The International Society for Science and Religion has selected Matters of Life and Death as an element of the ISSR Library. The mission of the ISSR Library is "to provide a comprehensive resource for scholars, students, and interested lay readers in the area of science and the human spirit.” The incredible medical breakthroughs of today, like genetic engineering, in-vitro fertilizations, and cloning have transformed long-held beliefs on the nature of both life and death, raising difficult moral and religious questions. In Matters of Life and Death Elliot Dorff thoroughly addresses this unavoidable confluence of medical technology and Jewish law and ethics.

Matters of Life and Death

Religion & Spirituality

Dorff, Rabbi Elliot N.

Judaism

The Jewish Publication Society

A leading ethicist suggests ways to take the moral high road in one’s personal life. In this topically relevant book on modern ethical issues, Dorff focuses on personal ethics, Judaism’s distinctive way of understanding human nature, our role in life, and what we should strive to be, both as individuals and as members of a community. Dorff addresses specific moral issues that affect our personal lives: privacy, particularly at work as it is affected by the Internet and other modern technologies; sex in and outside of marriage; family matters, such as adoption, surrogate motherhood, stepfamilies, divorce, parenting, and family violence; homosexuality; justice, mercy, and forgiveness; and charitable acts and social action.

Love Your Neighbor and Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

To Do the Right and the Good: A Jewish Approach to Modern Social Ethics

A National Jewish Book Award Winner 
Rabbi Dorff focuses on the social aspects of the Jewish tradition, while tackling such timely topics as poverty, war, intrafaith and interfaith relations, and forgiveness. In addition, he discusses Jewish social ethics as they both relate to and contrast with Christian and American belief systems in modern society. Dorff argues that Jewish sources, when properly placed within the framework of the realities of our own times, can provide important guidance for Jews on how to act in their daily lives.

History

World

JEWISH PUBLICATON SOCIETY

A leading ethicist suggests ways to take the moral high road in one's personal life. 
In this topically relevant book on modern ethical issues, Dorff focuses on personal ethics, Judaism's distinctive way of understanding human nature, our role in life, and what we should strive to be, both as individuals and as members of a community. Dorff addresses specific moral issues that affect our personal lives: privacy, particularly at work as it is affected by the Internet and other modern technologies; sex in and outside of marriage; family matters, such as adoption, surrogate motherhood, stepfamilies, divorce, parenting, and family violence; homosexuality; justice, mercy, and forgiveness; and charitable acts and social action.

For the Love of God and People

Every generation of Jews in every denomination of Judaism finds itself facing complex legal questions. The status of same-sex unions and the plight of the agunah (a woman who cannot obtain a divorce), are just two of a myriad of thorny questions Jewish legal experts grapple with today. These are not esoteric problems but issues with a profound impact on the daily happiness of countless people. How do the rabbis who draft responses to these questions reach their conclusions? What informs their decisions and their approach to Jewish law? Acclaimed writer and legal expert Elliot Dorff addresses these and other questions in this intelligent, accessible guide to the philosophy behind Jewish law. In his view, Jewish law is an expression of the love we have for God and for our fellow human beings. This theme permeates his discussion of important aspects of the law. For example, what motivates modern Jews to follow Jewish law? How does Jewish law strike the balance between continuity and change? On what grounds and under what circumstances do human beings have the authority to interpret or even change God’s laws? Dorff also offers a systematic comparison of Jewish law and U.S. law, based on his course on this subject at UCLA School of Law. Whether you are a lawyer or simply interested in the philosophy behind recent rabbinic decisions, this is a book that will deepen your understanding of the Jewish legal system and its role in the modern world.

For the Love of God and People: A Philosophy of Jewish Law

Ethics & Professional Responsibility

A major Conservative movement leader of our time, Elliot N. Dorff provides a personal, behind-the-scenes guide to the evolution of Conservative Jewish thought and practice over the last half century. His candid observations concerning the movement’s ongoing tension between constancy and change shed light on the sometimes unified, sometimes diverse, and occasionally contentious reasoning behind the modern movement’s most important laws, policies, and documents. Meanwhile, he has assembled, excerpted, and contextualized the most important historical and internal documents in modern Conservative movement history for the first time in one place, enabling readers to consider and compare them all in context. In “Part 1: God” Dorff explores various ways that Conservative Jews think about God and prayer. In “Part 2: Torah” he considers different approaches to Jewish study, law, and practice; changing women’s roles; bioethical rulings on issues ranging from contraception to cloning; business ethics; ritual observances from online minyanim to sports on Shabbat; moral issues from capital punishment to protecting the poor; and nonmarital sex to same-sex marriage. In “Part 3: Israel” he examines Zionism, the People Israel, and rabbinic rulings in Israel.

