A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates

by Shlomo M Brody

Abortion, stem-cell research, conversion standards, female rabbis, DNA testing, animal cruelty, civil marriages in Israel. While today’s most hot-button halakhic issues elicit strong opinions on all sides, few understand the halakhic origins of their views, their historical development or social implications. Without fully grasping the issues at hand, respectful dialogue between conflicting opinions becomes impossible.In A Guide to the Complex, Brody presents over 130 of the most provocative, controversial topics in Jewish law today. The book’s concise, articulate essays, based on the author’s popular “Ask the Rabbi” column in The Jerusalem Post, cite sources and scholars from across the ideological spectrum in an effort to increase respect for the diversity of voices of the halakhic dialogue. This compendium of highly relevant essays gives an accurate picture of the legal, historical, and sociological factors that are fundamental to understanding halakhic debates.

456 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2014

Reviews

[Steve Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of halacha columns from The Jerusalem Post. Each topic is 2-3 pages long. Various viewpoints are given (including some Conservative and Reform opinions). Very few columns come to a clear and decisive answer.