The Thought of Samuel J. Levine at the Intersection of the Talmudic and Constitutional Law

Abstract

Samuel J. Levine’s research and writing collected in the two-volume anthology, Jewish Law and American Law: A Comparative Study addresses the connection between contemporary American Law and ancient Talmudic Law through the lens of contemporary Constitutional Law and Professional Ethics. Professor Levine mines the legacy of the late Robert Cover and his theory of law and narrative in particular to draw out the similarities and differences between rabbinic interpretation of the Torah and judicial interpretation of the US Constitution. He also considers where Jewish ethics converge and diverge from professional rules of conduct in the legal profession. This article summarizes some of the key turns in Levine’s recently published collected works and reflects critically on their key themes.