DOCSLIB.ORG

RHETORIC of MODERN JEWISH ETHICS by Jonathan Kadane Crane a Thesis Submitted in Conformity with the Requirements for the Degree

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
RHETORIC of MODERN JEWISH ETHICS by Jonathan Kadane Crane a Thesis Submitted in Conformity with the Requirements for the Degree RHETORIC OF MODERN JEWISH ETHICS by Jonathan Kadane Crane A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Religion University of Toronto © Copyright by Jonathan Kadane Crane (2009) Rhetoric of Modern Jewish Ethics Jonathan Kadane Crane Ph.D. Graduate Department of Religion University of Toronto 2009 Abstract Jewish ethicists face a twofold task of persuading audiences that (a) their proposal for an issue of social concern and justice is the right and good thing to do, and (b) their proposal fits within the Judaic tradition writ large. Whereas most scholarship in the field focuses on how Jewish ethicists argue by dividing arguments into halakhic formalist, covenantalist and narrativist categories, these efforts fail both to reflect the diverse ways ethicists actually argue and to explain why they argue in these ways. My project proposes a new methodology to understand how and why Jewish ethicists argue as they do on issues of justice and concern. My project combines philosophical theology and discourse analysis. The first examines an ethicist’s notion of covenant ( brit ) in light of theories found in the Jewish textual tradition. Clarifying an ethicist’s notion of covenant uncovers that person’s assumptions about the scope and binding nature of elements in the Judaic tradition, and that person’s conception of an audience’s responsibilities to the normative argument s/he articulates. Certain themes come to the fore for each ethicist that, when mapped, reveal striking relationships between an ethicist’s notion of covenant and anticipated ethical rhetoric. These maps begin to show why certain ethicists argue as they do. Discourse analysis then identifies the interrelationships between the speaker, the spoken and the audience – as they are actually articulated in Jewish ethicists’ practical arguments. These relationships form the how of Jewish ethical arguments insofar as they reflect an author’s rhetorical choices. My project applies discourse analysis to the rhetoric of a sample of living ii Jewish ethicists (J. David Bleich, Elliot Dorff, Eugene Borowitz) who speak out on issues of social concern and justice. As will be seen, a rich and complex relationship exists between an ethicist’s theory of covenant and his subsequent moral rhetoric. This twofold methodology enables the student of Jewish ethics to understand how and why seemingly disparate styles of normative speech are nonetheless participating in a common endeavor and discourse. And it supports the theologically-based rhetoric of religious ethical discourse in shaping justice in multi-cultural societies. iii Acknowledgments A dissertation germinates for quite a while in the nebulous state of “an idea” before it becomes concrete in “an outline.” Gestating in outline form, it mutates from one paradigm to another by reorganizing its twisting building blocks until a coherent, cogent and hopefully viable structure takes shape. Then, with an influx of research and substantial effort, the idea becomes ink and byte. Arguments get fleshed out, details filled in, and the idea begins to kick itself alive. It builds itself in fits and spats. It takes months and years to nourish an idea to a stage when it is ready to stand on its own. And it takes a village to help the author birth it. It is to all of these – and more – to whom I am indebted for their generous and ongoing support, commiseration and wisdom. My advisors at the University of Toronto: Professors Robert Gibbs, David Novak and Roger Hutchinson. Professional colleagues whose conversations added insight and motivation: Leora Batinitzky, Eugene Borowitz, Eliott Dorff, Peter Haas, Martin Kavka, Barry Kogan, Louis Newman, Randi Rashkover, Jonathan Schofer. Fellow doctoral students who commiserated and cajoled: Aaron Gross, Matthew LaGrone, Danielle Lefebvre, Eva Mroszek. Other University of Toronto staff whose tireless energy offered priceless support: Marilyn Calacao, Fereshteh Hashemi, Irene Kao, Barbara Mainguy, Galina Vaisman. In addition to the wonderful librarians at the University of Toronto, I would also like to thank those at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Hilary Ziff at Reform Judaism magazine, and everyone at the Society of Jewish Ethics conferences. I could not have survived for so long in this project without the financial support of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Dorot Fellowship from the Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Shier Family Scholarship, and the Stewart H. Reid Memorial Trust. The year this project came into its own is remembered fondly with the friends at the Pantheon Building offices of IFMR in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. And I would be remiss to pass mentioning Rabbi Ed Elkin and our chevre of friends at the First Narayever Congregation in Toronto, as well as our many other friends who have taken interest in my whereabouts. My family, without whose love I could not endure: Garry and Kay Crane, Charles and Nola Miller, and siblings: Paul and Heidi Crane and their son Isaac, Daniel and Audrey Crane- Hirsch, and Peter Miller. I could not have produced this project without the dynamic love and gracious support of Lindy, my wife, and it is to her I dedicate this project for giving birth to our family. iv Table of Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents............................................................................................................................ 4 Chapter 1: Pleasant Words.......................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................... 5 2. The Study of Jewish Ethical Rhetoric................................................................................. 7 3. The Study of Religious Ethical Rhetoric .......................................................................... 18 4. A New Method of Analyzing Jewish Ethical Discourse .................................................. 