Chapter 3

AsuU SEYAG LATORAH Make a Fence to Protect the Torah

Rabbi Richard S. Rheins

A: the inaugural conference of the Institute of Liberal Halakhah, my teacher and friend Mark Washofsky addressed the question of whether“liberal halakhah” was a contradiction in terms. He asked“Can the system of rabbinic law accommodate contempo­rary values of justice, morality and progress?”! In developing his answer, Washofsky brilliantly laid the groundwork for a dia­logue between liberal halakhists and those of the Orthodox com­munity. As he stated, the“ultimate goal of liberal halakhic writing 1s to encourage among the observant community an openness to alternative interpretations of law.”2 While I share the hope of my mentor for a future era of respectful dialogue and intellectual exchange between Orthodox and Liberal halakhists, a more press­Ing and immediate problem is establishing the legitimacy of Liberal / Progressive halakhah among our own non-Orthodox laity and rabbinic colleagues.

Sl ge es Bal Notes for this section begin on page 107.