The God Who Hates Lies: Confronting and Rethinking Jewish Tradition

With this insightful and thought-provoking work, Hartman, an Orthodox (former pulpit) rabbi and founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel, offers a new, highly provocative approach to Jewish law that grapples with the place of personal morality in a culture that values, above all else, fidelity to its legal code. The author confronts highly charged issues, including a woman's place in religious life, especially as it pertains to leading services and participating in a minyan, and the current state of limbo for the aguna (those who are refused a divorce by a spouse). He cites the opinions of early and contemporary Torah luminaries, but implores, with heartfelt anguish, the acceptance of innovative approaches within observant Judaism. For Hartman, individual suffering, aspirations, and emotions must be accounted for when negotiating religious legalities, a precedent, he claims, that can be found among the earliest Talmudic rabbis who learned to interpret the rules with ingenious%E2%80%94and law-abiding%E2%80%94maneuvers. Passionate, intelligent, and honest, this volume, although certain to engender contention and controversy, is equally equipped to open an important and meaningful dialogue within the Orthodox community. (June)