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Shall CPR be given to the frail elderly? Can genetic engineering be patented? Can there be a berit for Messianic Jews? May a tallit be worn at an interfaith service? May a criminal be a member of the congregation? Must a Jewish lawyer defend terrorists? These are just a few of the questions answered in this volume, which includes 246 Responsa. Originally published in 1992, many of these questions are still relevant for Jewish life today.

A unique study of the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls

In Qumran Hebrew, Reymond examines the orthography, phonology, and morphology of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Short sections treat specific linguistic phenomena and present a synopsis and critique of previous research. Reymond’s approach emphasizes problems posed by scribal errors and argues that guttural letters had not all “weakened” but instead were “weak” in specific linguistic environments, texts, or dialects. Reymond illustrates that certain phonetic shifts (such as the shift of yodh > aleph and the opposite shift of aleph > yodh) occur in discernible linguistic contexts that suggest this was a real phonetic phenomenon.

Features:

• Summary and critique of previous research
• Discussion of the most recently published scrolls
• Examination of scribal errors, guttural letters, and phonetic shifts