There is no term for, much less a theory of, civil society in classical Jewish texts. Although the Jewish viewpoint on any given subject is no longer identical with the classical rabbinic viewpoint, until modernity, the latter provided the intellectual framework in which all Jewish thought was set. Any understanding of how Judaism views a topic must begin with the rabbinic tradition. This is st...

Kosher food properly prepared according Jewish dietary law has become one of the biggest trends in the food service industry. The demand for Kosher food markedly increased in recent years, especially in non-Jewish community. To examine the intention of nonJewish consumers in purchasing Kosher food, this study investigated underlying factors influencing a such behavior from three aspects, namely...

Two fundamental misfortunes befell the Jewish people as a direct result of the destruction of the Second Temple and the subsequent exile: the codification and writing of the oral law into the form of the Mishna, and the establishment of the synagogue as the nuclear core of a Jewish community. The former resulted in the fossilization of a vibrant oral tradition meant to live and breathe with the...

Judaism considers the duty of preserving life as a paramount injunction. Specific injunctions against suicide appear in the Bible, Talmud, and thereafter. Nevertheless, Jewish tradition emphasizes that one should let himself be killed rather than violate cardinal rules of Jewish law. Mitigating circumstances are found for the six deaths by suicide mentioned in the Bible, for example to account ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Culturally competent medical care for the dying patient by families and health care professionals is a challenging task especially when religious values, practices, and beliefs influence treatment decisions for patients at the end of life. This article describes end-of-life guidelines for hospital health care professionals caring for Orthodox Jewish patients and their f...