For the Love of God and People »

Preface     xiii
Acknowledgments     xix
Foundations
Bringing the Topic Down to Earth     3
What Is a Philosophy-or a Theory-of Law?     3
Comparing American and Jewish Legal Theories     5
Why Care about Legal Theories?     18
Models Used in Legal Theories     22
Biblical Criticism and Revelation     29
The Core Concepts of My Theory of Jewish Law
The Body of Jewish Law: How It Resembles Other Legal Systems     45
A Statement of My Own Theory of Jewish Law     45
Why I Am Not a Legal Positivist     48
Jewish Law as a Living Organism     60
The Covenantal Soul of Jewish Law: How Jewish Law Is Unique     87
The Body and Soul of the Law     87
The Meanings of "Covenant"     89
Our Relationship with God: The Covenant Model     96
The Problems with the Covenant Theory     110
Comparing the Covenantal Model to Other Possible Ones     117
Our Relationship to Other Human Beings: The Duties of Covenantal Love     118
Implications of My Theory for Key Aspects of Jewish Law
Motivations to Live by Jewish Law     131
Multiple Motives     131
Motives Suggested by the Bible     133
Additional Motives Described by the Rabbis     173
The Implications of These Motives for Moderns     181
Continuity and Change in Jewish Law     189
The Roles of God and Human Beings in Interpreting and Applying Jewish Law     190
The Need for Interpretation     193
Retaining Coherence Despite Multiple Interpretations     196
Making Decisions after the Demise of the Sanhedrin     197
Retaining Authority Despite Multiple Opinions and Changes     199
Taking Jewish Law Seriously as the Prerequisite for Change     205
Continuity and Change in Our Time     207
The Relationship of Jewish Law to Morality and Theology     211
The Theoretical Basis of the Morality of Jewish Law     211
The Practical Burdens and Benefits of Using Jewish Law for Moral Guidance     212
Integrating Jewish Moral Norms and Theology into the Process of Making Jewish Legal Decisions     222
Jewish Law and Custom     245
The Character of Custom     245
Two Types of Custom     247
The Differences between Law and Custom     248
The Interactions between Law and Custom     250
Custom: The Example of Women's Roles in Jewish Life     253
Explaining My Theory through Comparisons and Applications
Comparisons to the Right and the Left     277
A Theory Slightly to My Right: David Hartman     278
A Theory to My Left: Eugene Borowitz     279
Applications of My Theory of Jewish Law to Specific Cases     283
My Own Experience in Making Jewish Legal Decisions     283
How My Theory Affected Some of My Legal Decisions     285
Gaining Moral Guidance and Wisdom in Covenant with God 294
Bibliography of Modern Sources     299
Index     311