Halacha

The rabbinic halakhic system, with its many facets and the literary works that comprise it, reflects a new Jewish culture, almost completely distinct in its halakhic content and scope from the biblical and postbiblical culture that preceded it. The paper reviews the implications of Qumranic legislation, as a way station between the Bible and the Mishnah, for understanding how the "rabbinic revolution” was charted, its methods set up, and its principles established.

This chapter explores the side-lining of Jewish women within their own communities following the exodus of Moroccan Jews from the country in the twentieth century. Orthodox rabbis from ouside Morocco entered the country to fill the void left by emigrating Moroccan Jewish leadership, and began banning and belittling centuries-old Moroccan Jewish customs. In documenting how women transmitted Jewish customs from one generation to the next - through singing - this work unearths Jewish customs long believed to have died out.

The system of Israeli rabbinical courts has been recognized in Israeli law as an official judicial system of the state, and it has special authority to litigate matters of marriage and divorce for all Jewish residents of Israel. This reality, in which a halakhic institution operates by virtue of a secular law, has far-reaching consequences for the manner in which the rabbinical courts operate. In addition to clear advantages, there are also complex problems.
Over the years, a substantial portion of issues related to family law have not been left within the exclusive jurisdiction of rabbinical courts. It appears that in recent years a backlash of a new type has been developing by the rabbinical courts. Some of the rabbinical judges are adopting problematic halakhic positions in order to restore to the rabbinical courts' authorities that have been denied to them by Israeli law or by the civilian courts.
In the present paper, I show a critical examination of one halakhic tool of this type. Simply put, according to some dayanim if the wife takes the entirely legal step of approaching a civil rather a rabbinical court regarding a matter having to do with her rights in a dispute, this will result in her being deemed obligated to be divorced. I show that the arguments adduced by the dayanim indicate that their rulings are agenda-driven: they are, to a significant degree, innovative, and their use of the halakhic sources they cite is quite problematic.

If AIPAC involves itself in religious conflicts and takes stands on issues unrelated to Israel's security, it will narrow its base of support. AIPAC deserves the wholehearted support of every Jew. As we enter the Three Weeks, during which traditional Jews observe acts of mourning to remember the destruction of the Temple, I am reminded of an incident that occurred 56 years ago at this time. Rabbi Moshe Sherer, the legendary leader of Agudath Israel of America, was invited to meet with president John F. Kennedy regarding an upcoming vote in the United Nations that was unfavorable to Israel.

רבי דוד בן רבי יהושע הנגיד, האחרון לשושלת הנגידים שהתחילה ברמב"ם, היה סופר פורה. עד כה פורסם רק חיבור אחד שלו, "מורה הפרישות ומדריך הפשיטות", על ידי יוסף פנטון, שהניח גם את אבני היסוד בזיהוי חיבוריו האחרים. כאן מתפרסמת התחלת פירושו של רבי דוד הנגיד לתפילה, מתוך מהדורה שתראה אור בקרוב. הפירוש משלב באופן מקורי רציונליזם מבית מדרשו של הסב הדגול, הרמב"ם, עם חסידות מבית מדרשו של בנו רבי אברהם, והוא כולל גם מובאות מספר הזוהר.

The principal innovation of this paper  is to examine references to the textile product “dabiqi”  in medieval Jewish rabbinical literature, and to identify its characteristics as reflected therein.  In addition, these sources provide data regarding the locales in which it was familiar, with special focus on Al-Andalus in the 11th -12th centuries.
Jewish Biblical exegetes, as well as legal decisors and philosophers, often employ illustrative examples to clarify their opinions. These will be chosen by them for their familiarity to the intended contemporary and geographically neighboring readership.
Historically, two types of primary sources have been utilized for research of this topic: 1) The writings of medieval Arab geographers and poets, such as Ibn Ghalib, Ibn Ḥawkal, al-Himyari, al-Idrisi, al-Khatib, Abul-Khayr, Ibn Saʿīd, and Yāqūt – many of them quoted by the pioneer researchers in this field R. B. Serjeant and M. Lombard. 2) Documents from the Cairo genizah,  such as commercial contracts and bridal dowries – initially analyzed by S. D. Goitein and subsequently by his disciples Y. Stillman and N. Stillman. A concise summary of data from these sources will also be presented in this paper.

