This book is an anthology of passages from the rabbinical literature that address the phenomenon of controversy in Jewish law, affording the English-speaking reader the opportunity for a first-hand encounter with this fascinating material.

Hanina Ben-Menahem, Neil S. Hecht

Interpretative Essay. List of Passages 1. Controversy is the Way of the Torah 1.1 Controversy Should not be Multiplied 2. The Conduct of a Controversy: Etiquette and Rules of Debate 3. Controversy and Truth 3.1 Seventy Facets to the Torah 4. Controversy and Uniformity of Practice 4.1 The 'Do Not Form Factions' Prohibition and its Rationales 4.2 Who is Bound by the Prohibition? 4.3 The Distinction Between Two Courts and One Court 4.4 'Do Not Form Factions' as Applied to Different Communities 4.5 The Distinction between Law and Custom 5. Controversy and Social Harmony 6. The Origins of Halakhic Controversy