Jewish History
Questions & Comments
Over at Jewschool, folks are commenting on Jay’s MJL post about the Conservative movement’s decision yesterday. Is there anyone out ...
Gay History in the Making, I Guess
Today was the day that we’d worked for all these years: finally the doors of the Conservative movement have been ...
My Statement
STATEMENT BY JAY MICHAELSON, DIRECTOR OF NEHIRIM (A NATIONAL JEWISH GAY & LESBIAN ORGANIZATION), FROM PRESS CONFERENCE ON CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT ...
Responsa on Homosexuality
As expected, the Conservative movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards announced today that it has accepted multiple, conflicting responsa ...
Today’s the Day
The Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly begins its long-awaited meeting today to review its position on homosexuality. In all, five papers, ...
A New CLAL?
Last night, New York’s PBS station broadcast The Hidden Wisdom of Our Yearnings with Irwin Kula, a two-hour premiere of ...
Commentaries on Alfasi
Alfasi's groundbreaking legal code invited criticism, defense, and supplementation.
Caro’s Codificatory Approach
The disparate opinions in Caro's Bet Yosef and the bottom line decisions in his Shulhan Arukh combined to create the halakhic code par excellence.
Commentaries on the Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah sparked the creation of extensive and voluminous commentary.
Critical Reactions to Mishneh Torah
Maimonides' two main critics, Rabad and Asheri, argued that multiplicity of opinions is a positive and vital force in Jewish law.
Goals of the Mishneh Torah
In order to make his code categorical and prescriptive, Maimonides deliberately omitted sources and did not reference his predecessors.