Published 2016: Purpureae Vestes V: Textiles, Basketry and Dyes in the Ancient Mediterranean World. Universitat De València.

Proceedings of the Vth International Symposium on Textiles and Dyes in the Ancient Mediterranean World
(Montserrat, 19-22 March, 2014)

Although this responsum is the result of a lot of deep thought on this issue for a long time, this paper was written extremely quickly because of do'heq wuqosser hazeman. It is far from complete to a satisfactory level, and is still not properly sourced. I am uploading it solely for feedback, comments and additions. IT IS NOT A FINISHED PRODUCT. Thank you for your consideration.

When one knows a number of things and understands how they are categorized and systematically interrelated, then he has a great advantage over one who has the same knowledge without such a distinction. It is very much like the difference between looking at a well-arranged garden planted in rows and patterns, and seeing a wild thicket or forest growing in confusion. (Derech HaShem, paragraph 1) 1 The human mind is not capable of grasping the universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. He does not know who or how. He does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books-a mysterious order which he does not comprehend but only dimly suspects. (Albert Einstein)

A paper exploring the halachah involving a get (Jewish divorce document) that I wrote, where one of the parties had transitioned MtF in between the civil and religious divorce. Suggestions for options of how this could be tackled in the future, drawing on the sources.

This is currently not scheduled for publication, but if anyone is interested in publishing this then please contact me.

Introduction to Messianic Judaism provides a description of what the Messianic Jewish community looks like today at its center and on its margins. The first section of the book traces the ecclesial contours of the community, providing a socio-historical and theological snapshot of the community's origins, where it is presently and where it is heading. Alongside these chapters, the book also includes a number of essays on biblical and theological issues central to the identity of Messianic Judaism. The twelve contributors to the first part of the book are recognized leaders in the Messianic Jewish community. They work with various organizations, including the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues, the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council, Tikkun International, Chosen People Ministries, Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, Israel College of the Bible and the New School for Jewish Studies. Fourteen scholars from a wide spectrum of Christian backgrounds have written essays for the second part of the book. Their participation signals a growing academic and ecclesial interest in Messianic Judaism. Since the 1970s, a sea change has taken place in New Testament studies that has far-reaching implications for how the church evaluates Messianic Judaism. A broad reassessment of the New Testament writers’ view of Judaism has occurred since the publication of E. P. Sanders’s seminal work Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977), and this reevaluation continues unabated. The contributors to the second part of Introduction to Messianic Judaism draw from this recent scholarship and demonstrate how post-supersessionist interpretation of the New Testament results in readings of the biblical text that are consistent with Messianic Judaism. The final section of the book is written by Joel Willitts who provides a summary and synthesis of the essays, explaining how they shed light on the ecclesial context and biblical foundations of Messianic Judaism.

This paper describes and discusses a complicated Halachic case. It begins with a quarrel between a husband and wife, who were members of the Jewish community in Damascus during the 16th century. Their marital row led to a serious argument between two rabbis in the city, namely Rabbi Yosef Ibn Sayaḥ and Rabbi Moshe Baruch. The ensuing Halachic dispute that erupted involved rabbis from the neighboring city, Safed. The paper reconstructs the series of events, and presents the complete version of one of the responsa, which was written at the time of the dispute, along with excerpts from additional responsa.
The case offers readers a vivid glimpse into the life of 16th century Jewry in Damascus. It sheds light not only on marital affairs, such as the age of marriage and the couple's relationship, but on other important aspects regarding the function of the rabbinic court within the Ottoman Empire, and the relationships and interactions between sages from different centers. Analyzing this case helps to better understand the rabbis' written correspondence, the nature of superiors-subordinate relationships, and the alliances and conflicts that existed among sages in the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, these responsa reveal an additional piece of the Halachic work produced by Rabbi Yoseph Ibn Sayaḥ, a highly respected Musta'rib posek (adjudicator), whose writings have yet to receive their rightful place among the history pages of Halachic literature

What does Jewish law have to say about contemporary American debates about gun control?  This article analyzes the sources and values that shape Jewish perspectives on this topic, including a detailed discussion about Jewish views about weapons in general and the legal debates over owning fierce dogs.