The Conservative responsa is the body of responsa literature of Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism). Most Conservative responsa have been written by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions addressed to them. ... Conservative Judaism, (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel predominantly), is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s. ... Masorti means traditional in Hebrew. ... The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards is the central authority on halakha (Jewish law and tradition) within Conservative Judaism; it is one of the most active and widely known committees on the Conservative movements Rabbinical Assembly. ...

Methodology

Rabbi Waxman, A prominent Conservative rabbi has written that "Reform Judaism has asserted the right of interpretation but it rejected the authority of legal tradition. Orthodoxy has clung fast to the principle of authority, but has rejected the right to significant reinterpretations. The Conservative view is that both are necessary for a living Judaism. Accordingly, Conservative Judaism holds itself bound by the Jewish legal tradition, but asserts the right of its rabbinical body, acting as a whole, to reinterpret and to apply Jewish law." Source: Rabbi Mordecai Waxman Tradition and Change: The Development of Conservative Judaism Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of American Jews and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

Conservative Jews believe that Orthodoxy had deviated from historical Judaism through an excessive concern with recent codifications of Jewish law. The Conservative movement consciously rejects the Orthodox record of Jewish history, which entails near total deference to almost infallible rabbis, and instead holds that a more fluid model is both necessary and theologically and historically justifiable. The Conservative movement maintains that it makes a conscious effort to use historical sources to determine what kind of changes occurred, how and why they occurred, and in what historical context. With this information they believe that can better understand the proper way for rabbis to interpret and apply Jewish law to our conditions today.

Responsa

In 1997 Rabbi David Golinkin wrote "As has been pointed out on numerous occasions, the Conservative rabbis of North America have written hundreds of teshuvot but have not succeeded in publishing them. In recent years we have begun to rememdy this situation by publishing indices, monographs and complete volumes of Conservative responsa." Since that time the Conservative movement and the Masorti movement (in Israel) have addressed this issue in a serious way. Many volumes of Conservative and Masorti teshuvot and halakhic studies are now available, and more are being edited. In 2005 the Rabbinical Assembly made most of its recent responsa available on its website. David Golinkin is a rabbi, author and President and Rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Israel. ...

All of the following collections of Conservative and Masorti responsa, unless specifically noted, are in English. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

• Rabbinical Assembly website, section on Contemporary Halakha, teshuvot published online.

Contemporary Halakha: Rabbinical Assembly

• Responsa 1991-2000 by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Covers 10 years of responsa by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, on a multitude of topics, including: organ donation, biomedical ethics, domestic abuse, child abuse, the role of women in Jewish law, aliyot for couples, Kashrut, leasing on Shabbat, tattooing and body piercing, anesthesia and Brit Milah, ritual responses to miscarriages or the deaths of babies who lived less than one month, assisted suicide, artificial insemination, egg donation, adoption, in vitro fertilisation, mamzerut ("bastardry"); marriages between a Kohen and a divorce; marriages between a Kohen and a convert; Jewish views of homosexuality and more.

• "Responsa in a Moment: Halakhic Responses to Contemporary Issues", Rabbi David Golinkin, The Institute of Applied Halakhah at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, Israel, 2000

Topics: Why do Jews sway when they pray?; Returning territories for the sake of peace; Institutionalizing parents with Alzheimer's disease; Torah study vs. earning a living; Investigating charities to which we contribute; Telling the truth to terminal patients; Genetic engineering; The kashrut of veal raised on factory farms; Is it a mitzvah to make aliyah?; The Assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin; Is smoking prohibited by Jewish law?

• "Life & Death Responsibilities in Jewish Biomedical Ethics", Ed. Rabbi Aaron L. Mackler, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2000

Contains responsa written by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards between 1975 and 2000. Topics include artificial insemination; in-vitro fertilization; surrogate motherhood; abortion; medical care at the end of life and care for the terminally ill; assisted suicide and euthanasia; organ transplants; autopsy; responsibilities for the provision of health care; genetic engineering and smoking.

• "Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement 1980 - 1985", The Rabbinical Assembly, 1998

Contains responsa on Abortion, bar/Bat Mitzvah; Brit Milah; Conversion; Death, mourning and funeral practices; Divorce and gittin; Gambling; Intermarriage, keruv and raising children; Jewish identity; Kashrut; Marriage and the ketubah; Pesach and kashrut; Shabbat; Yom Tov Shnei; printing the 4 letter name of God; Accepting Egyptian Karaites as Jews; Women and Jewish law.

• "Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement 1986 - 1990" The Rabbinical Assembly, 2001.

