RELI 230 - Jewish Law in Action

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as JWST 230) An introduction to the heart of Judaism—the law developed by the rabbis over the course of millenia. We explore highly challenging legal institutions including themes of marriage and divorce, conversion, the relationship between Jews and non-Jews, gender and sexuality, questions of authority and rebelliousness. How were these practices—seemingly around forever— first established? How have they developed over the centuries, and how are they are being reconfigured in post-modernity by contemporary halakhic activism?

Topic for 2023/24a: Chained Women and Recalcitrant Husbands: Marriage and Divorce in Jewish Law. While one obviously has to be married to divorce, marriage is surprisingly not institutionalized in the Hebrew Bible, while divorce is. Jewish religious law was exceedingly careful about divorce to begin with, but centuries of androcentrism turned divorce into a profoundly punitive and misogynistic tool. We examine the real emotional damage the process of Jewish religious divorce can produce, the development of tools on the part of legislators to mitigate this pain, and contemporary feminist efforts to change religious laws surrounding divorce. Agnes Veto.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS