Introduction
Are our modern perceptions of both
secular and Halachic law responsible for the way we view the laws
contained within the Torah? This article is based extensively on the writings of
Rabbi Dr Joshua Berman[1],
a professor of Tanach at Bar-Ilan University. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
refers to him as “one of the most original biblical scholars of our time.”
Berman presents an interesting approach that allows one to understand how Law,
in general, functioned in the Ancient Near East - and in fact, up to recent
times. Although he does show theoretical rabbinic precedent, some may find his
method theologically challenging while others may find it enlightening.