Modern Conservative Judaism: Evolving Thought and Practice (JPS Anthologies of Jewish Thought)

Ethics at the Center: Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life (A JPS Scholar of Distinction Book)

An accessible introduction to the Jewish concept of our responsibility to care for others and repair the world. For everyone who wants to understand the meaning and significance of tikkun olam (repairing the world) in Jewish spiritual life, this book shows the way into an essential aspect of Judaism and allows you to interact directly with the sacred texts of the Jewish tradition. Guided by Dr. Elliot N. Dorff, Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Judaism, this comprehensive introduction explores the roots of the beliefs and laws that are the basis of the Jewish commitment to improve the world. It looks at the various motivations that the sacred texts provide for caring for others, the ways the Jewish tradition seeks to foster such concerns in our social and family relationships, and the kind of society that Jews should strive to create as partners with God. <ul>
<li>What tikkun olam is. Ancient idea? New concept? The underlying theory has developed over time and branched into related terms and concepts that Judaism has used over thousands of years to describe the duties we now identify as acts of tikkun loam.
</li> <li>Why we engage in acts of tikkun loam. Reasons include, but go far beyond, a general humanitarian feeling that we might have or the hope that if we help others, others will be there to help us. </li> <li>How we repair the world. The concrete expressions of tikkun olam in our families, our communities, the wider Jewish community, and the world at large help shape one of the most important aspects of the Jewish tradition. </li>
</ul>
By illuminating Judaism’s understanding of the components of an ideal world, and the importance of justice, compassion, education, piety, social and familial harmony and enrichment, and physical flourishing for both the individual and society, we see how this ancient quest for a world with all these elements helps us define Jewish identity and mission today.

The Way Into Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)

Jewish Lights

Social Sciences

The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam): A Brief Introduction for Christians

A window into the Jewish idea of responsibility to care for the world―written especially for Christians. 
The concept of repairing the world (tikkun olam) is an integral part of Jewish life. It helps shape Jewish social and family relationships, and even mandates how Jews should speak to others. But why is it important for Christians to understand this Jewish approach to life? And what kind of impact can understanding this fundamental aspect of Judaism have on Christians seeking to develop a deeper understanding of their own faith?
With insight and wisdom, award-winning author Rabbi Elliot Dorff provides an accessible, honest and thorough exploration of this important Jewish concept. With easy-to-understand explanations of Jewish terms, practices and history, each chapter explores a different facet touched by the tradition of tikkun olam. Rabbi Dorff also addresses parallel themes and practices in the Christian tradition, helping you better understand the roots of Christianity and how the fundamentals of Judaism relate and reflect your own aspirations to repair the world.
<ul>
<li>Caring for the Poor</li>
<li>The Power of Words</li>
<li>The Ministry of Presence</li>
<li>Duties of Spouses to Each Other</li>
<li>Children's Duties to Their Parents</li>
<li>Parent's Duties to Their Children</li>
<li>The Traditional Jewish Vision of the Ideal World</li>
</ul>

Christian Books & Bibles

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dorff, Rabbi Elliot N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Dorff, Rabbi Elliot N.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dorff, Rabbi Elliot N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Matters of Life and Death

Love Your Neighbor and Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics

To Do the Right and the Good: A Jewish Approach to Modern Social Ethics

Love Your Neighbor and Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics

For the Love of God and People: A Philosophy of Jewish Law

Modern Conservative Judaism: Evolving Thought and Practice (JPS Anthologies of Jewish Thought)

Ethics at the Center: Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life (A JPS Scholar of Distinction Book)

The Way Into Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)

The Way Into Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)

The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam): A Brief Introduction for Christians