Gruss Scholar-in-Residence
General Information
The Gruss Scholar-in-Residence will spend a year in full-time residence at NYU School of Law while researching and writing significant and publishable scholarship in an area related to Jewish law and/or the interaction between Jewish and American law. It is expected that at least one published article will result from the Scholar's year of residence; this article will be considered for publication in a working paper series of the Law School.
In addition, the Gruss Scholar will familiarize him/herself with the Gruss Library, so as to serve as a resource on its contents for members of the Law School community. The Scholar will supervise the continual updating and enriching of the Gruss Library and will act as the resident liaison between the library, the main Law School library and the rest of the Law School community. The Scholar will become fully integrated with the intellectual community of the Law School, regularly attending events of the School of Law, including the faculty colloquia and other similar events.
2026-2027 Gruss Scholar-in-Residence
Dr. Israel Cohen
Dr. Israel J. Cohen received his PhD from the Department of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he wrote his dissertation, The Nature of Halakha: Philosophical Investigations, under the supervision of Professors David Enoch and Aaron Segal. He subsequently held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Haifa under the supervision of Professor Sam Lebens. Alongside his academic training, he is also a graduate of Yeshiva Or-Elchanan and the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
His research lies at the intersection of philosophy of Halakha, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and metaethics, with a particular focus on analytic approaches to Jewish thought and legal philosophy. His work explores the metaphysical nature of Halakha, the ontology of Halakhic categories, and the theological implications emerging from Halakhic practice. His recent and forthcoming publications address topics such as Halakhic naturalism and non-naturalism, religious normativity, metaphysics of law, and the nature of mitzvot.
During the 2026–2027 academic year, Cohen will serve as a Gruss Scholar-in-Residence at NYU School of Law, where he will work on his project, On the God of Halakha: From Philosophy of Halakha to Philosophy of Religion. This project examines how Halakhic concepts may contribute to broader discussions in philosophy of religion concerning divine transcendence, divine involvement in the world, and religious normativity. More broadly, his research agenda seeks to place philosophy of Halakha in dialogue with contemporary philosophy of religion, analytic theology, and jurisprudence.
In recent years, alongside his work in philosophy of Halakha and philosophy of religion, Cohen has also begun engaging with questions concerning religion, Halakha, and environmental thought. In this context, he has conducted applied research on environmental ethics and regulation as part of the Mimshak Program at Israel’s Regulatory Authority in the Prime Minister’s Office, in collaboration with the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences.
Contact: iyc2026@nyu.edu
Research area: Philosophy of Halakha (Jewish Law); Philosophy of Religion; Metaphysics; Metaethics; Jewish Thought; Analytic Theology; Jurisprudence
Research Title: On the God of Halakha: From Philosophy of Halakha (Jewish Law) to Philosophy of Religion
Research Synopsis: My research project, On the God of Halakha: From Philosophy of Halakha (Jewish Law) to Philosophy of Religion, explores how Halakhic concepts and categories may contribute to broader discussions in philosophy of religion concerning divine transcendence, divine involvement in the world, and religious normativity.
The project builds on my previous work in the philosophy of Halakha and analytic metaphysics, which focused on the metaphysical nature of Halakhic laws, facts, and objects. In the current stage of the research, I examine whether the conceptual structure of Halakha may give rise not only to jurisprudential or metaphysical insights, but also to broader theological perspectives concerning the God-world relationship.
More specifically, the project investigates how metaphysical questions emerging from Halakhic discourse – including questions concerning the nature of Halakhic objects, identity, causation, legal categories, and religious normativity – may shape different theological pictures regarding the relationship between divine transcendence and divine immanence. I argue that the “God of Halakha” emerging from Halakhic practice may provide a distinctive model of religious life: one that simultaneously emphasizes divine transcendence while preserving an ongoing encounter with God through normative practice.
More broadly, the project seeks to place philosophy of Halakha into sustained dialogue with contemporary philosophy of religion, analytic theology, and jurisprudence. While philosophical discussions concerning God-world relations have developed primarily within Christian philosophical traditions, this project aims to formulate a parallel account rooted in Jewish legal and philosophical traditions.
Previous Gruss Scholars-in-Residence:
• Noam Oren
• Elad Schlesinger
• Emmanuel Bloch
• Job Y. Jindo
• Hillel Mali
• Irit Offer Stark
• Adiel Zimran
• Debra Glasberg Gail
• Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg
• Shraga Bar-On
• Shivi Greenfield
• Ruth Kaniel Kara-Ivanov
• Job Y. Jindo
• Yehuda Septimus
• Rabbi Naftali Cohn
• Rabbi David Flatto
• Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein