Tag: political theory

Power From the People

For my friend J.K., whose rejection of the glib assumption that the Torah’s value system neatly aligns with a particular contemporary political position and serious, honest cogitation on these issues are as refreshing as they are rare.

I recently published an article and recorded a couple of lectures on halachic perspectives toward democracy; topics discussed are:

A studio recording is available here; a recording of a live presentation, along with the article and a couple of collections of notes are available here.

“Squeezing the Rich”, Or Stopping Them From “Flaying the Poor”?

Halachic and Hashkafic Perspectives On Rent Control Legislation

I recently gave a lecture on the intersection of native Halachah, Minhag and Dina De’Malchusa, using the (primarily) twentieth-century Halachic literature on rent control legislation as a case study. The discussion comprises some basic consideration of the theoretical justification, as well as the practical contours, of the principle of Dina De’Malchusa Dina, and a variety of Halachic attitudes toward rent control legislation, from several perspectives, including Dina De’Malchusa Dina and Minhag. One important and fascinating aspect of the topic is the sharply divergent socio-political attitudes of the Poskim toward such legislation, and their influence on their adherents’ Halachic conclusions.

The audio, in various formats, as well as a comprehensive accompanying collection of sources and notes, is available, as usual, from the Internet Archive.