Study law over lunch break

KELLEY KORBIN

As a not particularly religious person, I admit that at first I was a little flummoxed as to what I should wear to a class on Jewish ethics conducted by a Lubavitch rabbi. As it turned out, my worries were definitely misplaced; in fact, I would have been much better off to have focused on sharpening my mind rather than my wardrobe, as Rabbi Yitzchak Wineberg was more concerned with challenging my acumen than the modesty (or lack thereof) of my outfit.

Wineberg and his colleague, Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman, are teaching a course in talmudic ethics, with six weekly one-hour classes at various Lower Mainland locations. The program is designed to provide a Jewish legal perspective on some of life's most difficult ethical dilemmas.

The course examines ancient legal principles developed by the sages and applies them to modern issues. Wineberg pointed out that while some of the sources are 2,000 to 1,500 years old, many of their ideas are relevant today. For example, one of the classes in the series deals with intellectual property rights.

Wineberg explained, "We extrapolate on these ancient laws, which were written as principles and we apply them. So, they wrote about donkeys and oxen, we speak of cars and rocket ships; but they're really the same things."

I attended the first class of the series at the downtown offices of the Galt Group of Companies. We discussed when it is permissible or even necessary to intervene in order to save a life. We started with a case study of a rabbi in Auschwitz who was asked to help a man determine whether, under talmudic law, he was justified in bribing a guard to save his son if it meant that another child would be murdered in his son's place. Wineberg said, the question comes down to "Whose blood is redder?" In other words, when is it OK to sacrifice one life in order to save another?

The discussion soon turned to the distinction between actively and passively taking another life, the conflict between your conscience and the law and an in-depth debate over the difference between rights and obligations. Wineberg moderated and gently directed the group as we explored the practices of triage, euthanasia and the differences between Jewish law and traditional laws of countries like Canada. And all this over one lunch hour! The time flew by and I easily could have sat through at least another hour.

I felt like I was back in Hebrew school, only this time I got to ask many of the questions I was afraid, or didn't know enough, to ask back then. And, as Wineberg pointed out, "The fact is, the course raises more questions than it answers. It's supposed to create a thirst for knowledge and recognition of what little we really understand and a desire to learn from it. That's what Lubavitch does. We encourage people to get involved on an intellectual level or an emotional level and to recognize how deep this really is and take it to its next step. Don't be satisfied where you are."

The next classes in the series will cover the topics of abortion, euthanasia and freedom of speech. The Chabad Lubavitch course in talmudic ethics is recognized by the Law Society of British Columbia and provides nine credits of continuing professional development for lawyers. There is still space available in some of the classes or, if you can get 10 people together, you might want to start your own group. The cost is $185 for the series, including a student handbook. For more information, contact Baitelman at 604-277-6427 or e-mail [email protected].

Kelley Korbin is a Vancouver freelance writer.

^TOP