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Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century: Sh'eilot Ut'shuvot is the latest in an ongoing series of Reform Responsa. Drawing from the breadth of traditional and modern Jewish texts, law, and ideology, this two volumes set addresses over seventy contemporary topics, including conversion of adopted children, fertility treatments, patrilineal descent, issues of synagogue management, social justice activism, interfaith marriage and rituals of death and mourning. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Book Synopsis Reform Responsa For the Twenty-First Century by : Mark Washofsky
Download or read book Reform Responsa For the Twenty-First Century written by Mark Washofsky and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2019-09-04 with total page 972 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century: Sh'eilot Ut'shuvot is the latest in an ongoing series of Reform Responsa. Drawing from the breadth of traditional and modern Jewish texts, law, and ideology, this two volumes set addresses over seventy contemporary topics, including conversion of adopted children, fertility treatments, patrilineal descent, issues of synagogue management, social justice activism, interfaith marriage and rituals of death and mourning. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Responsa on topics related to holiday observance, life cycle events, synagogue life, bio-medical ethics, Jewish ethics, and personal status.
Book Synopsis Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century by : Mark Washofsky
Download or read book Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century written by Mark Washofsky and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Responsa on topics related to holiday observance, life cycle events, synagogue life, bio-medical ethics, Jewish ethics, and personal status.
The responsa literature, in which rabbis answer questions about halachah (Jewish law), is a vast treasury reaching back nearly fifteen centuries; Reform rabbis have been writing responsa since the 1800s. In Reading Reform Responsa, Rabbi Mark Washofsky, PhD, presents a deep dive into this literature, boldly arguing that Reform Judaism is indeed a movement fundamentally based on halachah. By inviting and guiding readers to understand Reform responsa with a critical eye, he shows that our movement has always been informed by Jewish law as well as Reform history. A teacher and mentor of generations of students at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Washofsky gives us a peek inside his classroom, making Reform responsa—and their history, framing, and context—engaging and accessible for all. Dr. Washofsky masterfully demonstrates the centrality of responsa for the continued vitality of Reform as an authentic stream of contemporary Judaism. Addressing himself to the everyday Jew-in-the-pew, he explains what halachah is, what responsa are, and what makes "Reform responsa" distinctive. ... More importantly, he draws on his expertise as a scholar both of our tradition and of legal and literary theory to teach the non-specialist reader to become a critical reader of responsa. —From the foreword by Rabbi Joan S. Friedman, PhD, Chair, CCAR Responsa Committee Rabbi Washofsky gifts us with a series of informed and sensitive discussions of how Reform Jews should think about and act on specific moral and ritual issues. In doing so, he graphically demonstrates that Reform Judaism's emphasis on personal autonomy is complemented by its insistence that Jewish tradition must play a role in individuals' choices if these decisions are to be not just one's own opinion, but also a recognizably Jewish one. —Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD, Past Chair, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, Rabbinical Assembly Rabbi Mark Washofsky offers us a fascinating entry into and analysis of the Reform Movement's engagement with Jewish law, practice, and values. Where responsa analyze the issues and concerns implicit in a question of immediate practicality posed to a Jewish legal authority, Washofsky analyzes the body of over 1,300 Reform responsa promulgated since the early nineteenth century, pointing out the intellectual and ethical approaches employed, as well as the traditional, philosophical, and scientific resources marshalled to arrive at a persuasive answer. A wonderful read in its own right, this book provides an insider's look at modern liberal Jewish religious thought in action. —Rabbi Amy Scheinerman, author of The Talmud of Relationships Drawing on his deep mastery of classical halachic literature, Reform religious culture, and modern secular legal theory, Mark Washofsky offers insightful and compelling analyses of some of the Reform Movement's most important responsa. Washofsky's special ability to combine rigorous scholarship with his characteristic dry humor, engaging storytelling, and accessible writing style makes Reading Reform Responsa an essential study companion for anyone---clergy, academics, and laypeople alike---who is interested in learning or teaching Reform Judaism's rich tradition of halachic discourse. By inviting the reader to be not just an observer but also a participant in the reasoning and argumentation of responsa, Washofsky teaches us what it means to think halachically in a uniquely Reform way. —Rabbi A. Brian Stoller, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, NY Those curious about the tradition of responsa in the Reform tradition, or merely about the intersection of Jewish law and modern life, will find much here of interest. A substantial but accessible guide to reading and applying Reform responsa. —Kirkus Reviews
