Boaz Cohen (1899–1968) was a leading American scholar of
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
, a legal decisor (
posek
In Jewish law, a ''posek'' ( , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the application of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah, in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are incon ...
), and a professor at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
.
Biography
Cohen was born and educated in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
. He was ordained as a
rabbi
A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
(JTS) in 1924. Following his ordination, he was appointed Assistant Librarian of JTS. In 1925, he was appointed an instructor of
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
, and went on to serve on the JTS faculty for four decades. In 1927, he received his Ph.D. from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. During his career he published extensively on the Talmud and
Jewish law
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mit ...
, while also authoring many comparative studies between Jewish law and other legal systems. Many of those studies were published in a collection titled ''Jewish and Roman Law'' (New York, 1966).
Cohen also served as chair of the
Committee on Jewish Law of the
Rabbinical Assembly
The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, an ...
, and he issued thousands of legal rulings.
["Boaz Cohen (1899-1968)," by Elias J. Bickerman and Edward M. Gershfield, ''Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research,'' Vol. 37, (1969), pp. xxxi]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Boaz
1899 births
1968 deaths
American Conservative rabbis
Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients
Jewish Theological Seminary of America faculty
Jewish American historians
Talmudists
American religion academics
People from Bridgeport, Connecticut
Columbia University alumni
20th-century American rabbis