ABSTRACT
In the modern world Judaism has undergone a profound transformation. No longer is the Jewish faith a unified structure embracing different interpretations of the same tradition. Rather the modern period has witnessed the fragmentation of the Jewish community into a variety of sub-groups ranging from ultra-Orthodox Hasidism to progressive Reform Judaism. Throughout Jewish history the validity of the written Torah was never questioned. In contemporary society, however, most Jews of all religious positions have ceased to regard the legal heritage in this light. Instead individual Jews, including those of the Orthodox persuasion, feel at liberty to choose which laws have a personal spiritual significance. Such an anarchic approach to the halakhic tradition highlights the fact that Jewish law no longer serves as a cohesive force for contemporary Jewry. A final complication concerning Jewish status concerns the remarriage of female Jews who, though civilly divorced, have failed to obtain a Jewish bill of divorce.
