CJS325H1

Authority and Autonomy in Judaism

Why should Jews obey God’s commands? Why and to what extent do Jews respect the decisions of rabbis, and how do the rabbis enforce their decision when their power to coerce compliance is limited? What force do prophetic criticisms of the people’s religious and moral failings have? In what way might these external pressures limit or enable Jews' free choice? All of these are questions of authority and autonomy discussed in Judaism until today, and we will explore them together in this course.