The narrow halakhic bridge : a vision of Jewish law in the postmodern age / Rabbi Ronen Neuwirth ; translation : Rabbi Avidan Friedman ; editing : Sholem Hurwitz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Neuwirth, Ronen, author.

Contributor:

Friedman, Avidan, translator.

Hurwitz, Sholem, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jewish law--History--21st century.

Jewish law.

Judaism--21st century.

Judaism.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

509 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Jerusalem : Urim Publications ; Brooklyn, NY : KTAV Publishing, [2020]

Summary:

"In today's postmodern society, the unprecedented gaps between Torah and reality are becoming unbridgeable and leading to confusion within the religious Jewish community. This book was written primarily to strengthen the understanding of and trust in the halakhic system of Jewish law and to emphasize the role of the community in shaping the future of Halakhah"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Halakhah in Existential Danger

2. Postmodernity and Spiritual Developments in Israel and the World

3. From Destruction to Rebuilding

4. Purpose, Style, and Structure

ch. One What Is Halakhah?

1. Halakhah as an Interpretive Tradition

2. Halakhah as an Encounter with the Divine

3. Halakhah and the Nature of Life

4. Halakhah as the Bridge Between Torah and Life

5. Where Should Halakhah be Going?

ch. Two Is Halakhah Truth?

1. Is the `Truth of Halakhah Absolute?'

2. Love Truth and Peace

3. Can Rabbis Make Mistakes?

4. Objective and Subjective Truth

5. What is the Place of Divine Truth in Halakhic Psakl

ch. Three On Machloket And Peace

1. The Creation of Machloket and Adam's Sin

2. The Value of Machloket

3. Torah Scholars Increase Peace?

4. The Limits of Pluralism and Extremism

5. Machloket for the Sake of Heaven

6. Make a Rabbi for Yourself

ch. Four Who Has The Authority To Decide Halakhah?

1. The Source of Authority to Decide Halakhah

2. The Limits of the Authority in Deciding Halakhah

3. You Have Only the Posek in Your Generation

4. The Difference Between a Rosh Yeshivah and a Community Rabbi

5. The Posek as Leader

ch. Five The Requirement To Obey Poskim

1. Sources of Rabbinic Authority

2. Is One Obligated to Blindly Obey the Rabbis?

3. The Requirement to Obey in a World Without a Sanhedrin

4. What is `Da'at Torah"'?

5. The Difference Between Politics and Emunat Chakhamim

6. "That the Name of Heaven Should Become Beloved by Your Actions"

ch. Six Behind The Scenes Of The Halakhic Process

1. A Short Tour of the Posek's `Laboratory'

2. The Balance Between the Rules of Psak and the Posek's Discretion

3. Which Ruling is Preferable

Earlier or Later Rabbis?

4. When May One Rely on a Solitary Opinion?

5. Is it Permissible to Disagree with the Shulchan Arukh?

6. The Difference Between Communal Psak and Public Psak

7. Leniencies and Stringencies, the Slippery Slope, and the Golden Mean

8. Halakhic `Meta-Principles'

9. Halakhah's Flexigidity

ch. Seven The Development Of Halakhah Throughout History

1. The Giving of the Oral Torah

2. From the First to the Second Temple Period

3. The Development of Machlokot at the End of the Second Temple Period

4. The Travails of the Exile and Their Impact on the Process of Psak

5. The Pendular Movement of the Centers of Psak: Between Community and Yeshivah

6. How Did the Shulchan Arukh Gain Its Supreme Halakhic Authority?

7. Halakhah, Minhag, and Tradition

8. If its Rationale is No Longer Relevant, is the Decree Revoked?

9. The Influence of Societal Changes on Halakhah

ch. Eight Halakhic Challenges Of Our Generation

1. Halakhic Decision-Making in the Generation of the "Beginning of the Redemption"

2. Laws of a Jewish State

3. Science, Medicine, and Halakhah

4. The Impact of Technological Advances on Halakhah

5. The Values of Ethics, Liberalism, and Equality in Halakhah

6. Changes in the Status of Women and the Influence on the Process of Psak

7. Halakhic Decision-Making in the Age of the Internet and Social Media

8. Halakhah and Postmodernism

ch. Nine Applications And Ramifications

1. Civil Marriage in Israel

2. Conversion in Israel

3. Receiving Donations from Christians for the State of Israel

4. Grappling with the Agunah Problem

5. Women in the Synagogue

6. Women's Singing in the Contemporary Era

7. Wigs

Valid Hair-Covering or a Ruse?

8. The Religious Community's Attitude to Members of the LGBT Community.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781602804074

1602804079

OCLC:

1152358686

Publisher Number:

99988373777