“Responsa in a Historical Context is not a compendium of historical sources that examines the daily lives of conversos. Rather, Koren elaborates how the rabbis solved religious problems. As Koren observes, we should value Sephardic culture for its learning as well as its food and song.”

— Andrew Apostolou, Sephardic Horizons

“Each chapter has a helpful historical and halachic ( Jewish legal) introduction, followed by a discussion, the responsum itself (presented in Hebrew with an English translation), discussion questions, and suggestions for further readings. This collection will be of interest to the scholar and general reader alike and is highly recommended, especially for academic libraries.”

— David Tesler, AJL News & Reviews

“Through the analysis of responsa written by contemporary halakhic authorities, Debby Koren provides a deep understanding of the rejuvenation of Spanish-Portuguese Jewish communal life during an otherwise tragic period of Jewish history.”

— Tradition

"In Responsa in a Historical Context, Debby Koren makes these fascinating yet extraordinarily difficult documents come alive. She succeeds admirably in overcoming the challenge that faces all who would write about responsa for an audience of non-specialists, namely to offer a sufficient explanation of the historical and halakhic (Jewish legal) context behind each submitted question without allowing that explanation to overwhelm the text and to drown out the unique voice of the rabbinical author. The book is an indispensable source of information, both on the history of the period it covers and on the ways that rabbis thought, how they utilized textual analysis, logic, and rhetoric to craft answers to the questions that Jews asked.” 

— Mark E. Washofsky, Professor Emeritus of Jewish Law and Practice, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati

Debby Koren is an independent researcher in the fields of halakha and responsa literature. She has lectured and taught Talmud and halakha in informal and formal adult settings. She has a Ph.D. in mathematics from The City University of New York and an M.A. in Talmud and Halakha from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem.

Introduction

     Overview

     The Halakhic Discourse in Responsa

     Translation and Presentation

     The Eight Responsa

     Notes on Translation, Transliteration, and Citations

     Glossary

     Abbreviations

     Further Reading

Acknowledgments

On Excommunication

Responsa

1. Divorce out of Love: A Sixteenth-Century Woman’s Story—Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra Responsum 1,398

2. The Tax Cut Lobby—Rabbi Joseph ibn Lev Responsum 4:14

3. Are You Calling Me a Heretic?!—Zᵉqan Aharon 25

4. Families Torn Apart—Rabbi Moses ben Joseph di Trani Responsum 1,142

5. What’s in a Name?—Rabbi Samuel de Medina Yo-re Deʻa 199

6. Is Your Blood Any Redder? The Case of an Informer in the Venetian Inquisition—Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham Ha-Kohen Responsum 4,31

7. Excommunication in Amsterdam—Baḥ (Ha-Yᵉshanot) 5

8. South of the Equator, in the New World—Torat Ḥayyim 3,3

Index