The
Rohr Jewish Learning Institute brings authentic, relevant Jewish learning
to adults seeking intellectual and spiritual growth. Our students include
both first-time learners and those with years of prior study. We follow
a powerful path of discovery and depth, touching the soul and altering
the life course of our learners.
The
Rohr JLI is the largest institute of adult learning of its kind, operating
in over 200 cities around the world. We provide the essentials of Jewish
literacy in a series of thoughtfully designed courses.
Every course is accompanied by a student textbook and enhanced by engaging
audio-visual presentations. JLI's teaching is conveyed in a warm environment
that embraces every student.
A
JLI teacher brings Jewish learning to life, leading students toward fresh
thinking about the world, and creating an environment that inspires feelings
of hope, purpose, meaning and value.
Talmudic law is a 3000-year-old system of jurisprudence that continues to
develop organically and to be practiced today. In this course, we look at the
classic books, codes, commentaries and responsa that are the sources of Jewish
law and its thought, as well as contemporary cases in civil law that have come
before the beit din, the court system of Jewish law. Although modern life brings
many new dilemmas, the beit din decides law by taking into account precedent as
found in the Talmud and other Jewish legal literature.
The focus of the course is ethics. The relation between law and its practice and
ethics is a fundamental matter. Eminent legalists in the Western legal tradition
speak of Grundnormen, fundamental principles that underlie all law and to which
all law and practice of law must conform. Concepts of equity constantly redefine
the rights and obligations of citizens that civil codes and torts seek to govern.
Jewish law has been wrestling with the relation between ethics and law for more
than three millennia. It offers a rich storehouse of insight that can directly
benefit any legal professional. Aside from the ever-larger role that comity plays in
a very interconnected global economy, the characteristic emphasis of Jewish law
on what the prophets call tzedek—righteousness—offers a unique model of how a
system of law can maintain throughout time the allegiance and even the affection
of those under its governance.
There is a deep willingness in these sources to raise fundamental ethical questions,
such as: Is mere technical compliance with the rules sufficient? Are ethical
imperatives not expressed in law enforceable? Are we constrained to use and
practice the law in accordance with any greater principles? By what kind of
authority?
As we examine these cases and the relevant sources that inform the decisions, we
will compare the Talmud’s underlying principles with the philosophic
infrastructure of the American legal system. Not only will differences and similarities
be revealed, but also a wealth of relevant insight into the importance of a sound
ethical backbone to the health of American government and American law.
Course Syllabus
Lesson 1: WHOSE RIGHT TO LIFE?
Wednesday, November 19 7:30pm - GSU Room 333
Life is the first thing protected by law. Without it, there is no liberty or
pursuit of happiness. But whose life should be protected in a situation in
which, in order for one person to live, another must die or be exposed to
deadly danger? By what criteria can the law prefer one life to another? The
ethical soundness of the law’s answer to such questions will affect the
respect commanded by the law as an authentic response to the need of
people to be well-governed.
Lesson 2: ENDING LIFE
Wednesday, December 3 7:30pm - GSU Room 333
When confronted with grave, incurable illness or unbearable pain,
sometimes hastening death seems to be a humane option. Can the law
countenance any choice to end life in such situations? What are the
underlying principles that enable us to decide whether active or passive
methods of ending life can be employed? How can the law protect the
helpless from those who would end their lives for their own advantage or
comfort? With an increasingly aged population, and with the side effects
of modern medicine, we are faced with end of life dilemmas with
increasing frequency. What solid ethical principles guide law to respect
and protect life while still maintaining humaneness?
Lesson 3: THE BEGINNING OF LIFE
Wednesday, December 10 7:30pm - GSU Room 333
What is the status of the unborn? Does fetal life enjoy the full protection of
someone who has been born? If not, what sort of protection does it enjoy?
By virtue of which principles can we make these distinctions? How does
Jewish law and precedent compare to contemporary American law? What
does its ethic of responsibility offer to a system that focuses on rights? The
debate over abortion continues to divide the American body politic.
Exploring the ethic of the protection of unborn life can offer the possibility
of a stable legal consensus that commands public allegiance.
