Inheriting the Crown in Jewish Law: The Struggle for Rabbinic Compensation, Tenure, And Inheritance Rights

Jeffrey I. Roth

ISBN 10: 157003608X / ISBN 13: 9781570036088

Published by University of South Carolina Press, 2006

About this Item

Used Like New hardcover in a New dust jacket. Publisher's overstock mark on the top of the text block. Pages are clean and free of marks or underlining. 8vo. (6.0 x 0.5 x 9.0 inches) Includes author's notes, bibliography, and index. 171 pp. Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. A comprehensive legal history of changing remuneration practices among the rabbinate In his legal history of the rabbinic profession from biblical to modern times, Jeffrey I. Roth traces the development of principles governing compensation and related benefits for rabbis, scholars, teachers, and judges under Jewish law. Roth focuses on the disconnect that evolved as rabbis wished to serve God and their communities yet needed to provide for the material needs of their families. He charts the shift from the Talmudic ideal of uncompensated service and follows the development of four material advantages sought by the rabbinic profession?compensation, protection against competition, principles of tenure in office, and inheritance rights. Roth assesses how Jewish legal authorities dealt with seemingly conflicting material and spiritual requirements. Analyzing two millennia of legal and intellectual history, he depicts the struggle of rabbinical authorities and scholars of the Torah to answer questions about their profession in a way that allowed the rabbinate to survive while limiting compromises with received standards. Through vivid historical vignettes, Roth tells a story of legal ingenuity and religious courage, of flexibility in Jewish law, and of a responsiveness to changing circumstances that ultimately, although often hesitantly, laid the foundation for the modern rabbinate. In one of the few studies of the rabbinate cutting across countries and movements, Roth places rabbis in the social and economic contexts of their times and depicts them not just as religious leaders but as wage earners, providers for their dependents, and competitors in the provision of fee-based services for the more lucrative and prestigious positions. He also draws thoughtful parallels between rabbinic tenure and university academic tenure, noting that both protect the teacher and scholar from ever-changing political winds.

Seller Inventory # 200868

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Inheriting the Crown in Jewish Law: The Struggle for Rabbinic Compensation, Tenure, And Inheritance Rights
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 157003608X
• ISBN 13: 9781570036088
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Used Like New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Religion : Judaism

About this title

Synopsis

A comprehensive legal history of changing remuneration practices among the rabbinate

In his legal history of the rabbinic profession from biblical to modern times, Jeffrey I. Roth traces the development of principles governing compensation and related benefits for rabbis, scholars, teachers, and judges under Jewish law. Roth focuses on the disconnect that evolved as rabbis wished to serve God and their communities yet needed to provide for the material needs of their families. He charts the shift from the Talmudic ideal of uncompensated service and follows the development of four material advantages sought by the rabbinic profession―compensation, protection against competition, principles of tenure in office, and inheritance rights.

Roth assesses how Jewish legal authorities dealt with seemingly conflicting material and spiritual requirements. Analyzing two millennia of legal and intellectual history, he depicts the struggle of rabbinical authorities and scholars of the Torah to answer questions about their profession in a way that allowed the rabbinate to survive while limiting compromises with received standards. Through vivid historical vignettes, Roth tells a story of legal ingenuity and religious courage, of flexibility in Jewish law, and of a responsiveness to changing circumstances that ultimately, although often hesitantly, laid the foundation for the modern rabbinate.

In one of the few studies of the rabbinate cutting across countries and movements, Roth places rabbis in the social and economic contexts of their times and depicts them not just as religious leaders but as wage earners, providers for their dependents, and competitors in the provision of fee-based services for the more lucrative and prestigious positions. He also draws thoughtful parallels between rabbinic tenure and university academic tenure, noting that both protect the teacher and scholar from ever-changing political winds.

About the Author

Jeffrey I. Roth is a professor of law at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Huntington, New York. A former Fulbright scholar in Budapest, he has also taught as a visiting professor at the University of Amsterdam and in Berlin at Humbolt University. He holds degrees from Yeshiva University, Columbia University, and the Yale Law School.