Tree of Life

'Rabbi Louis Jacobs is well known as a highly distinguished liberal interpreter of Judaism. Many of his works ... are immediately accessible to the general reader, but his interpretation is deeply rooted in scholarly study of the rabbinic writings, sources which also inspire "conservative" expressions of a Judaism markedly different from his own ... The author makes his point in a fascinating way ... Vivid light is cast on Jewish-Christian relations among other issues ... Jacobs's book is a fund of valuable information, but its argument is also a signal instance of the attachment to tradition embraced with a rational integrity.' William Horbury, Expository Times

REVIEWS OF THE SECOND EDITION

'It raises questions that still await an adequate response for resolution from the Orthodox authorities.' Miri Freud-Kandel, Jerusalem Post

'Louis Jacobs demonstrates a profound scholarship in the second edition of this important work. The breadth of source and the volume of analysis are truly extraordinary.' Reuven Livingstone, Jewish Chronicle

'One of the few works on the nature and development of Jewish law written from a Conservative point of view, and it can be seen as a "classic" ... Jacobs succeeds in an admirable way in his self-imposed task of developing "a theory of halakhic change for those who are loyal to the halakhic traditions and yet accept modern values", a task which will probably continue to occupy Conservative and Orthodox thinkers for generations to come.' Catherine Hezser, Journal of Law and Religion