Does Halacha Still Bind Us? A Brutally Honest Inquiry

For many contemporary Jews, the idea of halacha as a fixed, God-given legal system no longer matches lived reality. This provocative, text-driven course explores how Jewish law actually developed; messy, multi-vocal, profoundly human, and asks what “obligation” can mean today.

Through close readings of biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern sources, participants examine the shifting foundations of authority, commandedness, custom, ethics and communal identity.

Together, we will confront the central question: In an age of autonomy, doubt and diverse practice, what (if anything) makes halacha binding? This class is for learners prepared to engage sources rigorously and think courageously about the Jewish future.