Book Synopsis Reading Reform Responsa by : Mark Washofsky
Download or read book Reading Reform Responsa written by Mark Washofsky and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2024-03-04 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The responsa literature, in which rabbis answer questions about halachah (Jewish law), is a vast treasury reaching back nearly fifteen centuries; Reform rabbis have been writing responsa since the 1800s. In Reading Reform Responsa, Rabbi Mark Washofsky, PhD, presents a deep dive into this literature, boldly arguing that Reform Judaism is indeed a movement fundamentally based on halachah. By inviting and guiding readers to understand Reform responsa with a critical eye, he shows that our movement has always been informed by Jewish law as well as Reform history. A teacher and mentor of generations of students at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Washofsky gives us a peek inside his classroom, making Reform responsa—and their history, framing, and context—engaging and accessible for all. Dr. Washofsky masterfully demonstrates the centrality of responsa for the continued vitality of Reform as an authentic stream of contemporary Judaism. Addressing himself to the everyday Jew-in-the-pew, he explains what halachah is, what responsa are, and what makes "Reform responsa" distinctive. ... More importantly, he draws on his expertise as a scholar both of our tradition and of legal and literary theory to teach the non-specialist reader to become a critical reader of responsa. —From the foreword by Rabbi Joan S. Friedman, PhD, Chair, CCAR Responsa Committee Rabbi Washofsky gifts us with a series of informed and sensitive discussions of how Reform Jews should think about and act on specific moral and ritual issues. In doing so, he graphically demonstrates that Reform Judaism's emphasis on personal autonomy is complemented by its insistence that Jewish tradition must play a role in individuals' choices if these decisions are to be not just one's own opinion, but also a recognizably Jewish one. —Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD, Past Chair, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, Rabbinical Assembly Rabbi Mark Washofsky offers us a fascinating entry into and analysis of the Reform Movement's engagement with Jewish law, practice, and values. Where responsa analyze the issues and concerns implicit in a question of immediate practicality posed to a Jewish legal authority, Washofsky analyzes the body of over 1,300 Reform responsa promulgated since the early nineteenth century, pointing out the intellectual and ethical approaches employed, as well as the traditional, philosophical, and scientific resources marshalled to arrive at a persuasive answer. A wonderful read in its own right, this book provides an insider's look at modern liberal Jewish religious thought in action. —Rabbi Amy Scheinerman, author of The Talmud of Relationships Drawing on his deep mastery of classical halachic literature, Reform religious culture, and modern secular legal theory, Mark Washofsky offers insightful and compelling analyses of some of the Reform Movement's most important responsa. Washofsky's special ability to combine rigorous scholarship with his characteristic dry humor, engaging storytelling, and accessible writing style makes Reading Reform Responsa an essential study companion for anyone---clergy, academics, and laypeople alike---who is interested in learning or teaching Reform Judaism's rich tradition of halachic discourse. By inviting the reader to be not just an observer but also a participant in the reasoning and argumentation of responsa, Washofsky teaches us what it means to think halachically in a uniquely Reform way. —Rabbi A. Brian Stoller, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, NY Those curious about the tradition of responsa in the Reform tradition, or merely about the intersection of Jewish law and modern life, will find much here of interest. A substantial but accessible guide to reading and applying Reform responsa. —Kirkus Reviews
