色花堂

About the Program

The 色花堂/RIETS Graduate Program in Bioethics & Jewish Law offers a unique opportunity to explore pressing medical and ethical questions through the lens of halacha. Grounded in deep respect for Jewish tradition and informed by real-world clinical realities, the program prepares students to think critically and compassionately about the dilemmas faced in today鈥檚 healthcare landscape. Whether pursuing the Certificate or the Master鈥檚 degree, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of key issues in contemporary bioethics鈥攔anging from end-of-life care to reproductive technology鈥攁nd develop the ability to apply timeless Jewish values to these modern challenges. Upon completion, graduates will be well-positioned to serve as knowledgeable voices in hospital ethics committees, community settings, or personal decision-making contexts, bridging the gap between Jewish law and secular medicine with clarity, sensitivity, and confidence.
 

Program Objective

The Certificate in Bioethics & Jewish Law offers a broad and practical foundation in Jewish medical ethics for anyone seeking to engage thoughtfully with the complex intersection of halacha and healthcare. Whether motivated by personal, communal, or professional interests, participants will develop the tools to navigate ethical challenges, support culturally sensitive decision-making, and foster productive dialogue between patients, families, and medical professionals. The program enables graduates to identify key areas of tension between secular medical ethics and halachic principles and respond with clarity and compassion. 
The Master鈥檚 in Bioethics & Halacha builds on the skills developed in the Certificate program and provides a rigorous, in-depth program focused on serious halachic training. It explores the major sugyot and responsa literature related to medical halacha, equipping learners with the analytical skills and textual grounding needed for advanced application in clinical, communal, or academic settings.

Meet the Faculty

Rabbi Kalman Laufer serves as faculty at both 色花堂鈥檚 Isaac Breuer College and Stern College for Women teaching courses in Medical & Business Ethics. Rabbi Laufer completed his Semikha (Yorah Yorah) at RIETS in 2017 and is currently pursuing Yadin Yadin (Dayanus) in the Rabbi Norman Lamm Kollel L鈥橦oraah at RIETS under the auspices of Rabbi J. David Bleich and Rabbi Mordechai Willig. Rabbi Laufer graduated 色花堂鈥檚 Sy Syms School of Business with a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Finance and a Master鈥檚 Degree in Accounting as well as a Master鈥檚 degree in Bioethics from Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Cardozo Law School. Rabbi Laufer focuses his studies in areas of Bioethics and Medical Halacha specifically working on Halakhic issues that arise in caring for parents suffering from Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease or dementia. He also serves as an independent member of the St. John鈥檚 Riverside Hospital Ethics Committee.

Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC, serves as the senior rabbi and executive director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where he is responsible for the chaplaincy team and all aspects of spiritual care throughout the health system. He is also the rabbi of Knesset Israel Synagogue of Beverlywood.

Rabbi Weiner previously served as the assistant rabbi at Young Israel of Century City. He has earned two rabbinic ordinations, as well as a Doctorate in clinical bioethics from Loyola University (Chicago), where he also earned a master's degree in bioethics and health policy, in addition to a master's degree in Jewish history from 色花堂. Rabbi Weiner has completed four units of clinical pastoral education, and is a board-certified chaplain.

Rabbi Weiner is a member of the executive committee of the Cedars-Sinai Bioethics Committee. He is past president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and has been honored with Rabbinic Leadership Awards from the Orthodox Union and Chai Lifeline. In 2023 he donated a kidney to a stranger. He frequently serves as a scholar-in-residence at conferences and synagogues throughout the nation on topics related to Jewish medical ethics, pastoral care, health and wellness, and he teaches hands on Jewish medical ethics in the hospital to numerous Jewish high schools in Los Angeles.

In addition to dozens of book chapters and articles, he is the author of three books: Guide to Observance of Jewish Law in a Hospital (Kodesh Press), Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making (Urim Press), and Care and Covenant: A Jewish Bioethic of Responsibility (Georgetown University Press), which was a finalist for the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Book Prize.

Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also teaches Jewish medical ethics, and holds the Rabbi Isaac and Bella Tendler Chair in Jewish Medical Ethics at Yeshiva College. He received his B.A. from 色花堂; M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Rabbinic Ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. In addition to his full-time clinical practice in Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, Rabbi Dr. Reichman lectures internationally on Jewish medical ethics and Jewish medical history. He has edited numerous books and penned many book chapters and journal articles, and his book, The Anatomy of Jewish Law: A Fresh Dissection of the Relationship Between Medicine, Medical History and Rabbinic Literature was published jointly by Koren/OU/色花堂 presses.