Writing Responsa: A Personal Journey

provides a site for a major portion of our symposia while others have been planned with the World Union of Progressive Judaism as well as independently.

The world of Reform halakhah is expanding among the laity and the rabbinate and I hope that this will continue. Writing responsa and halakhic essays has given me the opportunity to engage in dialogue with generations, past and present, a grand gift. In the spirit of Reform Judaism , I remain open and willing to take new roads, which has been a hallmark of Judaism through the ages. The halakhah has provided a path for the development of Judaism and its ability to deal with the ever changing world. It continues to be my good fortune to make a small contribution to this process.

Notes

I. See the reference in the“Introduction” to Walter Jacob , Contemporary American Reform Responsa(New York : CCAR Press, 1987), p. xv.

2. Freehof ’s rationale for halakhic decisions have been pressented in the essay of David Golinkin in this volume. Earlier American writers of Reform responsa made no attempt in this direction

3. The Nazi regime had collected Jewish books from all parts of Europe in order to create a vast anti-Semitic library. Many had been assembled in a Rhineland castle, where they were discovered by some Jewish soldiers who were seeking a suitable headquarters for a military command. After the war, whenever possible books were returned to the libraries from which they came or to their private owner. As many communities no longer existed, an enormous number of books were made available to Jewish libraries throughout the world.

4. Freehof wrote some brief pieces akin to responsa for the Temple Bulletin beginning in 1937, but his serious responsa writing began through his efforts as chair of a committee consisting of an Orthodox and Conservative colleague; they answered questions for the American armed services at the behest of the Jewish Welfare Board. Those responsa were published in 1947 and 1953. Freehof succeeded his friend, Israel Bettan as chair of the Responsa Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and totally changed the style of writing from his predecessor.