Equal Division with Different Preferences in Halacha and Science

Abstract

In recent decades, a great deal of scientific research has been conducted on the problem of fair division. The premise underlying this study is that different people may have different personal preferences, and it is required to give everyone a share that is fair according to their own personal preferences. Fair division problems have been studied thousands of years earlier in the Torah and Talmud. The purpose of the present article is to link the scientific research with the halachic research on this topic. The first part of the article presents the main sources in the Torah, Talmud and Halacha dealing with fair division of estates and heirlooms. The second part briefly reviews some recent scientific studies on this topic, and the third part compares the halachic and scientific research.