Ethics of the Talmud
 
The Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) people came out with another class, Ethics of the Talmud. 

It is an excellent example of what bothers people most about kiruv & shlichus classes.  Over six weeks, the not-yet-frum Jew, who has never studied gemara in depth, will be exposed some of the ethical dillemmas the Talmud discusses. Abortion, euthanasia, honesty and so on. The goal of the class is to demonstrate how Judaism and the Talmud offer "a moral compass to guide you through the labyrinth of life."  JLI managed to secure endorsements from several prominent attorneys and professors, including Harvard's Alan Dershowitz and Columbia's Thomas Zweifel. Interestingly, this course somehow received accreditation for continuing education credits for attorneys (CLE) and physicians (AMA) as well. 

I don't know how to tell you this, Professors Dershowitz and Zweifel. But out of all the texts in Judaism, the talmud is the one I would use last for my moral compass. True, it may have been pretty progressive for 500 C.E., but to use the gemara for ethical guidance in 2008 could really get you into hot water. 

I'm gonna guess that the JLI course does not mention some of these halachik points: 

* You are not allowed to save a gentile's life on shabbos, unless you fear reprisals against Jews for failing to do so. 
* When you see a man and a woman drowning, all other things being equal, you must save the man first, because he has more commandments to fulfill. 
* Abortions may be assur for you and me, but the sanhedrin was allowed to beat a pregnant woman until her fetus was aborted if she committed a capital crime. This was done to save her the embarrassment of giving birth posthumously. 
* The laws of honesty are different for Jews and gentiles. If  a Jew overpays you, you are obligated to return the money. If the same happens with a gentile, you are not. 
* In general, many punishment laws are much stricter for  gentiles than for Jews. A gentile is allowed to be put to death with circumstancial evidence only, a Jew must be admonished by two witnesses during the act itself. A gentile is executed for stealing whereas a Jew is not.
* Women, for the most part, are not allowed to serve as witnesses or judges in a court of law.

And so on, there are plenty of other examples that I have discussed at some point or another in this blog.

So, Dr. Zweifel, when you said that this course offers "21st century leaders of all stripes a crucial lighthouse in the sea of ethical uncertainty", were you aware of these talmudic conclusions? Do you think the American system of justice in 2008 has much to learn from the conclusions of the gemara about women or goyim?  

Now, to be clear, I am not positing that the Judaic system of ethics is completely antiquated. There are  texts which would appropriate for the study of ethics and morality as an introductory course in Judaism. Pirkei Avos, for example, or later shailos u'teshuvos about medical ethics. But If you are going to teach unaffiliated Jews about the ethical system proposed by the rabbis in the talmud, please be sure and teach them that the gemara is not all sweet roses and moral lighthouses. 

Otherwise, you are no better than a used carsalesman who only points out the new coat of paint and the shiny exterior, while forgetting to mention the need for new brakes and the recent trouble with the engine. I wonder what the Talmud would say about the ethics of used carsalesmen.