The purpose of this blog is to promote an advanced discussion of חושן משפט (roughly, traditional Jewish civil law).
A general familiarity with both the material and methodology of הלכה (traditional Jewish law in general) will be assumed, as well as a fair degree of fluency with rabbinic Hebrew. Much of the discussion will be in English, but we will often use (rabbinic) Hebrew jargon, and I plan to cite heavily from primary sources, which are typically in Hebrew or Aramaic.
My main interest here is in the actual הלכה itself, but I am also interested in the history of its development, its intersection with history and current events, and its relation, similarities and differences to other legal systems, historical and current.
One topic more or less off limits for the blog is the distinctions that הלכה makes between Jews and non-Jews and the practical applications of Dina D’malchusa Dina; the Scylla and Charybdis of זיוף התורה on the one hand and חילול השם on the other make this impossible.
I can be reached via email at bdld at gmx dot com.
One thought on “About”