24 5. Analyzing Pleasant Words................................................................................................ 35 Chapter 2: Magical Words......................................................................................................... 38 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 38 2. Ethical Discourse .............................................................................................................. 39 3. Religious Ethical Discourse.............................................................................................. 59 4. Theoretical Jewish Ethical Discourse............................................................................... 73 Chapter 3: Covenantal Words................................................................................................... 78 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 78 2. Biblical Theories............................................................................................................... 83 3. Rabbinic Theories............................................................................................................. 95 4. Medieval and Early-Modern Theories............................................................................ 105 5. Modern Theories............................................................................................................. 115 6. Covenantal Theories and Jewish Ethical Discourse ....................................................... 133 Chapter 4: Human Words........................................................................................................ 137 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................... 137 2. Theories of Covenant...................................................................................................... 139 3. Linking Theories of Covenant to Ethical Rhetoric......................................................... 163 4. Actual Jewish Ethical Rhetoric....................................................................................... 167 5. Critical Analysis.............................................................................................................. 187 Chapter 5: Words of Fire......................................................................................................... 197 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................... 197 2. Methodological Benefits................................................................................................. 198 3. Complementarity and Comparative Advantage.............................................................. 200 4. Religious Ethical Discourse in Complex Societies......................................................... 217 5. Black Fire on White Fire................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fundamentals of Judaism
    Fundamentals of Judaism Selections from the works of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and outstanding Torah-true thinkers I Edited by JACOB BREUER Published for THE RABBI SAMSON RAPHAEL HIRSCH SOCIETY by Philipp Feldheim, Publisher New York CHAPTER EIGHT l' l' l' PROBLEMS OF THE DIASPORA IN THE SHULCHAN ARUCH By DR. DAVID HOFFMAN According to the Shulchan Aruch the support of a needy Jew is a law. Charity for the needy "Akkum," while considered a moral obligation, is urged on the basis of Oi'it!' ~::Ji' as a means of maintaining peaceful relations with the non-Jewish world. This qualified motivation has become the target of widespread and indignant criticism. One of the critics, the frankly prejudiced Justus, voiced his opposition as follows: "The tendency under­ lying these rules is to create the belief in the "Akkum" (Christ­ ians) that they have good friends in the Jews." This materialistic concept is pure nonsense; perhaps it is an outgrowth of wishful thinking. That it is utterly unfounded is substantiated by the oldest source of this rule, the Mishna in Gittin (59 a): "The following rules were inaugurated because of o''i~ ~::Ji': " .... the release of game, birds or fish from a trap set by another person is considered robbery; objects found by a deaf-mute, mentally deficient or minor (including Jews) must not be forcibly seized; .... impoverished heathens must nof be restrained from collecting the gleanings, forgotten sheaves and the fruit left for the poor at the edge of the this "for the sake of peace." On the basis of this Mishna it is difficult to see how any ob­ server can side with Justus' interpretation.
    [Show full text]
  • THE MAHARAL of POZNAŃ – the ERA of the POLISH LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH, 16Th–18Th CENTURY
    COEXIST: POZNAŃ AND JEWS THE MAHARAL OF POZNAŃ – THE ERA OF THE POLISH LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH, 16th–18th CENTURY The establishment of a powerful dualistic state of the kingdom of Poland and the grand duchy of Lithuania, which since 1569 bore the name of Rzeczypospolita Obojga Narodów (lit.: Republic of Two Nations), created new conditions for the com- munity to thrive and develop. Given the amount of the coronation tax paid in 1507, the Jewish com- munity in Poznań was the third largest in Poland, after Lvov and the Kazimierz quarter of Cracow. This state of affairs continued until the end of the 18th century, though the recurrent natural disas- ters and numerous wars of the latter half of the 17th century brought many hardships to be faced. For COEXIST: POZNAŃ AND JEWS instance, after the great fires which ravaged the city in 1590 and 1613, Jews had to relocate to the suburbs and live there for a number of years. Yet they returned soon, as by 1619 their quarter boast- ed 134 new dwellings and burgher houses, inhabit- ed by around 1,500 people. The community had its synagogue, school and hospital. One of the prom- inent figures associated with Renaissance Poznań was rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known as Ma- haral of Prague, alleged creator of the Golem. Born in 1520 and native of Poznań, the famed Talmudist, philosopher, Kabbalist, astrologer, and possibly al- chemist twice assumed the leadership of the local community as a rabbi. The Jews of Poznań and Greater Poland were represented in substantial numbers at the so-called Council of Four Lands (Va’ad Arba’ Aratzot) formed around 1580.
    [Show full text]
  • SHMITA YEAR 5782 Returning to the Home of Our Soul Register Here!
    SHMITA YEAR 5782 Returning to the Home of Our Soul As we gather in person and on-line we will enter the New Jewish Year together. 5782 is a Shmita year. Every seven years Shmita invites us to examine what in our lives needs to be reassessed and released. The Shmita year also brings us into a deep connection with earth. It is a call to ecological, social and economic justice. Who have we become during these pandemic times? Each of us have had discoveries and losses, breakthroughs and disappointments, moments of isolation and meaningful connections. Sounding the shofar we will return to each other and begin again. Register here! ~ Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit and Rabbi Yael Levy ~ WHETHER ON LINE OR IN SANCTUARY, WE WILL CELEBRATE 5782 TOGETHER! We are excited to welcome 5782 with our Mishkan friends and family. In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines established by the Center For Disease Control (CDC) and the City of Philadelphia Department of Health, we will offer many of our High Holiday services, workshops and other programming both in-person in our 3rd floor sanctuary and via Zoom by prior registration only for all services. Volunteers will be overseeing the in-person protocols as well as on-line access. For Members- please click here for volunteer opportunities to help in needed areas. ● As part of registration all participants agree to the Mishkan Shalom Covenant for In-Person participation for up to 100 members and guests, (see covenant on web page and registration) in addition to our staff and volunteers, which includes: ○ Masks will be required of everyone, except for leaders when actively leading up front.
    [Show full text]
  • The Marriage Issue
    Association for Jewish Studies SPRING 2013 Center for Jewish History The Marriage Issue 15 West 16th Street The Latest: New York, NY 10011 William Kentridge: An Implicated Subject Cynthia Ozick’s Fiction Smolders, but not with Romance The Questionnaire: If you were to organize a graduate seminar around a single text, what would it be? Perspectives THE MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR JEWISH STUDIES Table of Contents From the Editors 3 From the President 3 From the Executive Director 4 The Marriage Issue Jewish Marriage 6 Bluma Goldstein Between the Living and the Dead: Making Levirate Marriage Work 10 Dvora Weisberg Married Men 14 Judith Baskin ‘According to the Law of Moses and Israel’: Marriage from Social Institution to Legal Fact 16 Michael Satlow Reading Jewish Philosophy: What’s Marriage Got to Do with It? 18 Susan Shapiro One Jewish Woman, Two Husbands, Three Laws: The Making of Civil Marriage and Divorce in a Revolutionary Age 24 Lois Dubin Jewish Courtship and Marriage in 1920s Vienna 26 Marsha Rozenblit Marriage Equality: An American Jewish View 32 Joyce Antler The Playwright, the Starlight, and the Rabbi: A Love Triangle 35 Lila Corwin Berman The Hand that Rocks the Cradle: How the Gender of the Jewish Parent Influences Intermarriage 42 Keren McGinity Critiquing and Rethinking Kiddushin 44 Rachel Adler Kiddushin, Marriage, and Egalitarian Relationships: Making New Legal Meanings 46 Gail Labovitz Beyond the Sanctification of Subordination: Reclaiming Tradition and Equality in Jewish Marriage 50 Melanie Landau The Multifarious
    [Show full text]
  • A QUARTERLY of WOMEN's STUDIES RESOURCES WOMEN's STUDIES LIBRARIAN University of Wisconsin System
    WOMEN’S STUDIES LIBRARIAN FEMINIST COLLECTIONS A QUARTERLY OF WOMEN’S STUDIES RESOURCES Volume 33 Number 1 Winter 2012 University of Wisconsin System Feminist Collections A Quarterly of Women’s Studies Resources Women’s Studies Librarian University of Wisconsin System 430 Memorial Library 728 State St. Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608-263-5754 Fax: 608-265-2754 Email: [email protected] Website: http://womenst.library.wisc.edu Editors: Phyllis Holman Weisbard, JoAnne Lehman Cover drawing: Miriam Greenwald Drawings, pp. 15, 16, 17: Miriam Greenwald Graphic design assistance: Daniel Joe Staff assistance: Linda Fain, Beth Huang, Michelle Preston, Heather Shimon, Kelsey Wallner Subscriptions: Wisconsin subscriptions: $10.00 (individuals affiliated with the UW System), $20.00 (organizations affili- ated with the UW System), $20.00 (individuals or non-profit women’s programs), $30.00 (institutions). Out-of-state sub- scriptions: $35.00 (individuals & women’s programs in the U.S.), $65.00 (institutions in the U.S.), $50.00 (individuals & women's programs in Canada/Mexico), $80.00 (institutions in Canada/Mexico), $55.00 (individuals & women's programs elsewhere outside the U.S.), $85.00 (institutions elsewhere outside the U.S.) Subscriptions include Feminist Collections, Feminist Periodicals, and New Books on Women, Gender, & Feminism. Wisconsin subscriber amounts include state tax (except UW organizations amount). All subscription rates include postage. Feminist Collections is indexed by Alternative Press Index, Women’s Studies International, and Library, Information Science, & Technology Abstracts. It is available in full text in Contemporary Women’s Issues and in Genderwatch. All back issues of Feminist Collections, beginning with Volume 1, Number 1 (February 1980), are archived in full text in the Minds@UW institutional repository: http://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/254.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Golem
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Senior Thesis Projects, 2003-2006 College Scholars 2005 Finding Golem Elizabeth Abbot Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_interstp3 Recommended Citation Abbot, Elizabeth, "Finding Golem" (2005). Senior Thesis Projects, 2003-2006. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_interstp3/3 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the College Scholars at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Thesis Projects, 2003-2006 by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ,i 1 FORMC COLLEGE SCHOlARS PROJECT APPROVAL EhzabettA. Abbo-\-\­ Scholar Mentor r; (\ d d\ 3 <; D \e VV\ Project Title COMMITTEE MEMBERS (Minimum 3 Required) Name Signature .~~ 2J7{0I¥J k~ PLEASE ATTACH A COpy OF THE SENIOR PROJECT TO THIS SHEET AND RETURN BOTH TO THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR. THIS PAGE SHOULD BE DATED AND COMPLETED ON THE DATE THAT YOUR DEFENSE IS HELD . ..-:1' i I /" DATE COMPLETED ----.t-S."../-!2-..\0.1 ....... / L_'?_~_ Finding Golem 1 Finding Golem Elizabeth Abbott University of Tennessee Finding Golem 2 Letter to the Reader In our society, we often focus entirely on producing a desired result without taking the process of creation into account. This project, however, is more about the journey taken than the product achieved. Behind all of my research on Golem, personal questions about the roles of language and creativity have motivated my work. The four separate parts of the following project are intended to highlight the distinct paths I have taken over the last two years to get to this point.
    [Show full text]
  • Well, Can There Be Jewish Ethics Or Not?
    Thejoumalof jewish Thought and Philosophy, Vol. S,pp. 237-241 © 1996 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by license only Well, Can There Be Jewish Ethics or Not? Menachem Kellner Univeriry oj Haifa I was asked to respond to a group of articles on the subject, "Can There Be a Jewish Ethics?" and gladly undertook to do so. I was sent five won- derful articles, not one of which actually addressed the proposed topic head on. Lenn Goodman rejects the question as "uncivil" and explains elegantly why that is so. Norbert Samuelson dismisses the question as "uninteresting" and goes on to other issues which interest him more. The question is unin- teresting, he maintains, because the answer is "of course, why not." "Of course," because there is obviously a vast amount of Jewish ethical thought and writing. To the "why not?" reply Samuelson proposes two "uninterest- ing" philosophic answers: Jewish ethics is not universal and thus not ethics or Jewish ethics is universal and thus not Jewish. In order to understand Samuelson's point, a number of distinctions must be drawn. Three senses of the term "ethics" must be distinguished: desciptive eth- ics, normative ethics, and meta-ethics. The first describes what has in fact been taught about ethics. It is trivially true that there can be Jewish ethics in the descriptive sense, as pointed out by Kenneth Seeskin, Samuelson, and David Novak in their essays. There is a huge body of literature both ex- pressing and analyzing historically Jewish approaches to ethical questions. Normative ethics, on the other hand, seeks not to describe but to pre- scribe, not to tell us what others have said about moral issues, but to tell us what to do when confronted with these issues.
