by Rabbi Alan J Yuter
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
The following summary was written primarily by Microsoft Copilot.
In this article available here on Academia.edu (free login required for access), Rabbi Yuter offers a sharply analytical review of Steven Resnicoff’s Understanding Jewish Law, praising its clarity and pedagogical skill while arguing that it ultimately reflects a distinctly Haredi model of halakhic authority. He shows how Resnicoff presents Jewish law not as a historically grounded, text‑anchored legal system but as one in which “great rabbis” function as the real norm‑creating organ of the community, often independent of the canonical rules of recognition found in the Dual Torah. Rabbi Yuter demonstrates how Haredi jurisprudence frequently elevates mimetic practice and charismatic authority over explicit legal norms.
At the same time, the essay becomes an excellent window into Rabbi Yuter’s own philosophy of law: his commitment to halakhah as a genuine legal system governed by identifiable norms, his insistence on textual fidelity and philological precision, and his resistance to models that treat rabbinic authority as infallible or beyond review. In analyzing Resnicoff, Yuter simultaneously reveals the contours of his own jurisprudence—formal, accountable, and grounded in the internal logic of the halakhic canon.
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Educated and first ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Rabbi Alan J. Yuter earned additional ordinations from Yeshiva University, supervised by Rav Moshe D. Tendler, and the Israeli Chief Rav Mordecai Eliahu. He further received Yadin Yadin from Rav David Weiss Halivni and earned a PhD in modern Hebrew Literature from New York University.
A founding member of the UTJ, Rabbi Yuter served as a faculty member at the UTJ’s rabbinical school and has held multiple pulpits, including extended stints in Springfield, NJ, and Baltimore, MD.
Rabbi Yuter is a prolific writer on ritual and philosophical issues, underpinnings of halakha, Biblical criticism, and much more. His essays can be found on UTJ’s Viewpoints . He is also a frequent contributor for The Institute of Jewish Ideas and Ideals.
Rabbi Yuter and his wife Linda reside in Israel.