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Evolving Halakhah: A Progressive Approach to Traditional Jewish Law

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Rabbi Moshe Zemer's 'Evolving Halakha' is a well presented, lucid explanation of the development and interpretation of Jewish law in many areas of human concern. In clear, articulate language Zemer describes the origins and development of Jewish law from its biblical origins through many centuries of rabbinic interpretation. Divorce, abortion, euthanasia, business ethics and environment are just some of the many contemporary dilemmas Zemer discusses from a modern Israeli Progressive Jewish perspective. As an educator, I have found this text very helpful for extending my own understanding of Jewish Law, as well as being a useful basis for informed discussion in my High School classes.

I found Evolving Halakhah to be a fascinating book. It covers everything fro converts to Judaism, to the peace process. Rabbi Moshe Zemer put a positive interpretation on Halakhah, enabling progressive jews to awake to the possibilities of jewish tradition. I strongly recommend it to anyone searching more about Halakhah.

Evolving Halakhah: A Progressive Approach To Traditional Jewish Law is drawn from author Rabbi Moshe Zemer's thirty-five years of work in the Israel Movement of Progressive Judaism. Examining traditional Halakhah (Jewish law) as it applies to marriage, divorce, illegitimacy, conversion, the state of Israel, the status of women, medicine, burial practices and more, as well as striving to find an approach that is both flexible for modern circumstances yet sensitive to traditional issues of both morality and faith, Evolving Halakhah is a quite thoughtfully written, articulate, and persuasively presented.

I found Evolving Halakhah to be a fascinating book. It covers everything from converts to Judaism, to the peace process. Rabbi Moshe Zemer put a positive interpretation on Halakhah, enabling progressive jews to awake to the possibilities of jewish tradition. I strongly recommend it to anyone searching more about Halakhah.

Moshe Zemer's Evolving Halachah is indeed a late 20th landmark in liberal Jewish thought, for it is the first time a comprehensive philosophy of Jewish law has been in articulated in English. Zemer's position as Chairman of Israel's Reform Jewish Bet Din, or religious court, gives him the authority to speak on his subject. The book looks mostly at Halachah from the vantage point of Jewish issues in Israel, such as conversion, Sabbath observance, military service in the territories, women's rights in marriage, divorce and the synagogue; Jewish burial customs and issues; and many others.

However, the problem this writer sees with the work, is the nature of the author is up against. Solomon Freehof, the pioneering American Reform Halachist, compiled a series of Reform Responsa or letters of commentary on Jewish legal issues over the nearly five decades he was active in this field, and so has his successor, Rabbi Walter Jacobs. However, Freehof's vast compendium of published work is not once alluded by Zemer, and only 2 of his responsa are noted in the entire book, while the volumes Jacobs compiled are nowhere noted.

Further, the principle notion of Reform has always been accommodation to modernity, but the limits of that accommodation have never really been clearly articulated. From the earliest days of reform in Germany 200 years ago, convenience has played a large role in determining the Reform outlook, which is why for example the Reform movement has issued 4 major `platform statements' on theology and Jewish Practice in the last 130 years.

Zemer's biggest problem though is twofold: the ignorance of his Reform laity on the one hand, and the deeply embedded charisma of a clear, and charismatic Orthodox worldview on the other. Of his 11 proposed principles to govern halachic change, only one reminds the worshipper of God or would provide even the slightest incentive to practice, which is the inherent holiness of the mitzvoth. In the Orthodox realm, they have 13 principles of halachic change, fist articulated in the Talmud 1500 years ago, and part of the daily prayer service every day to this day.

This writer would say therefore, that while Zemer's book is an outstanding pioneering effort, it bites off more than it can chew, essentially arguing it's principles without an adequate philosophic grounding. However, while the grounding of this work is week, that doesn't mean none exists; merely that it must come from another quarter. In "Jewish History and Divine Providence(available here on Amazon.com)," I supply the rationale missing from Zemer's text: namely an argument which examines the relationship between Jewish law, Jewish history and it's actual practice, shows how the mitzvoth have actual effect in the real world, and how Jewish practice or the lack of it has influenced modern Jewish history.

With "Jewish History and Divine Providence" and "Evolving Halachah," the reader will have a complete praxis of liberal Judaism, one by which to live and practice, not avoid.

Although the title of the book is Evolving Halakhah, truthfully, Rabbi Zemer argues convincingly that in many cases, a hard line interpretation was never the actual halakhah concerning a given question. Therefore, reaching a progressive approach to a qustion, rather than evolution, may actually be a discovery of what the true hahakhah is. In other words, the evolution may have been towards a stricter interpretation and an honest reading of the sources would indicate a more lenient approach. A number of topics is covered including fairly recent hot button issues such as the "who is a Jew" issue regarding accepting converts for purposes of Israeli citizenship. Another such topical issue is assuring that a woman in a civil divorce be able to obtain a get.

Rabbi Zemer looks at issues in Israel such as the desecration of Shabbat. This issue involves the stoning of cars being driven on Shabbat as well as other acts that would violate Shabbat in order to "enforce Shabbat." This book provides an interesting analysis of many topical issues and some of these analyses, such as the halakhah concerning abortion, is sure to lead to lively debate.