    [Show full text]
  • SHABBAT, FEBRUARY 29, 2020 - ADAR 4, 5780 PARSHAT TERUMAH (Pg
    SHABBAT, FEBRUARY 29, 2020 - ADAR 4, 5780 PARSHAT TERUMAH (Pg. 444) TORAH INSIGHTS FROM RABBI ELI BABICH The Torah states that the walls of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) were made of large planks of acacia wood (Terumah 26:15). Construction of the Tabernacle commenced while the Jewish people were in the desert. As an abundance of wood is not natural in desert conditions, one can ask how the nation procured such large quantities of wood needed to con- struct the Tabernacle. Rashi commented, Our patriarch, Jacob, planted cedars in Egypt, and when he was dying, he commanded his sons to bring them up with them when they left Egypt. He told them that the Holy One, blessed is He, was destined to command them to make a Mishkan of acacia wood in the desert. In anticipation of the ultimate redemption, upon arrival in Egypt, Jacob ordered the planting of trees for the eventual use in the construction of the Tabernacle. Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky (1891- 1986) questioned the necessity of Jacob arranging for the planting of trees, as surely there were suitable trees in Egypt. Rabbi Kaminetsky suggested that Jacob planted the trees for psychological reasons. These trees served as a reminder that the enslaved Jewish people would one day be redeemed. Even though the promise of redemp- tion was widely known, the trees served as a tangible reminder, each and every day, of the ultimate salvation of the Jewish people. The nation routinely encountered these trees during their years of slavery, and for the nation, the trees were a physical symbol of hope.
    [Show full text]
  • Farbrengen Has Different Types of Nisyonos, to in Connection with Gimmel Tammuz, We a Certain Extent
    Today’s generation Farbrengen has different types of nisyonos, to In connection with Gimmel Tammuz, we a certain extent. What we once called “the street” asked Rabbi Abrahams to share a few words of has managed to infiltrate our pockets and homes. inspiration for the benefit of our readers. The However, none of it is inherently new. The goal of following is a short synopsis of Rabbi Abrahams’s a Chossid is to immerse himself totally in avodas farbrengen. Hashem, in learning and davening, hafatza and so A connection to the Rebbe can be divided into on. It isn’t beyond your reach; you just need the two categories: chitzonius and pnimius. Sometimes resolve to immerse yourself within it. people, especially bochurim, ask, “How can we Being a mekushar means choosing to dedicate have a connection to the Rebbe?” oneself to the Rebbe. That is then spelled out This question is based on an assumption that in every facet of your life; you learn Chassidus by simply being in the Rebbe’s presence, one had and nigleh, engage in avodas hatefillah, learn the a real connection with him, but today, when we Rebbe’s sichos and maamarim, and involve yourself don’t see the Rebbe physically, we can’t be properly in the Rebbe’s activities. That is how you create a connected. true hiskashrus within yourself. That assumption is inherently wrong. Ultimately, this genuine hiskashrus also brings A physical relationship with the Rebbe is also with it the chitzoniusdiker trappings of a Chossid. very important, but that is totally unrelated to I often see the bochurim arriving at 770 or coming whether a person can be called a mekushar, and— to the Ohel with the same chayus and excitement more specifically—whether he fulfills his purpose that we had, when we were able to see the Rebbe; in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • T Wentieth Centur Y R Eligious Thought Librar Y
    TWENTIETH CENTURY RELIGIOUS THOUGHT learn more at at learn more alexanderstreet.com LIBRARY Twentieth Century Religious Thought Library RELIGION Leading scholarly and curated resource for the study of 20th century religious thinkers Twentieth Century Religious Thought Students and scholars will uncover: Library covers over 200 leading thinkers “Best Reference • Rare and previously undigitized and writers, offering scholarly and content, including one-of-a-kind curated selections of foundational Databases 2016” theological writings, sermons, writings, contextual monographs, and (Vols. I and II) interviews, lectures, personal archival content. Unique analytical correspondence, confessional software and indexing facilitate deep Library Journal documents, biblical commentaries, scholarship; 75 percent of the materials catechisms, sacred drama, historical are in English, making them accessible accounts, images, and personal papers. across the curriculum. • Source materials written in their original Volumes on Christianity, Islam, Judaism, The printed materials are rekeyed to more languages, providing scholars with an and Eastern Religions are now available, than 99.99% accuracy, while the interface unfiltered view of key primary texts. At completion, the series will comprise allows in-depth word pattern analysis • The most inclusive resources that more than 450,000 pages, 900 and data mining, as well as the ability to deliver access to feminist theologians monographs, and 10,000 archival items. search using Arabic script and Hebrew. and other previously marginalized and lesser-known voices. Key primary and secondary sources allow students to explore the impact these thinkers have had in sociology, history, politics, literature, and other disciplines Christianity Islam Judaism Eastern Religions Hans Urs von Balthasar Khaled Abou el Fadl Eugene Borowitz Swami Abhedananda Dietrich Bonhoeffer Sadiq Jalal Al-Azm Zachary Braiterman Helen Josephine Baroni Sergius Bulgakov Ismail al-Faruqi Elliott Dorff Bötrül Helder Camara Sayyid Ahmad Khan ˛ Emil L.