Contains responsa on surrogate motherhood; smoking; six papers relating to the treatment of terminally ill patients; On the conversion of adopted and patrilineal children; three papers on "may a conversion obtained through deceit be annulled?"; The use of all wines; 2 papers on the kashering of glass cookware; co-ops for kosher meat; the Rabbinical Assembly ketubah text in Hebrew and English; A responsa on the status of missing persons; two papers on mourning in the case of the death of a newborn, and in the case of a loss of a fetus due to miscarriage; Cremation in the Jewish tradition; the kashrut of peanuts for Pesach; Does milk need a kosher l'pesah label?; The status of Ethiopian Jews (Falashas); 2 papers on the use of a remote audio/video monitor on Shabbat and Yom Tov; May a Shabbat service be audio-taped or video-taped?; Shabbat and Brit Milah; Rabbinic supervision of Jewish owned businesses operating on Shabbat; Should bakeries which are open on Shabbat be supervised?; the triennieal system for reading the Torah; the status of daughters of Kohanim and Leviyim for aliyot; may a synagogue issue interest bearing bonds?; Stricture against issuing congratulation for mixed marriagess; prohibition of allowing an intermarriage reception to be held in Conservative synagogues; Blowing the Shofar after Ma'ariv following Yom Kippur; May an avowed atheist serve as a Sheliah tzibur?; Synagogue policy concerning bringing foods prepared at home into the synagogue; The inclusion of the names of the Matriarchs in the Amidah; Joint Conservative-Reform religious schools; On the use of synagogues by Christian groups on a temporary basis; Yom HaShoah commerations and creating new blessings.

• "The Ordination of Women as Rabbis: Studies and Responsa", Simon Greenberg, JTS, 1988. A series of responsa concerning the feasibility of ordaining women as rabbis in accordance with Jewish law. (Not officially adapted by the CJLS)

• "Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement 1927-1970", 3 Volume set, Ed. David Golinkin, The Rabbinical Assembly, 1997.

• "Responsa and Halakhic Studies", Isaac Klein, Ktav, 1975

• "The Responsa of Professor Louis Ginzberg" Ed. David Golinkin, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1996

• "Responsa of the Va'ad Halakhah of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel", David Golinkin, The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies.

Six paperback volumes are now available in this series. The first is in Hebrew only; other volumes are in Hebrew, with English summaries. A seventh volume is currently in preparation.

Originally set up as the alumni association of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the official, international body of Conservative rabbis, with some 1400 members. ... Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions addressed to them. ... Look up kosher in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Euthanasia (Greek, good death) is the practice of killing a person or animal, in a painless or minimally painful way, for merciful reasons, usually to end their suffering. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An egg donor is a woman who provides usually several eggs (ova, oocytes) for another person or couple who want to have a child. ... For other uses, see Adoption (disambiguation). ... Test tube baby redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Aaronites be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Aaronites be merged into this article or section. ... This article discusses Jewish views of homosexuality. ... David Golinkin is a rabbi, author and President and Rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Israel. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article addresses the history of tobacco smoking among Jews and Jewish legal literature (Halakha) about cigarette smoking, from the early modern period to the present day. ... The Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, known in the Jewish community simply as JTS, is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Originally set up as the alumni association of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the official, international body of Conservative rabbis, with some 1400 members. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Look up kosher in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Jewish holiday, (or Yom Tom or chag or taanit in Hebrew) is a day that is holy to the Jewish people according to Judaism and is usually derived from the Hebrew Bible, specifically the Torah, and in some cases established by the rabbis in later eras. ... Originally set up as the alumni association of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the official, international body of Conservative rabbis, with some 1400 members. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... “Tora” redirects here. ... A shofar in the Yemenite Jewish style. ... “Atheist” redirects here. ... The siddur (plural siddurim) is the prayerbook used by Jews over the world, containing a set order of daily prayers. ... Rabbi, in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’, or more literally, ‘great one’. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ or ‘distinguished (in knowledge)’. Sephardic and Yemenite Jews pronounce this word ribbī; the modern Israeli pronunciation rabbī is derived from a... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... David Golinkin is a rabbi, author and President and Rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Israel. ... Originally set up as the alumni association of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the official, international body of Conservative rabbis, with some 1400 members. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Isaac Klein (1905-1979). ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rabbi Louis Ginzberg was one of the outstanding Talmudists of the twentieth century. ... The Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, known in the Jewish community simply as JTS, is the academic and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, and is the movements main rabbinical seminary. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... David Golinkin is a rabbi, author and President and Rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Israel. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ...

See also

• Responsa, Halakha

Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions addressed to them. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

External links

• Selected responsa of Conservative Judaism
• Public responsa of the CJLS
• English responsa of the Masorti movement
• Hebrew responsa of the Masorti movement
• United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Book Service
• JTS Press
• Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies