NYC Gazette

On Presidents’ Day, Yeshiva University welcomed Chaim Saiman, Professor of Law and Chair in Jewish Law at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law, for a lecture on his book "Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law." The event was co-sponsored by the Zahava and Moshael J. Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought and the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Yeshiva College Honors Program. It featured a discussion between Saiman and Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, Deputy Director of the Straus Center.

Saiman spoke about his professional journey, touching on the intersections between Jewish and American legal traditions. He shared insights from his upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia, through his yeshiva education to law school. He highlighted how halakhah thrives independently of political structures, flourishing even after the loss of Jewish sovereignty.

The lecture also contrasted American and Jewish legal cultures. Saiman noted that Torah study as a religious ideal distinguishes halakhah from Western legal systems where legal knowledge is not tied to citizenship or religious devotion. He discussed challenges within Jewish legal practice today, particularly arbitration by Beit Din (Jewish court), which must balance halakhic principles with American legal frameworks amid complex financial disputes.

From a cultural standpoint, Saiman analyzed the Star Wars franchise through Jewish law's perspective. He examined how Jedi texts reflect tensions in adhering to tradition while evolving narratives sometimes subvert established themes.

Looking forward, Saiman outlined his research on Beit Din's role in the American legal system using interviews and case studies to explore its operations within broader contexts. The event ended with a Q&A session exploring the relationship between Jewish and American law further.