Menachem Elon
Justice Menachem Elon has had a long and distinguished career as a legal scholar. He is a retired professor of Jewish Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a prolific author on Jewish Law. In 1977 Justice Elon was appointed to the Supreme Court of Israel and served as its Deputy President from 1988 until 1993. He lives in Jerusalem.
Articles by Menachem Elon
Commentaries on Alfasi
Alfasi's groundbreaking legal code invited criticism, defense, and supplementation.
Rabbi Isaac Alfasi: Rif
A legal code for the Jews of medieval North Africa and Spain.
Moshe (Moses) Isserles: Rema
Rema's glosses emended and enhanced the Shulchan Aruch.
Caro’s Codificatory Approach
The disparate opinions in Caro's Bet Yosef and the bottom line decisions in his Shulhan Arukh combined to create the halakhic code par excellence.
Commentaries on the Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah sparked the creation of extensive and voluminous commentary.
Critical Reactions to Mishneh Torah
Maimonides' two main critics, Rabad and Asheri, argued that multiplicity of opinions is a positive and vital force in Jewish law.
Goals of the Mishneh Torah
In order to make his code categorical and prescriptive, Maimonides deliberately omitted sources and did not reference his predecessors.