Jewish Religious Law: A Progressive Perspective

by John D. Rayner

This is the first major work on the interrelationship between Liberal Judaism and Rabbinic Law (Halachah) ever to have been produced in Britain, and in Europe since the nineteenth century. It represents a plea for a positive yet forthrightly critical approach to Rabbinic Law in general aswell as to a variety of specific topics such as the language of prayer, the status of women, medical confidentiality, euthanasia, Jewish identity, contraception, divorce, and Jewish territorial rights in Palestine/Israel.

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kevin Skadron · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent case for why Reform Judaism should not feel halachically inferior to other movements, and for codifying a Reform halachah. Rayner then goes on to set out some attributes of such a halachah and some case studies.

[Thaddeus Marrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives very interesting insight into the thought and workings of Progressive Judaism. Being a collection of essays, the book is very repetitive, but Rayner, a veteran Radical Progressive rabbi, gets you to understand his mode of thinking.