This week's class will be taught by Shmuel Kadosh, and it is entitled, “Fooling God: Legal Fictions in Jewish Law”
Jewish law is replete with haramot, mechanisms to avoid the consequences of another law. Selling hametz on Pesah and the heter iska (which circumvents the prohibition of charging another Jew interest) are just two mechanims that Jews utilize every year. At first glance, the use of such mechanisms seems bizarre. Why does Jewish law allow you to cheat and avoid the consequences of a specific commandment? In the class, we will discuss the range of legal fictions utilized in Jewish law, and examine their limits. We will also address the underlying theological difficulty presented by haramot – What does it mean to ‘fool God’ through the use of legal mechanisms?
Shmuel Kadosh currently works as an Assistant Attorney General in the Investor Protection Bureau at the New York State Attorney General's office. He graduated in 2008 from New York University School of Law, where he was an editor on the Law Review. Shmuel has taught before at Hadar, both at the Beit Midrash and summer Yeshiva. He is excited to return once again to study with this wonderful community.
When: Mondays, 7:30-9:00 PM
Dates: January 11 - March 22
Where: Yeshivat Hadar, 190 Amsterdam Ave., at 69th St.
Cost: $5 per class
Learn more at http://www.kehilathadar.org/learning/project
This winter, the Hadar community will learn Massekhtot as part of its siyyum (completion) of Seder Moed. Every Monday we will hold a guided class, with havruta and discussion. In addition to classes, we will hold an open beit midrash, complete with texts and guiding questions. Come with your own hevruta or let us match you with one. Learn in the Beit Midrash together with full-time fellows at Yeshivat Hadar. Celebrate our progress throughout the year, culminating with a siyyum on Seder Moed at Shavuot.