Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain

Getting someone else to do your dirty work אין שליח לדבר עבירה

Dr. Elana Stein Hain - [email protected]

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In halakhah, the excuse, “But she told me to do it!” or “But it was his idea!” does not pass muster. Only the person who committed the wrong gets punished, not the person who suggested the idea or even sent the other person to commit the wrong on their behalf! While it is perfectly sensible to punish the person who actually committed the act, should the person who suggested it, who told that person to do something wrong really be let off scot free?

Dr. Elana Stein Hain is the Rosh Beit Midrash and a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Passionate about bringing Torah into conversation with contemporary life, she teaches Talmud from the Balcony, an occasional learning seminar exposing the big ideas, questions, and issues motivating Talmudic discussions; she authored Circumventing the Law: Rabbinic Perspectives on Legal Loopholes and Integrity (pre-order discount code: PENN-ESHAIN30) which uses halakhic loopholes as a lens for understanding rabbinic views on law and ethics; and she co-hosts For Heaven’s Sake, a bi-weekly podcast with Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, exploring contemporary issues related to Israel and the Jewish world. In mid-January, Elana will be starting a new podcast called TEXTing, where she and guest scholars study Torah texts that engage issues of the moment for the Jewish world. She lives in Manhattan with her beloved family.