Ethics at the Center

Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life

Elliot N. Dorff

• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9780827615656
• eBook ISBN:
  9780827619166
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Ethics & Moral Philosophy

Ethics at the Center culls the best of Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff’s pioneering thinking in Jewish ethics over nearly five decades. Dorff shows that our response to moral issues depends ultimately on our conceptions of the nature of human beings and God; how Jewish law, theology, prayer, history, and community should also define and motivate Jewish responses to moral issues; and how the honorable and divergent stances of Western philosophy and other religions about moral living shed light on Judaism’s distinctive standpoints.

From there Dorff applies Judaism’s ethics to real life: abortion post–Roe v. Wade, sexual orientation and human dignity, avoiding harm in communication, playing violent or defamatory video games, modern war ethics, handling donations of ill-gotten gain after the fact. In conclusion he explores how Jewish family and community, holidays and rituals, theology, study, and law have moral import as well.

Dorff’s personal introduction to each chapter reflects on why and when he wrote its contents, its continuing relevance, and if—and if so, how—he would now change what he wrote earlier. Readers will experience not only his evolving ethical thought but many facets of the person and the Jew that Dorff is today.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword by Louis E. Newman
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Notes about the Cover
• Part 1. Zooming Out: Thinking Theologically about God and Human Beings
• Part 2. Getting Down to Earth: Converting Thought into Practice
• Part 3. The Real Deal: Personal and Social Ethics
• Source Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Bibliography of Works by Elliot Dorff
• Index
• About the Author