Solomon Bennett Freehof (1892-1990) was one of America's most distinguished, influential, and beloved rabbis. Ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1915, he was of the generation of rabbis from east European immigrant backgrounds who moved Reform Judaism away from its classical form toward a renewed appreciation of traditional practices. Freehof himself was less interested in restoring discarded rituals than in demonstrating how the Reform approach to Jewish religious practice was rooted in the Jewish legal tradition (halakhah). Opposed to any attempt to create a code of Reform practice, he nevertheless called for Reform Judaism to turn to the halakhah, not in order to adhere to codified law, but to be guided in ritual and in all areas of life by its values and its ethical insights. For Reform Jews, Jewish law was to offer "guidance, not governance," and this guidance was to be provided through the writing of responsa, individual rulings based on legal precedent, written by an organized rabbinic authority in response to questions about real-life situations. After World War II, the earlier consensus about what constituted proper observance in a Reform context vanished as the children of east European immigrants flocked to new Reform synagogues in new suburbs, bringing with them a more traditional sensibility. Even before Freehof was named chairman of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Responsa Committee in 1956, his colleagues began turning to him for guidance, especially in the situations Freehof recognized as inevitably arising from living in an open society where the boundaries between what was Jewish and what was not were ambiguous or blurred. Over nearly five decades, he answered several thousand inquiries regarding Jewish practice, the plurality of which concerned the tensions Jews experienced in navigating this open society-questions concerning mixed marriage, Jewish status, non-Jewish participation in the synagogue, conversion, and so on-and published several hundred of these in eight volumes of Reform responsa. In her pioneering study, Friedman analyzes Freehof's responsa on a select number of crucial issues that illustrate the evolution of American Reform Judaism. She also discusses the deeper issues with which the movement struggled, and continues to struggle, in its attempt to meet the ever-changing challenges of the present while preserving both individual autonomy and faithfulness to the Jewish tradition.
Book Synopsis Guidance, Not Governance by : Joan S. Friedman
Download or read book Guidance, Not Governance written by Joan S. Friedman and published by Hebrew Union College Press. This book was released on 2013-09-01 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solomon Bennett Freehof (1892-1990) was one of America's most distinguished, influential, and beloved rabbis. Ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1915, he was of the generation of rabbis from east European immigrant backgrounds who moved Reform Judaism away from its classical form toward a renewed appreciation of traditional practices. Freehof himself was less interested in restoring discarded rituals than in demonstrating how the Reform approach to Jewish religious practice was rooted in the Jewish legal tradition (halakhah). Opposed to any attempt to create a code of Reform practice, he nevertheless called for Reform Judaism to turn to the halakhah, not in order to adhere to codified law, but to be guided in ritual and in all areas of life by its values and its ethical insights. For Reform Jews, Jewish law was to offer "guidance, not governance," and this guidance was to be provided through the writing of responsa, individual rulings based on legal precedent, written by an organized rabbinic authority in response to questions about real-life situations. After World War II, the earlier consensus about what constituted proper observance in a Reform context vanished as the children of east European immigrants flocked to new Reform synagogues in new suburbs, bringing with them a more traditional sensibility. Even before Freehof was named chairman of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Responsa Committee in 1956, his colleagues began turning to him for guidance, especially in the situations Freehof recognized as inevitably arising from living in an open society where the boundaries between what was Jewish and what was not were ambiguous or blurred. Over nearly five decades, he answered several thousand inquiries regarding Jewish practice, the plurality of which concerned the tensions Jews experienced in navigating this open society-questions concerning mixed marriage, Jewish status, non-Jewish participation in the synagogue, conversion, and so on-and published several hundred of these in eight volumes of Reform responsa. In her pioneering study, Friedman analyzes Freehof's responsa on a select number of crucial issues that illustrate the evolution of American Reform Judaism. She also discusses the deeper issues with which the movement struggled, and continues to struggle, in its attempt to meet the ever-changing challenges of the present while preserving both individual autonomy and faithfulness to the Jewish tradition.
Central Conference of American Rabbis Spring 2020 journal.
