The Jewish tradition...is a duty based legal system; rights are not the fundamental coin in Jewish law. While it is true that almost all "rights" can be expressed as "duties", and the reverse as well, it is equally clear that the legal systems make statement about their core values when they express legal norms in one form or another. In Jewish law, the core value is a legal "duty".
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What is the difference between a "right" and a "duty"?
2. How does this distinction shape how we think of communal obligations?
3. Why is it important that the core value of Jewish law is a legal duty?
4. How does the distinction that Rabbi Broyde articulates relate to American society?
Time Period: Contemporary (The Yom Kippur War until the present-day)