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Individual and Community: Rights and Obligations as Reflected in Two Nineteenth Century Responsa

Individual and Community: Rights and Obligations as Reflected in Two Nineteenth Century Responsa

October 2, 1991
This essay examines the relevance of the responsa literature to the investigation of the issue of "individual and community" in modern times. It does so through an analysis of two nineteenth century Hungarian responsa, written by Rabbis Moses Sofer and Moses Schick. The analysis indicates that exrra-halakhic considerations were introduced into the halakhic discourse in both cases. The ultimate decision in both responsa was largely determined by these exfra-halakhic factors.
The Political and the Sacred: Political Obligation and the Book of Deuteronomy

The Political and the Sacred: Political Obligation and the Book of Deuteronomy

October 2, 1991
The central puzzle of Israeli politics is how democracy has been maintained at all, given the lack of democracy in countries of origin, the deep internal divisions, and the permanent state of war. At least part of the answer lies in understanding Jewish political traditions. The Zionist movement was, in large degree, a revolt against Jewish history. But inevitably Zionists were influenced by an extensive Jewish experience of self-government in the East European shtetl. This experience involved political institutions that were voluntary, inclusive, pluralistic, and contentious. It was also a closed system, facing a hostile external world and not equipped to deal with non-Jews as a group.
Obligations and Rights in the Jewish Political Tradition: Some Preliminary Observations

Obligations and Rights in the Jewish Political Tradition: Some Preliminary Observations

October 2, 1991
In the modern concept of rights developed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, variously formulated as life, liberty and property" or "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," rights transcend civil society, which then translates them into constitutional, civil, criminal, and property rights. In contrast, the traditional Jewish view on rights is derived from the biblical sense of the obligation of all humans to God as their creator, sovereign, and covenant partner. Fundamental to the Jewish conception is the principle that God is the creator and sovereign of the universe, all of which ultimately belongs to Him including all life within it. What emerges out of the biblical approach are a series of protections and limitations which can roughly be translated into rights and obligations.
Don’t Look Back: Holocaust Survivors in the U.S.

Don’t Look Back: Holocaust Survivors in the U.S.

October 1, 1991
Don’t Look Back: Holocaust Survivors in the U.S.

Don’t Look Back: Holocaust Survivors in the U.S.

October 1, 1991
Don’t Look Back: Holocaust Survivors in the U.S.

Don’t Look Back: Holocaust Survivors in the U.S.

October 1, 1991 | William Helmreich
Is Momentum Enough? The State of the American Jewish Community Today

Is Momentum Enough? The State of the American Jewish Community Today

September 15, 1991 | Daniel J. Elazar
The Conversion of American Jewry

The Conversion of American Jewry

August 1, 1991
The Conversion of American Jewry

The Conversion of American Jewry

August 1, 1991 | Samuel Z. Klausner
Revolutionary Times in the Soviet Union- 20 Months Later

Revolutionary Times in the Soviet Union- 20 Months Later

June 2, 1991 | Irwin Cotler
Dawn of a New South Africa

Dawn of a New South Africa

April 15, 1991
The Mizrachi Entrance into the WZO Educational Enterprise in the Diaspora

The Mizrachi Entrance into the WZO Educational Enterprise in the Diaspora

April 2, 1991 | Haim Skirball
The Jewish Community of Cuba: Between Continuity and Extinction

The Jewish Community of Cuba: Between Continuity and Extinction

April 2, 1991
The Changing Character of American Jewish Leadership: Some Policy Implications

The Changing Character of American Jewish Leadership: Some Policy Implications

April 2, 1991
Rabbinic Views on Kingship – A Study in Jewish Sovereignty: A Precis

Rabbinic Views on Kingship – A Study in Jewish Sovereignty: A Precis

April 2, 1991