DNA in Halakhah

Judaism and Jewish law are eternal and immutable. But the world changes and presents novel challenges. Modern science and developing technology create facts on the ground that raise relevant contemporary questions of which Halakhah must take cognizance. Fingerprint examination, blood typing and DNA matching were all unknown until recent decades. Jewish law posits strict laws of evidence and generally excludes circumstantial evidence for most purposes. Rabbi Bleich's comprehensive work explores the nature of DNA evidence in establishing paternity, the relief of agunot, mamzerut, inheritance, identity as a Jew and as a kohen, the so-called "Jewish" gene and the kohen gene. ''Direct, comprehensive, realistic... enjoy this treasury of halakhic knowledge.'' -- THE JERUSALEM POST ''Bleich is one of the greatest popularizers, and perhaps the greatest, of an entire genre of Jewish law literature: <i>serious</i>Jewish law scholarship written in English.... Bleich's works are of the highest quality, expansive in scope, richly detailed, and analytically nuanced.'' -- PROF. STEVEN H. RESNICOFF, DEPAUL UNIVERSITY ''J. David Bleich... a virtuoso in Jewish legal discourse… is an Orthodox rabbinic scholar who sifts a vast, often arcane literature for insights into contemporary ethical problems.... Bleich offers an unusual depth as he ferrets out and unpacks the layers of rabbinic argumentation.'' -- PROF. HILLEL GRAY, THE JOURNAL OF RELIGION About the Author RABBI DR. J. DAVID BLEICH is a Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel le-Hora'ah at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Herbert and Florence Tenzer Professor of Law and Ethics at Yeshiva University. He has served as visiting Gruss Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Rabbi Bleich, a distinguished scholar, prolific writer, bioethicist and one of today's most respected halakhists is widely known as the author of the acclaimed seven-volume series, Contemporary Halakhic Problems, and many other works.   AVAILABLE ON AMAZON HERE