UPDATE: I have corrected an inaccuracy in my probabilistic analysis of the Gemara, and I have added to it an example using concrete numbers. The Mishnah states: האשה שנתארמלה או שנתגרשה היא אומרת בתולה נשאתני והוא אומר לא כי אלא אלמנה נשאתיך אם יש עדים שיצאת בהינומא וראשה פרוע כתובתה מאתים1 The Gemara analyzes: וכיון …
Monthly Archives: November 2009
Balloon Boy and Child Custody Halachah
Balloon Boy The nation’s attention has been lately riveted upon the sad, sordid, bizarre, Warholian saga of Balloon Boy. The LA Legal Examiner reports that Child Protective Services has been contacted: Child Protective Services have been called into the case to determine whether or not the three Heene boys are living in a “safe” environment. …
Oaths and Their Consequences
One of the most complex and multifarious topics within Hoshen Mishpat and Even Ha’Ezer is that of the judicial oath – its various types, the circumstances which call for their administration, and the consequences for a litigant’s failure to take them. The sheer volume of literature notwithstanding, however, oaths are rarely, if ever, administered by …