Teaching Jewish Law in American Law Schools: An Emerging Development in Law and Religion

There has been a "religious lawyering movement," where religion has gained increased prominence in the legal profession and academia. This essay discusses one aspect of the movement, Jewish law in the American law school curriculum. The author describes four models for courses teaching Jewish law in American law schools, outlining their advantages and disadvantages. The first model teaches Jewish law in comparative law.

The course would compare and contrast the substantive areas of law in both Jewish and American law. The second model teaches Jewish law in international law. By focusing on the impact of Jewish law on Israel's legal system, students will view the application of Jewish law in on a modern secular nation. The third model would examine Jewish law with little, if any, reference to other legal systems.

The fourth model is a synthesis of the previous three models, aiming to help students appreciate the relevance of Jewish law to a broad range of legal issues.