Book Synopsis CCAR JOURNAL - SPRING 2020 by : Elaine Rose Glickman
Download or read book CCAR JOURNAL - SPRING 2020 written by Elaine Rose Glickman and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2020-05-01 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Central Conference of American Rabbis Spring 2020 journal.
In this highly provocative and informed work, Byron L. Sherwin, one of the leading Jewish ethicists of our time, demonstrates how the wisdom of the past—found in classical texts that form Jewish religious tradition—can forcefully address the moral perplexities of the present. In setting out a contemporary agenda for Jewish ethics, Sherwin debunks common misconceptions about Jewish ethics and distinguishes between the ethics of Judaism and various forms of secular and religious ethics. He shows, for example, how the ethics of Judaism and the ethics of Jews often are at odds, how the Judeo-Christian ethic is an obsolete myth, and how Jewish and G:hristian ethics radically differ both in terms of their theological assumptions and in their applied methodologies. Sherwin delineates a methodology for Jewish ethics, which he applies to a wide variety of issues such as health and healing, euthanasia, reproductive biotechnology, cloning, parent-child relationships, economic justice, repentance or "moral rehabilitation," and the relationship between humans and machines. Drawing on a wide range of biblical, rabbinical, Jewish philosophical and kabbalistic sources, Jewish Ethics for the Twenty-First Century links the biblical term "image of God" to moral freedom, human creativity and the challenge of becoming God's "partner in creation" and a coauthor of the Torah.
Book Synopsis Jewish Ethics for the Twenty-First Century by : Byron L. Sherwin
Download or read book Jewish Ethics for the Twenty-First Century written by Byron L. Sherwin and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2000-03-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this highly provocative and informed work, Byron L. Sherwin, one of the leading Jewish ethicists of our time, demonstrates how the wisdom of the past—found in classical texts that form Jewish religious tradition—can forcefully address the moral perplexities of the present. In setting out a contemporary agenda for Jewish ethics, Sherwin debunks common misconceptions about Jewish ethics and distinguishes between the ethics of Judaism and various forms of secular and religious ethics. He shows, for example, how the ethics of Judaism and the ethics of Jews often are at odds, how the Judeo-Christian ethic is an obsolete myth, and how Jewish and G:hristian ethics radically differ both in terms of their theological assumptions and in their applied methodologies. Sherwin delineates a methodology for Jewish ethics, which he applies to a wide variety of issues such as health and healing, euthanasia, reproductive biotechnology, cloning, parent-child relationships, economic justice, repentance or "moral rehabilitation," and the relationship between humans and machines. Drawing on a wide range of biblical, rabbinical, Jewish philosophical and kabbalistic sources, Jewish Ethics for the Twenty-First Century links the biblical term "image of God" to moral freedom, human creativity and the challenge of becoming God's "partner in creation" and a coauthor of the Torah.
Sanctified Sex draws on two thousand years of rabbinic debates addressing competing aspirations for loving intimacy, passionate sexual union, and sanctity in marriage. What can Judaism contribute to our struggles to nurture love relationships? What halakhic precedents are relevant, and how are rulings changing? The rabbis, of course, seldom agree. Underlying their arguments are perennial debates: What kind of marital sex qualifies as ideal—sacred self-control of sexual desire or the holiness found in emotional and erotic intimacy? Is intercourse degrading in its physicality or the highest act of spiritual/mystical union? And should women or men (or both) wield ultimate say about what transpires in bed? Noam Sachs Zion guides us chronologically and steadily through fraught terrain: seminal biblical texts and their Talmudic interpretations; Talmud tales of three unusual rabbis and their marital bedrooms; medieval codifiers and mystical commentators; ultra-Orthodox rabbis clashing with one another over radically divergent ideals; and, finally, contemporary rabbis of varied denominations wrestling with modern transformations in erotic lifestyles and values. Invited into these sanctified and often sexually explicit discussions with our ancestors and contemporaries, we encounter innovative Jewish teachings on marital intimacy, ardent lovemaking techniques, and the art of couple communication vital for matrimonial success.
