Jewish Law in Society Today Jewish civil law is a most
complicated subject. The subjects that are most discussed,
argued over and analyzed in Talmudic and rabbinic literature
concern themselves with Jewish civil law – torts, contracts,
evidence, real estate, inheritance, civil procedure, etc. Almost
every Jewish child will cut his first tooth in Talmudic studies
in matters related to Jewish civil law. As important as
observance and knowledge of ritual is in Jewish life and
continuity, it is the understanding of Jewish civil law that
forms the basic structure of the value system and lifestyle of
Judaism. Therefore there is a strong admonition that Jews should
not allow themselves to judge their civil disputes in non-Jewish
courts or on the basis of non-Jewish law and ordinances. It is
not the laws alone that may differ – it is the moral
underpinning of the legal decisions that are different. People
are naturally very zealous about protecting their property
rights. But seen in isolation from a general moral cod