Ethics and Jewish Law Part I

Are Jewish law and ethics in conflict? Eli is joined by Max DuBoff, Bruchim's Director of Education, to explore this question. They begin by defining their terms and explaining what they mean by ethics and what they mean by halakha, Jewish law. Max then proposes four possible positions that one might take regarding the relationship between the two, based on two questions: 1) Can ethics and Jewish law conflict?; and 2) If they can, what should we do about it? Max and Eli each explain which position appeals most to them, and why. Finally, they talk about whether circumcision can be considered an example of a conflict between Ethics and Jewish law.

Show Notes:

Conservative Halacha and LGBT Issues:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/conservative-halakhah-and-homosexuality/

Plato’s Euthyphro Dialogue:

https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html

Covenant of Blood by Lawrence Hoffman:

https://books.google.com/books/about/Covenant_of_Blood.html?id=YtAwXlnNyMgC