The Jewish Family Ethics Textbook

383 Pages·2021·4.213 MB·English

by  Rabbi Neal Scheindlin

“This is a most important book introducing students to the profound
depth of Jewish Family Ethics found in classic Jewish literature.”
—Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, president, Academy for Jewish Religion,
California
“A richly rendered, sensitive, and nuanced volume. As a beloved
teacher of Jewish studies in a pluralistic Jewish high school,
Scheindlin presents cutting- edge issues that loom large for today’s
youth with warmth and empathy toward his audience and a
reverence for Jewish tradition.”
—elliott Rabin, director of thought leadership at Prizmah:
Center for Jewish Day Schools, New York City
“This is the book we have been waiting for! For inquisitive high
school students and adults of all ages and streams of Jewish life who
are eager to wrestle with questions of ethics, this creative book by
an esteemed teacher grounds the most urgent moral issues of our
time in eye- opening texts. The Jewish Family Ethics Textbook is sure to
generate lively conversations from the classroom to the dinner table.”
—Rabbi Judd KRuGeR levin Gston, director of Jewish studies,
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,
and author of Sowing the Seeds of Character: The Moral Education of
Adolescents in Public and Private Schools
“Neal Scheindlin’s book is a gold mine for educators. Distilling
decades of wisdom from a master teacher, this rich trove of
important Jewish texts bears on challenges that teenagers, families,
and schools grapple with every day.”
—Rabbi Joshua Cahan, educator, Leffell School, Westchester,
New York
“This is an essential study guide for parents, educators, young adults,
and teens seeking to clarify and deepen their understanding of
and relationship to Jewish ethics. Educators will appreciate this
well- curated collection of cases and texts as a valuable compass
to navigate explorations with teens about challenging essential
questions of our day. In an era when opinions are so often shaped by
influencers and sound bites, this book provides substantive Judaic
source material to ground student learning about ethical dilemmas
in our tradition in our times.”
—MiRiaM helleR steRn, national director, Rhea Hirsch School
of Education, Los Angeles
“In this thoughtful and thorough work, Rabbi Scheindlin brings
traditional Jewish texts directly into conversation with contemporary
Jewish voices, managing to both honor the tradition and the values
of our day. Rabbi Scheindlin does not shy away either from the
aspects of the tradition that seem most remote from— or offensive
to— our own social mores or from the thorny real- life dilemmas of
our experience in twenty- first- century America. This guide speaks
directly to our most difficult questions. It is an extraordinarily
useful resource for all those who seek to teach the tradition—
whether in a synagogue, school, or home— and all those who seek
to live an ethical life rooted in Jewish tradition and responsive to
contemporary life.”
—Rabbi RaChel tiMoneR, senior rabbi, Congregation Beth
Elohim, Brooklyn, New York
The Jewish
Family Ethics
Textbook

The Jewish Publication Society expresses
its gratitude for the generosity of
the sponsors of this book.
Molly Senor and Mel Cohen,
in honor and memory of
Rabbi Lou Silberman ל״ז
University of Nebraska Press
Lincoln
The Jewish
Family Ethics
Textbook
Rabbi Neal Scheindlin
The Jewish Publication Society
Philadelphia
© 2021 by Neal Scheindlin
Ilana Kushan’s “The Danger of Being Seen” first appeared
on her blog at https:// ilanakurshan
.com /2009 /09 /06 /the -danger -of -being -seen -bava
-batra -2a -b/ and is used with permission. Arnold
Samlan’s “The Ten Commandments of Social Media” first
appeared on Jewish Techs at https:// jewishtechs .com
/rabbi -arnold -samlans -10 -commandments
-social -media/ and is used with permission.
Michael Panitz’s “Must a Jew Have Children?: A
Conservative Answer” first appeared on Jewish
Values Online at http:// www .jewishvaluesonline
.org /question .php ?id = 970 & cprg = %2Fsearch
.php %3Fsearchtxt %3Dchildless %26what %3DA and
is used with permission.
All rights reserved. Published by the University of
Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Scheindlin, Neal S., author.
Title: The Jewish family ethics textbook / Rabbi Neal
Scheindlin.
Description: Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2021. |
Series: JPS Essential Judaism | Includes bibliographical
references.
Identifiers: lCCn 2021008005
isbn 9780827613232 (paperback)
isbn 9780827618800 (epub)
isbn 9780827618817 (pdf)
Subjects: lCsh: Jewish ethics— Textbooks. | Families—
Moral and ethical aspects— Textbooks.
Classification: lCC bJ1285.2 .s33 2021 |
ddC 296.3/6— dc23
lC record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov /2021008005
Set in Merope by Mikala R. Kolander.
In memory of my parents