbi Moshe Kalfon Ha-Cohen of Jerba 3 | 19th of Tevet * 4* | 20th of Tevet 5 | 21st of Tevet * 6 | 22nd of Tevet* 7 | 23rd of Tevet* 8 | 24th of Tevet* 9 | 25th of Tevet* Parashat Shemot Rabbi Menchachem Mendel Yosef Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon Rabbi Leib Mochiach of Polnoi Rabbi Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira Rabbi Yisrael Dov of Vilednik Rabbi Schulem Moshkovitz Rabbi Naphtali Cohen Miriam Mizrachi Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler 10 | 26th of Tevet* 11 | 27th of Tevet* 12 | 28th of Tevet* 13* | 29th of Tevet 14* | 1st of Sh’vat 15* | 2nd of Sh’vat 16 | 3rd of Sh’vat* Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat Parashat Vaera Rabbeinu Avraham bar Dovid mi Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch HaRav Yitzhak Kaduri Rabbi Meshulam Zusha of Anipoli Posquires Rabbi Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin Rabbi Menahem Mendel ben Rabbi Shlomo Leib Brevda Rabbi Eliyahu Moshe Panigel Abraham Krochmal Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin 17* | 4th of Sh’vat 18 | 5th of Sh’vat* 19 | 6th of Sh’vat* 20 | 7th of Sh’vat* 21 | 8th of Sh’vat* 22 | 9th of Sh’vat* 23* | 10th of Sh’vat* Parashat Bo Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzeirah Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum Rabbi Nathan David Rabinowitz -
Gedolei Torah at the · ,, ·
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