The Journal of Textual Reasoning (JTR) is a peer-reviewed open-access journal dedicated to advancing new avenues of contemporary Jewish thought that emerge in dialogue with classical Jewish texts and methods of study.
We are currently in the process of settling into our new home at W&M ScholarWorks. We're taking this opportunity to reissue our old issues in a new, more elegant format. This is a time-consuming process; please bear with us! In the mean time, issues of the JTR will still be available at our old UVA site.
Current Issue: Volume 14, Number 1 (2023) Affect and Halakhah
Introduction
According to the Babylonian Talmud, “all that God has in the world are the four cubits of halakhah” (b. Eruvin 48a). The same might be said of people, at least from the perspective of many Jewish thinkers. But how does one navigate those four cubits? How does halakhah engage with subjective experience and the affective dimensions of human life? This issue of the JTR explores the complex interplay between embodiment, emotion, affect, and law by offering snapshots of moments in Jewish life throughout history. The authors consider contexts as varied as entering the Temple courtyard to the death of a family member in the home. While highly particular, each of these snapshots highlights a dynamic tension between prescribed norms for behavior, subjective experience, and the various avenues through which individuals communicate their desires, fears, and challenges to their broader community.
Introduction
Deborah Barer and Mark Randall James
Essays
“If You Seek it Like Silver”: Illness and Poverty as Metaphors for Obligation in Israel Salanter
Sarah Zager