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    1 Saba Just Halakha Pardes Header

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    Ümit Yılmaz
    The document discusses Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits' views on the nature and function of Halakha (Jewish law). It summarizes some of his key ideas: 1) Halakha is how the Torah's eternal word is applied to the changing situations and circumstances faced by the Jewish people throughout history. 2) There are no codes that can dictate rulings for every specific situation. Halakha renders decisions in the spirit of Torah's principles and values. 3) Halakha balances maintaining the Torah's timeless truths with adapting to what is feasible in each generation through the partnership between God and human interpreters of Jewish law.

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    1 Saba Just Halakha Pardes Header

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    35 views9 pages
    The document discusses Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits' views on the nature and function of Halakha (Jewish law). It summarizes some of his key ideas: 1) Halakha is how the Torah's eternal word is applied to the changing situations and circumstances faced by the Jewish people throughout history. 2) There are no codes that can dictate rulings for every specific situation. Halakha renders decisions in the spirit of Torah's principles and values. 3) Halakha balances maintaining the Torah's timeless truths with adapting to what is feasible in each generation through the partnership between God and human interpreters of Jewish law.

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    The document discusses Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits' views on the nature and function of Halakha (Jewish law). It summarizes some of his key ideas: 1) Halakha is how the Torah's eternal word is applied to the changing situations and circumstances faced by the Jewish people throughout history. 2) There are no codes that can dictate rulings for every specific situation. Halakha renders decisions in the spirit of Torah's principles and values. 3) Halakha balances maintaining the Torah's timeless truths with adapting to what is feasible in each generation through the partnership between God and human interpreters of Jewish law.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    35 views9 pages

    1 Saba Just Halakha Pardes Header

    Uploaded by

    Ümit Yılmaz
    The document discusses Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits' views on the nature and function of Halakha (Jewish law). It summarizes some of his key ideas: 1) Halakha is how the Torah's eternal word is applied to the changing situations and circumstances faced by the Jewish people throughout history. 2) There are no codes that can dictate rulings for every specific situation. Halakha renders decisions in the spirit of Torah's principles and values. 3) Halakha balances maintaining the Torah's timeless truths with adapting to what is feasible in each generation through the partnership between God and human interpreters of Jewish law.

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    R.

    Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    Not in Heaven — The Nature and Function of Halakha


    I believe that we may say that Halakha is the wisdom of the application of the written
    word of the Torah to the life and history of the Jewish people. However, this wisdom and
    its implementation cannot be contained in any book. No written word can deal in
    advance with the innumerable situations, changes of circumstances, and new
    developments that normally occur in the history of men and nations. The eternal word of
    the Torah required a time-related teaching in order to become effective in the life of the
    Jewish people. This was the tradition passed on by the living word from generation to
    generation, the Torah she’baal’Peh, the Oral Torah, beside the Torah she’be’Ktav, the
    Written Torah. (p.71)

    Rabbi Professor Eliezer Berkovits ‫ז"ל‬


    b. 1908 (Grossverdein, Transylvania) – d. 1992 (Jerusalem, Israel)
    Short Biography:
    Education:
    Yeshiva of the Shevet Sofer (Pressburg), R. David Zvi Hoffman (Frankfurt-am-Main),
    Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary (Berlin) headed by R. Yehiel Yaakov Weinberg, Ph.D.
    in Philosophy University of Berlin.

    Rabbinical Pulpits:
    Berlin, Germany (1933–39), Leeds, England (1940–46), Sydney, Australia (1946–50), and
    Boston, U.S. (1950–58). Chairman department of Jewish philosophy- Hebrew Theological
    College Chicago, U.S. (1958-1975).
    Aliyah to Jerusalem 1976.

    Publications:
    19 books on topics in Jewish Philosophy and Halakha (German, English and Hebrew)
    50 (approx.) articles

    1|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    I. Halakhic Judaism – “Through Halakha the Word from Sinai has become the way of
    life of the Jewish people through history.” (Not in Heaven p.84)

    1) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha pp.1-2:

    2) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha p. 3

    2|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    II. S’bara: Logic- “There are no codes for specific situations. Halakhah is the life of the
    Torah that renders decisions in the concrete situation in the spirit of principles and
    values that are the very heart of the Law.” (Crisis and Faith p.85)

    3) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha p. 6

    III. Wisdom of the Feasible- “There is a Talmudic principle that says: Heikha
    de’efshar, efshar: heikha de’lo efshar, lo efshar- ‘Where it is possible, it is possible;
    where it is not possible, it is not possible’.” (Not in Heaven pp. 9-10)

    4) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha p.8

    3|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    5) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha pp.12-13

    4|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    IV. Torat Hayyim-“The word of God has to be rendered meaningful for each
    contemporary generation. That is the secret of its eternal validity.” (Not in Heaven p. 75)
    6) Crisis and Faith pp.91-92:

    7) Not in Heaven pp. 69-70

    5|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    V: Human Partnership in Torat Hayyim- “Judaism commits the Jew to the ever-
    enduring vital partnership with God. The result is Torat Hayyim, a living Torah.”
    (Jewish Women in Time and Torah p. 33)
    8) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha pp.81-82:

    9) Crisis and Faith pp.92-93:

    6|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    10) Crisis and Faith p.87-88:

    VI: The Role of the Posek: Past and Present- “Orthodoxy is, in a sense, halakhah in a
    straitjacket. Having had to transform the Oral Torah into a new written one, we have
    become Karaites of this new Torah Shebikhetav…” (Crisis and Faith p.95)

    11) Not in Heaven p.47

    7|9
    R. Berkovits
    rahelb@pardes.org.il

    12) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha pp.91-92:

    13) Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha pp.117-118:

    8|9
    ‫‪R. Berkovits‬‬
    ‫‪rahelb@pardes.org.il‬‬

    ‫"אני מאמין באמונה שלמה שיש פתרון מפני שאני מאמין‪ .‬מפני שאני מאמין באל‪VII: Faith and Belief – -‬‬
    ‫הי ישראל ובתורתו אני מאמין ג"כ בכחו האיתן והנצחי של ההלכה לפתור את הבעיות העוברות את חיי עם‬
    ‫)‪ (Private correspondence to the Sredei Esh c.1960’s‬ישראל‪".‬‬

    ‫‪14) Crisis and Faith p.96:‬‬

    ‫‪15) Crisis and Faith p. 117:‬‬

    ‫‪9|9‬‬

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