Disability in Jewish Law (Jewish Law in Context) [Hardcover]

Tzvi C. Marx (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415278899 | ISBN-13: 978-0415278898 | Publication Date: March 8, 2002 | Edition: 1

In recent decades, record numbers of Jews are taking a newfound interest in their legal heritage - the Bible and the Talmud, the law codes and the rabbinical responsa literature. In the course of this encounter, they may be interested in how these sources relate to the issue of disability, and the degree to which halakhic attitudes to disability are in harmony with contemporary sensibilities. For example, can the blind or those in wheelchairs serve as prayer leaders? Need the mentally incompetent observe any ritual law? Is institutionalization in a special-education facility where Jewish dietary laws are not observed permitted if it will enhance a child's functioning? And how are we to interpret teachings that seem inconsonant with current sensibilities?
Disability in Jewish Law answers the pressing need for insight into the position of Jewish law with respect to the rights and status of those with physical and mental impairments, and the corresponding duties of the non-disabled.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A welcome addition to recent monographs on sundry topics in Jewish law.' - Religion, Thought, and Education

'Overall, it is refreshing to read a book that is substantially a legal treatise but that integrates aggadah and Jewish thought as part of the legal process or, at least, as part of the legal-cultural background. It is doubly refreshing to encounter the passion of the author, his love for the Jewish tradition, and his usually successful attempt to help us understand the halakhic mindset concerning the disabled.  Even if the halakhah itself occasionally seems disabled in the eyes of the author, his love for the tradition conquers all.' - Religion, Thought, and Education

About the Author

Tzvi C. Marx works at the Institute for Talmudic Studies, Hilversum, Holland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415278899
• ISBN-13: 978-0415278898
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,996,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pioneering study of disability and Jewish law, December 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Disability in Jewish Law (Jewish Law in Context) (Hardcover)

In this work, Marx considers the question of how the Jewish sources, such as the Bible, the Talmud, and the rabbinic literature and responsa, approach the question of disability. This subject has previously received little scholarly attention, or for that matter, little attention from rabbinic authorities. The book is thus breaking new, and sensitive, ground in posing the question of the degree to which the seminal works of Jewish law are aware of, and empathetic towards, the challenges faced by the disabled. He shows that there is a high level of awareness of disability in the Jewish sources, and that the constraints of different disabilities (blindness, deafness, muteness, infertility, mental disability, etc.)are frequently invoked by the sources. Although the perspective of the ancient and medieval rabbis certainly differs from our own, in terms of awareness of the potential for successfully remediating disabilities and handicaps, Marx demonstrates that if the law determines that a disability does not impact the ability of an individual to discharge his obligations with respect to observance of commandments, the mitzvot, it does not exempt the disabled individual. He argues that the main area there must be development of the halakha as regards the disabled is where educational, medical and technological advances make it possible for the disabled to observe precepts where they were physically unable to do so prior to these discoveries.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand the halakha's position vis-a-vis the disabled, and how the interests of the disabled can be championed in full conformity with the principles and traditions of Jewish law.