Who Owns Me? Mishpatim is a concise compendium of the laws that govern our relationships with the things that we and others own. It begins by defining ownership of that which is closest to us: our own bodies. We might have assumed that of all the things in the world, the things over which we have the most unassailable rights are our own bodies. This is not so. We in fact do not own our bodies at all, and therefore neither we nor a Beit Din (a court of Law), can sell ourselves as slaves. We are owners of our labor and can trade in our own labor, but we do not own our bodi..

Halacha: Responsive to Change or Reactionary Fundamentalism? Rashi Shemot 21:1 Change and Masorah (Tradition) When it comes to change, Poskim (renowned Halachik decision-makers) go only so far and no further. They walk the difficult tension between changing social norms and needs, and adherence toMesorah (the tradition of Jewish conduct handed down from Sinai and transmitted orally throughout the ages). On the one hand they have significantly accommodated changing situations throughout the ages. On the other hand they often seem fiercely reactionary! What ar..

Shmot, 21:20 Nationhood Judaism is not a religion. Unlike other religions, belonging to the Jewish People is not dependent on ones faith, it is dependent on ones birth: once Jewish always Jewish. Being Jewish is passed on genetically through the maternal line. However neither is Judaism a race because it is not purely hereditary; one can convert into Judaism. So what does being Jewish mean? Judaism is a nationality. Jews are citizens of a nation. The Jewish nation is unique because although it has a country, its country is not what makes it a nation. In many ways the Torah is to us ..