{"id":186558,"date":"2026-05-07T09:26:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=186558"},"modified":"2026-05-07T13:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T21:46:42","slug":"the-halakhic-profile-of-rabbi-shlomo-goren-studies-in-the-adjudicatory-deliberations-and-modes-of-substantiation-in-his-halakhic-writings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=186558","title":{"rendered":"‘The Halakhic Profile of Rabbi Shlomo Goren: Studies in the Adjudicatory Deliberations and Modes of Substantiation in his Halakhic Writings’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aviad (Yehiel) Hollander<\/a> completes his PhD dissertation in 2011 at at Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Talmud: “The Halakhic Profile of Rabbi Shlomo Goren: Studies in the Adjudicatory Deliberations and Modes of Substantiation in his Halakhic Writings<\/a>.” The work examines how Goren reached his halakhic decisions \u2014 the internal reasoning processes (\u201cshikulim\u201d\/adjudicatory deliberations), the sources and arguments he used to justify (\u201cbisus\u201d\/substantiation) his rulings, and the overall profile of his halakhic thinking. It draws directly from Goren\u2019s own extensive published halakhic writings and responsa.
\nScholars who cite it (in journals on Jewish law, religion & state, IDF halakha, etc.) treat it as the major academic reference for understanding Goren\u2019s jurisprudential approach, especially on topics like military halakha and the role of the IDF rabbinate (which Goren founded), balancing strict halakha with the needs of a modern Jewish state (\u201cdual loyalty to halakha and the state\u201d \u2014 a phrase Hollander himself uses in later published work based on the thesis), and the specific controversial rulings (e.g., the Langer children mamzerut case, conversions, Shabbat observance in the military, international law in wartime, etc.).
\nHollander (who served as an IDF military chaplain and has written extensively on religion & state\/religion & the IDF) approaches Goren as a Religious Zionist decisor who developed a distinctive \u201cZionist-messianic\u201d halakhic style. This style prioritized the value of Jewish sovereignty, the state, and the army as halakhic factors. Where Haredi rabbis appear in the picture, it is usually as the contrast or source of criticism: Goren\u2019s innovative or lenient rulings (especially when they clashed with traditional Haredi positions) frequently led to rejection or ostracism by parts of the Haredi world. Hollander\u2019s earlier 2010 paper discusses this dynamic using the Langer case as an example: Goren\u2019s refusal to back down from peer criticism contributed to his isolation from the broader rabbinic (especially Haredi) establishment.
\nThis is a methodological study of one major decisor\u2019s thought and is typical of Bar-Ilan-style academic Talmud\/halakhah research. Hollander\u2019s later writings (e.g., the article \u201cDual Loyalty to Halakha and the State: Rabbi Goren\u2019s Ruling as a Test Case<\/a>\u201d) continue this analytical line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aviad (Yehiel) Hollander completes his PhD dissertation in 2011 at at Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Talmud: “The Halakhic Profile of Rabbi Shlomo Goren: Studies in the Adjudicatory Deliberations and Modes of Substantiation in his Halakhic Writings.” The work examines how … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43228,43117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-r-aviad-hollander","category-r-shlomo-goren"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t