Translation of: Ha-ratsah��?�ta v��?�e-gam yarashta.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Concepts of legal and moral responsibility -- From the trial of Adam and Eve to the judgments of Solomon and Daniel -- David and Goliath: trial by combat -- Stories of disguise -- The fruits of deceit -- Samson loses a bet -- To kill and take possession -- A godly man killed by a lion -- Saul kills the priests of Nob -- Jephthah sacrifices his daughter -- pt. 2. The rise of the house of David: the problem of legitimacy -- Prophecy in times of upheavals -- Jerusalem the eternal capital: Assyria's contribution -- Succession to the throne -- pt. 3. Family and Matrimony -- The prohibition of another man's wife -- The status of women: monogamy, polygamy, and surrogate motherhood -- Infertility, surrogacy, and sperm donation -- Levirate marriage and incest -- The wives of the father and of the king -- The divorce of Michal -- Crimes in the family: rape, murder, and adultery -- Death of a bastard -- The expulsion of the foreign women: Ezra's legal revolution.

The stories in the Bible present some of the most memorable approaches to justice ever described. Legal scholar Daniel Friedmann explores the legal, moral, and political aspects of well-known and dramatic biblical tales. Friedmann's analyses include reference to ancient law codes, mythology, literature, the history of law, as well complex contemporary issues, ranging from marriage and maternity disputes to religious and national identity. To kill and take possession reveals how ancient attitudes have had continuing relevance throughout history and up to the present.