Minority Views and the Role of the Mara De-Atra

Minority Views and the Role of the Mara de-Atra1 By Nathaniel Helfgot  There is a tannaitic dispute regarding which aspects of the performance of a circumcision push aside the Sabbath restrictions: R. Akiva maintains that only actions that could not be prepared before the Sabbath are permitted to be done for a circumcision on the [...]

Books of Interest – Recent Works of Rabbi Mordechai Breuer

Mordechai Breuer, Pirqe Miqraot, Tvunot Press – Herzog College, Alon Shvut, 2009.  362 pages.  [Hebrew] The ‘Aspects Theory’ of Rav Mordechai Breuer:  Articles and Responses ed. Yosef Ofer, Tvunot Press – Herzog College, Alon Shvut, 2005.  369 pages. [Hebrew] Megadim 50 (Tamuz 5769), 268 pages. [Hebrew] In 1999, Tradition (33:3) published an essay by Rabbi Meir [...]

On (Not) Understanding the Reasons Behind Rabbinic Prohibitions: The Case of Teaching Shehiyah

 On (Not) Understanding The Reasons Behind Rabbinic Prohibitions:  The Case of Teaching Shehiyah by Daniel Reifman Teachers of Halakhah are often torn between conflicting agendas: on the one hand, to ensure that students have mastered all the laws relevant to contemporary observance, on the other hand, to familiarize them with a sense of the background—both the [...]

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Is Halakha Insensitive to Non-Jews? The Case of Fraud

  Is Halakah Insensitive to Non-Jews? The Case of Fraud By Gidon Rothstein  Certain prohibitions lead to the understandable conclusion that Jews do not care about non-Jews, although in at least some cases that conclusion is false.1 One example is the prohibition of אונאה, of overcharging (or the rarer undercharging) for merchandise.  Bechorot 13a notes the [...]

Introducing Text & Texture

Welcome to Text & Texture, Tradition‘s blog of Orthodox Jewish Thought that explores the texts that shape the texture of our lives. Our contributors will analyze a wide range of sources and contemplate their meaning for contemporary Jewish thought and living.  Reflecting the varied interests of our writers, the posts seek to provide fresh insights and thought [...]