Tree of Life

Abstract

This study of the Jewish legal system (the halakhah) demonstrates that the law embraces every corner of life. The central thesis of this book is that the halakhah, far from being entirely self-sufficient and self-authenticating, is influenced by the attitudes, conscious or unconscious, of its practitioners towards the wider demands and ideals of Judaism and by the social, economic, theological, and political conditions that occur when the ostensibly purely legal norms and methodology are developed. The chief concern is with the post-Talmudic halakhah, though the earlier halakhic developments are also discussed. The book also investigates how the halakhah operates. Ultimately, it seeks to provide a theory of halakhic change for those who are loyal to the halakhic tradition and yet accept modern values, many of which are themselves ultimately the fruit of the Torah, the Tree of Life.