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MakomDC: The Necessity of Narrative in Halakhic Decision Making with Rabbi Aaron Alexander – Passover Test Case: When Matzah Harms
March 28 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
The Necessity of Narrative in Halakhic Decision Making
Shabbat afternoons Dec 6th, Feb 14th, March 28th
If a Jewish Legal (halakhic) decision is made in the forest with nobody present, did it actually happen? Maybe. The reality is that written law–case-law (responsa) and codes–significantly depend on the very human stories that animates both the unique questions, and idiosyncratic responses. In this series we’ll explore some critical halakhic decisions (responsa, mostly) in which the stories behind the questions influenced the direction of the rabbinic decisor. (Texts provided in Hebrew & English, all are welcome!)
February 14th: Test Cases—Sociological Identity Shifts That Stretched Halakhah in Post-Enlightenment Germany. Join Rabbi Alexander in the Biran Beit Midrash at 1:00pm to explore how modernity upended traditional Jewish life in Germany, and created a genre of Responsa Literature (Questions/Answers) that attempted to hold the community together from within classic halakhic principles. Sources provided in original and english, all are welcome!
March 28th: The Necessity of Narrative in Halakhic Decision Making: Passover Test Case–When Matzah Harms – In this pre-Passover session, we’ll study together a Jewish legal response to questions that circle around health and halakhah. What happens when people’s lives don’t fit into the clean legal boxes? This will also give us a chance to explore and discuss the big mitzvot of Passover. Texts will be provided in English and the original. All are welcome.