Overview

Jewish law, known as halakhah, is a unique legal system that has developed over nearly two millennia, across multiple continents, and in innumerable different contexts. Dealing not only with ritual, Jewish law extends to virtually every aspect of life, including ethics, business, war, and sex. This Handbook highlights foundational questions about the nature of Jewish law, emphasizing what distinguishes it from other legal systems and illuminating its vitality throughout history. The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law navigates core issues such as halakhah's authority, interpretation, and the meaningfulness of an ancient legal system in a modern period. With contributions from an interdisciplinary cast of authors, the Handbook spans law, history, sociology, and religion. Its chapters draw from a wide range of sources, including traditional texts such as Mishnah and Talmud, rabbinical codes, and legal opinions known as responsa. Moreover, chapters addressing pressing modern issues cover the material from diverse denominational perspectives. As halakhah remains deeply woven into the fabric of Jewish life and scholarship, The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law offers readers an in-depth understanding of this rich and enduring legal tradition.

Full Product Details

Author:   Zev Eleff (Professor of American Jewish History, Professor of American Jewish History, Gratz College, UNITED STATES) ,  Roberta Rosenthal Kwall (Professor of Law, Professor of Law, DePaul University College of Law, UNITED STATES) ,  Chaim Saiman (Chair in Jewish Law, Chair in Jewish Law, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, UNITED STATES)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 18.40cm , Height: 5.10cm , Length: 25.20cm
Weight:   1.565kg
ISBN:  

9780197508305

ISBN 10:   0197508308
Pages:   828
Publication Date:   06 February 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Editors' Introduction Zev Eleff, Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, Chaim Saiman Part 1: Reading Foundational Jewish Texts and Law 1 The Theology of Classical Jewish Law: The Written Torah and The Oral Torah DS History, Theology And Authority - Berachyahu Lifshitz 2 How Do the Tannaim Read the Torah? - Elizabeth Shanks Alexander 3 How Does the Talmud Read the Mishnah? - Leib Moscovitz 4 How Do the Rishonim Read the Talmud and the Geonim? - Ephraim Kanarfogel 5 How Do the Codes Read Earlier Rabbinic Texts? - Tirza Y. Kelman 6 How Did the Nos'ei Kelim (""Arms-Bearers"") Read Shulhan Arukh? - Noam Samet 7 Questions of Law: The Significance of Rabbinic Responsa for Jewish Law - Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg 8 Rendering the Infinite: Law, Meaning, and Ritual in Classical and Early Modern Jewish Mysticism - Ariel Evan Mayse Part 2: Distinguishing Characteristics of Jewish Law 9 Close, Yet Creative, Reading: Understanding Rabbinic Interpretative Strategies - Elana Stein Hain 10 Halakhah and Aggadah in the Talmud and Post-Talmudic Literature - Suzanne Last Stone 11 Talmud Torah: The Paramount Value of Study in Jewish Law - Ayelet Hoffman Libson 12 Formal Law and its Relationship to Minhag/Takkanot - Marcus Mordecai Schwartz 13 Codification and Other Strategies of Consensus-Building in Jewish Law - Joseph M. Davis 14 Doubt, Stringency, and Leniency in Jewish Law - Shlomo C. Pill 15 Formalism in Jewish Law - Chaim Saiman 16 Jewish Law as a Duty-Based System and Why it Matters - Benjamin Porat Part 3: Jewish Law and Practice in Moderrnity A. Movements and Denominations 17 Modernity, Secularism, and the Transformation of Jewish Law - Leora Batnitzky 18 Jewish Law and Orthodox Law - Adam S. Ferziger 19 Lawmaking in the Conservative Movement: A Balance of Law and Norms - Roberta Rosenthal Kwall 20 North American Reform Judaism and the Halakhah: Guidance versus Governance - Mark Washofsky 21 The Impact of Zionism on Jewish Law - Arye Edrei B. Halakhic Responses to Modernity 22 Halakhic Responses to Modernity: Attitudes Toward Non-Jews in Liberal Societies - Ethan M. Tucker 23 Halakhic Responses to Modernity: The Role of Scientific Findings in Contemporary Jewish Law - Daniel Reifman, Israel Belfer, Rachel Pear 24 Divorce and Agunah: Halakhic Responses to Modernity - Rachel Levmore,and Steven Gotlib 25 Jewish Commercial Law and Modern Political Economy: The Interface of Halakhah and Marketplace Norms- Itamar Rosensweig 26 Jewish Legal Responses to COVID-19 - Shlomo Zuckier C. Halakhah and State 27 What is Jewish Law? A Conceptual View From US Courts - Michael A. Helfand 28 Issur Arkaot and Dina DeMalkhuta Dina: Interrelationships Between Jewish and Secular Legal Systems - Steven H. Resnicoff 29 The Rabbinical Courts of our Generation - Amihai Radzyner D. Halakhah and Personhood 30 Judaism and the Modern Family - Zev Eleff 31 Feticide in Halakhah: Attitudes, Approaches, and Application - Elli Fischer 32 Organ Donation and Brain Death in Jewish Law - Adena Berkowitz

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Author Information

Zev Eleff is President and Professor of American Jewish history at Gratz College. Professor Eleff is the author or editor of 15 books and more than 120 scholarly articles, published in both English and Hebrew. Roberta Rosenthal Kwall is the Raymond P. Niro Professor at DePaul University College of Law. Professor Kwall is an internationally renowned scholar and lecturer, having published over thirty scholarly articles and book chapters on topics including Jewish law and culture, creative theory, women's issues, and intellectual property law. She is also the author of several casebooks, three monographs, and regularly writes opinion pieces appearing in the popular media. Chaim Saiman is Chair in Jewish Law at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. His work focuses on Jewish law, legal theory, arbitration and insurance law and the interactions between Jewish law and American law and culture. Professor Saiman studies the beth din system and serves as a rabbinical court judge with the Beth Din of America.

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