The Spirit of Jewish Law

Over the years, a number of Jewish legal classics have become available to the English reading public. The Mishna, 1 the Babylonian Talmud 2 and the Abbreviated Code 3 have been the object of translation, and presently the Code of Maimonides is acquiring an English garb.4 However, the Mishna provides but the outline of Jewish law; the Talmud demands skills that can be commanded only after years of assiduous study; and the Code of Maimonides, though the most complete and masterful exposition of the totality of Jewish law extant, is voluminous 5 and dated.6 The Abbreviated Code is limited largely to ritual law and suffers from a lack of historical perspective. Thus a concise general presentation is a desideratum for most interested readers. Of course, Chief Rabbi Herzog's volumes on the Law of Property and Acquisitions 7 are available and some good studies of specific fields may be found in books, encyclopedias and periodicals. But the best single volume presenting a substantial portion of the total area is undoubtedly The Spirit of Jewish Law. Vritten clearly, simply and directly, it offers a general treatment of marriage and divorce, inheritance, property and commercial law, tort, crimes and civil and criminal procedure. Most of the initial 100 pages describe with acumen and historical perspective the sources of Jewish law and the institutions which developed, declared and enforced it. Appendices, including a Glossary of Hebrew and Aramaic Terms, a general index and a full table of contents add to the usefulness of the book. There are spots