Description
Book Synopsis"Judaism in a Post-Halakhic Age" tackles the following questions: What is Halakhah, and what role has it played in the creative survival of the Jewish people for two millennia? Why is Halakhah no longer capable of functioning as it has until now? What sort of polity and religious culture can be recommended to replace the Halakhic tradition in an era of freedom, democracy, scientific research and religious pluralism? The author, however, out of his great respect for the Halakhic culture, asks what it can still contribute to Jewish civilisation and the advance of a united humanity.
Trade Review"Venerable Reconstructionist thinker Jack Cohen here offers a thoughtful, balanced, and morally sensitive viewpoint on the place of halakhah in a contemporary Judaism. His well-reasoned positions will have to be taken seriously as non-Orthodox Jews both in Israel and the diaspora struggle with this key issue." -- Art Green, Irving Brudnick Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Hebrew College
Table of ContentsPreface; The End of a Remarkable Era; Law & Standards in a Changing World; Is the Halakhah Viable?: A View from Jerusalem; Toward an Ideology for Post-Halakhic Jews; The Halakhah & Jewish Identity; Halakhah & Conversion; Halakhah & Educative Ritual; The Parameters of Jewish Law; Reflections on the Future; Index.
