You be the judge II starts Feb. 10 and 11

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2009-02-01T00:00:00

The Menendez brothers and Bob Kitts, the Cleveland-area contractor who recently found $182,000 in the wall of a home he was renovating, are two of the six cases that Jewish Learning Institute students will examine under a Talmudic microscope this February.

“You Be the Judge II,” presents students with real cases brought before beit din, the court system of Jewish law, and compares Talmudic analysis with the contemporary approach taken in United States courts. Topics include business ethics, property rights and employment practices

“An insightful examination and understanding of how Jewish law applies to complex real life dilemmas,” is how Jim Stone, who has taken a similar JLI course here in Portland, explains the course material.

Alan M. Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School commented: “I found the Rohr JLI course You Be The Judge fascinating. If my first-year students had been exposed to this material before starting law school, they would be better prepared for the rigors of the Socratic method.”

Rabbi Motti Wilhelm who teaches JLI courses here in Portland said he particularly enjoys teaching these courses because “they are written in a way which participants with little previous knowledge are able to participate and share their reflections.” He said he considers himself a facilitator of learning more than a teacher.

The course will meet in Southwest Portland for six Wednesday evenings beginning Feb. 11 and in Lake Oswego for six Tuesday evenings beginning Feb. 10. The cost is $100 but participants are invited to attend the first lesson free, with no obligation.

For registration, visit www.MyJLI.com or email JLI@ChabadOregon.com.