Book Synopsis Sanctified Sex by : Noam Sachs Zion
Download or read book Sanctified Sex written by Noam Sachs Zion and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2021-08 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sanctified Sex draws on two thousand years of rabbinic debates addressing competing aspirations for loving intimacy, passionate sexual union, and sanctity in marriage. What can Judaism contribute to our struggles to nurture love relationships? What halakhic precedents are relevant, and how are rulings changing? The rabbis, of course, seldom agree. Underlying their arguments are perennial debates: What kind of marital sex qualifies as ideal—sacred self-control of sexual desire or the holiness found in emotional and erotic intimacy? Is intercourse degrading in its physicality or the highest act of spiritual/mystical union? And should women or men (or both) wield ultimate say about what transpires in bed? Noam Sachs Zion guides us chronologically and steadily through fraught terrain: seminal biblical texts and their Talmudic interpretations; Talmud tales of three unusual rabbis and their marital bedrooms; medieval codifiers and mystical commentators; ultra-Orthodox rabbis clashing with one another over radically divergent ideals; and, finally, contemporary rabbis of varied denominations wrestling with modern transformations in erotic lifestyles and values. Invited into these sanctified and often sexually explicit discussions with our ancestors and contemporaries, we encounter innovative Jewish teachings on marital intimacy, ardent lovemaking techniques, and the art of couple communication vital for matrimonial success.
Reform Judaism is constantly evolving as we continue to seek a faith that is in harmony with our beliefs and experiences. This volume offers readers a thought-provoking collection of essays by rabbis, cantors, and other scholars who differ, sometimes passionately, over religious practice, experience, and belief. Its goal is to situate Judaism in a contemporary context, and it is uniquely suited for community discussion as well as study groups.
Book Synopsis A Life of Meaning by : Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, PhD
Download or read book A Life of Meaning written by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, PhD and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reform Judaism is constantly evolving as we continue to seek a faith that is in harmony with our beliefs and experiences. This volume offers readers a thought-provoking collection of essays by rabbis, cantors, and other scholars who differ, sometimes passionately, over religious practice, experience, and belief. Its goal is to situate Judaism in a contemporary context, and it is uniquely suited for community discussion as well as study groups.
The newest addition to the CCAR Press Challenge and Change series, this anthology creates a rich and varied discussion about ethics and money. Our use of and relationship with money must reflect our religious values—this book aims to start a comprehensive conversation about how Judaism can guide us in this multi-faceted relationship.
Book Synopsis The Sacred Exchange by : Mary L. Zamore
Download or read book The Sacred Exchange written by Mary L. Zamore and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2019-05-21 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The newest addition to the CCAR Press Challenge and Change series, this anthology creates a rich and varied discussion about ethics and money. Our use of and relationship with money must reflect our religious values—this book aims to start a comprehensive conversation about how Judaism can guide us in this multi-faceted relationship.
This wide-ranging anthology takes a close look at the breadth of human sexuality from a Jewish perspective. The essays begin with a look at biblical and rabbinic views on sexuality, and then proceed to explorations of sexuality at different moments in the life cycle, sexuality and the marital model, diverse expressions of sexuality, examples of sexuality education, the nexus of sexuality and theology, and the challenges of contemporary sexual ethics. The Sacred Encounter is a thought-provoking and important Jewish resource. Perfect for personal study, or for high school or adult classes. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Book Synopsis Sacred Encounter by : Lisa L. Grushcow
Download or read book Sacred Encounter written by Lisa L. Grushcow and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2014-03-01 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This wide-ranging anthology takes a close look at the breadth of human sexuality from a Jewish perspective. The essays begin with a look at biblical and rabbinic views on sexuality, and then proceed to explorations of sexuality at different moments in the life cycle, sexuality and the marital model, diverse expressions of sexuality, examples of sexuality education, the nexus of sexuality and theology, and the challenges of contemporary sexual ethics. The Sacred Encounter is a thought-provoking and important Jewish resource. Perfect for personal study, or for high school or adult classes. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
