Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality

One of the remarkable features of this anthology is the scope of the reviews it presents. Because it is accessible to a wide audience, lay persons who must face agonizing choices will find this meaningful work an excellent guide to decision making. They [Dorf and Newman] open the rich diversity of Jewish ideas, ideals and practices...this anthology is an absolute necessity for the contemporary Jew who wants to strive to live a thoughtful and meaningful life. It has to be read slowly, savoured, and constantly reviewed. It does not belong on the shelves of the rabbis, Jewish scholars, ethicists, and ordinary people, but in their hands. It is simply the best in its field. It is post-modern and it will endure. The Jerusalem Post This splendidly organized and edited volume gathers together an impressive range of published essays on contemporary Jewish ethics. Lewis Glinert - SOAS Bulletin, Vol. 62, Part 2 1999

• Editors' Introduction I. JEWISH ETHICS A. The Literature and Context of Jewish Ethics: 1. Menachem Kellner, "The Structure of Jewish Ethics": B. Theoretical Issues in Jewish Ethics: 1. Louis Newman, "Ethics as Law, Law as Religion". 2. David Novak, "Natural Law, Halakah, and the Covenant". 3. Harold Schluweid, "The Single Mirror of Jewish Images". 4. Elliot Dorff, "Covenant: The Transcendent Thrust in Jewish Law": C. Reconceptualizing Jewish Ethics in Modern Times: 1. S. Daniel Breslauer, "Modernizing American Jewish Ethics: The Liberal Dilemma". 2. Eugene Borowitz, "The Jewish Self". 3. Richard J. Israel, "Jewish Tradition and Political Action": D. Methodological Problems: The Case of Jewish Medical Ethics: 1. David Elleson, "How to Draw Guidance from a Heritage: Moral Choices". 2. Louis Newman, "Woodchoppers and Respirators: The Problem of Interpretation". 3. Elliot Dorff, " A Methodology for Jewish Medical Ethics". 4. Aaron Mackler, "Cases and Principles in Jewish Bioethics": E. Alternative Visions of Jewish Ethics: 1. Michael Morgan, "Jewish Ethics After the Holocaust". 2. Laurie Zolof-Dorfman, "An Ethics of Encounter: Public Choices and Private Acts". 3. Annette Aronowicz, "Emmanuel Levinas' Talmudic Commentaries": II: Jewish Morality Introduction A. Traditional Jewish Virtues and Values: 1. Alfred Jospe, "The Meaning of Jewish Existence". 2. Sol Roth, "Towards a Definition of Humility": B. Jewish Perspectives on Sex and Family: 1. David Novak, "Some Aspects of Sex, Society and God in Judaism". 2. Arthur Waskow, "Down-to-Earth Judiasm: Sexuality". 3. Martha Ackelsberg, "Jewish Family Ethics in Post-Halakhic Age". 4. Blu Greenberg, "The Theoretical Basis of Women's Equality in Judaism": C. Jewish Perspectives on Social Problems: 1. Robert Gordis, "Ecology and the Judaic Tradition". 2. Seymour Siegel, "A Jewish View of Economic Justice". 3. Elie Spitz, "Jewish Tradition and Capital Punishment": D. Jewish Perspectives on Medical Ethics: 1. Fred Rosner, "Euthanasia". 2. Byron Sherwin, "Euthanasia: A Jewish View". 3. David Feldman, "This Matter of Abortion". 4. Sandra Lubarsky, "Judaism and the Justification of Abortion for Non-Medical Reasons".: E. Jewish Perspectives on Politics and Power: The State of Israel: 1. Irving Greenberg, "The Ethics Of Jewish Power". 2. Judith Plaskow, "Feminist Reflections on the State of Israel". 3. David Hartman, "Living with Conflicting Values". 4. Einat Ramon, "The Ethics of Ruling a Jewish State with a Large Non-Jewish Minority": Epilogue: The Future of Jewish Ethics and Morals