Moshe Koppel, Har Etzion alumnus, is a senior lecturer in mathematics and computer science at Bar Ilan University. Formerly a visiting member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Dr. Koppel is the author of dozens of publications in theore tical computer science and artificial intelligence. He is also co-founder and co-editor of the journal Higayon : Studies in Rabbinic Logic. Dr. Koppel lives with his wife and four children in Efrat.
In Meta-Halakha: Logic, Intuition, and the Unfolding of Jewish Law, Dr. Moshe Koppel seeks not an interpretation of the Halakha, but a profound understanding of the nature of the Halakha itself.
In the preface, Dr. Koppel states: " It is 'common knowledge' that all of Halakha was given at Sinai but also that great scholars in each generation add to the received Halakha. Similarly, it is 'common knowledge' that Halakha is compatible with the h ighest ethical standards but also that no ethical standards exist other than those defined by Halakha. Although the tension inherent in each of these pairs of statements is rarely made explicit, it lurks uneasily in the back of every serious student's min d. Or at least it should. Nevertheless, the search for answers to questions about the nature of Halakha itself- what I am calling 'Meta-Halakha'- often goes unrewarded. The classical works that discuss such matters often appear forbidding and, for better or worse, sound dogmatic to the modern ear. Modern apologetic texts tend to be not at all forbidding but are doubly dogmatic(more from caution than conviction). And scholarly authors are typically content to dispassionately enumerate and organize the 'wel l known' solutions to each problem without showing the slightest indication of real engagements with the problem itself. Jargon abounds.
In this book, I attempt a fresh look at the most basic Meta-Halakhic problems. My main interest is providing a unifying framework that incorporates and reconciles the many disparate trends within Meta-Halakhic thought. Consequently, I do not dodge hard questions by ascribing conflicting views to different schools of thought. Regarding fundamental questions, it is preferable to find a common underlying framework broad enough to subsume disparate prevailing views."
In an interview with the Jewish Book News, Dr. Koppel states that " The book is my own personal attempt to confront the really big questions about how the Halakhic system works. In particular, I try to reconcile the fundamental claim that all of Halakh a is implicit in the original revelation at Sinai with the obvious fact that the ongoing interpretation of Torah involves great creativity." He adds that "Halakha is a unified system. Regardless of how a particular law arises, it can take root and survive only if it is consistent with the system as a whole."
Rabbi Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University and author of Torah Umadda, writes of Koppel's book:
"The present volume. Meta-Halakhah: Logic, Intuition, and the Unfolding of Jewish Law, by Dr. Moshe Koppel, is, to my knowledge, the first attempt by a talmudist-mathematician to understand the development of Halakha from the point of view of mathemat ical logic. This is a pioneering effort to apply the insights of a complex and often arcane discipline to the understanding of Torah. As such, it is an engaging volume, and can be followed even by those with no background in mathematics or logic but with a healthy curiosity as to how scientific thinking can be harnesses in the service of Torah".
(Source: Jewish Book News)