    [Show full text]
  • CCAR Journal the Reform Jewish Quarterly
    CCAR Journal The Reform Jewish Quarterly Halachah and Reform Judaism Contents FROM THE EDITOR At the Gates — ohrgJc: The Redemption of Halachah . 1 A. Brian Stoller, Guest Editor ARTICLES HALACHIC THEORY What Do We Mean When We Say, “We Are Not Halachic”? . 9 Leon A. Morris Halachah in Reform Theology from Leo Baeck to Eugene B . Borowitz: Authority, Autonomy, and Covenantal Commandments . 17 Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi The CCAR Responsa Committee: A History . 40 Joan S. Friedman Reform Halachah and the Claim of Authority: From Theory to Practice and Back Again . 54 Mark Washofsky Is a Reform Shulchan Aruch Possible? . 74 Alona Lisitsa An Evolving Israeli Reform Judaism: The Roles of Halachah and Civil Religion as Seen in the Writings of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism . 92 David Ellenson and Michael Rosen Aggadic Judaism . 113 Edwin Goldberg Spring 2020 i CONTENTS Talmudic Aggadah: Illustrations, Warnings, and Counterarguments to Halachah . 120 Amy Scheinerman Halachah for Hedgehogs: Legal Interpretivism and Reform Philosophy of Halachah . 140 Benjamin C. M. Gurin The Halachic Canon as Literature: Reading for Jewish Ideas and Values . 155 Alyssa M. Gray APPLIED HALACHAH Communal Halachic Decision-Making . 174 Erica Asch Growing More Than Vegetables: A Case Study in the Use of CCAR Responsa in Planting the Tri-Faith Community Garden . 186 Deana Sussman Berezin Yoga as a Jewish Worship Practice: Chukat Hagoyim or Spiritual Innovation? . 200 Liz P. G. Hirsch and Yael Rapport Nursing in Shul: A Halachically Informed Perspective . 208 Michal Loving Can We Say Mourner’s Kaddish in Cases of Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Nefel? . 215 Jeremy R.
    [Show full text]
  • Teacher's Guide & Student Worksheets
    Teacher's Guide & Student Worksheets An interdisciplinary curriculum that weaves together Jewish tradition and contemporary food issues www.hazon.org/jfen Hazon works to create healthy and sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond. Teachers Guide and Student Worksheets www.hazon.org/jfen Authors: Judith Belasco, Lisa Sjostrom Contributing Author: Ronit Ziv-Zeiger, Jenna Levy Design Work: Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz, Lisa Kaplan, Rachel Chetrit Curriculum Advisors: Mick Fine, Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield, Elisheva Urbas, Molly Weingrod, David Franklin, Natasha Aronson Educational Partnerships & Outreach Advisor: Elena Sigman Min Ha’Aretz Advisory Board: Judith Belasco, Cheryl Cook, Rachel Rosenfield, Nigel Savage, Elena Sigman, Elisheva Urbas, Molly Weingrod Special thanks to: Gayle Adler and educators at Beit Rabban, Mick Fine, Benjamin Mann, & Dr. Steven Lorch at Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan for their extensive work to develop the Min Ha’Aretz curriculum Hazon Min Ha’Aretz Family Education Initiative Staff Judith Belasco, Director of Food Programs, [email protected] Daniel Infeld, Food Progams Fellow, [email protected] Hazon | 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 | 212 644 2332 | fax: 212 868 7933 www.hazon.org | www.jcarrot.org – “Best New Blog” in the 2007 Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards Copyright © 2010 by Hazon. All rights reserved. Hazon works to create healthy and sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond. “The Torah is a commentary on the world, and the world is a commentary on the Torah…” Cover photos courtesy
    [Show full text]