…the ability of an individual halakhist to bring about a change depends, to a certain extent, on his ability to foresee the opposition of his peers to his innovation. From these conclusions, it is possible[…]
Continue reading …
Category: Halakhic Books/Works/Writings
“The notion that the seven blood-free days are an undue stringency imposed by the Rabbis is a commonplace of contemporary halakhic discussion among liberal Orthodox and non-Orthodox feminist Jews who discuss the laws of nidah…”
The notion that the seven blood-free days are an undue stringency imposed by the Rabbis is a commonplace of contemporary halakhic discussion among liberal Orthodox and non-Orthodox feminist Jews who discuss the laws of nidah,[…]
Continue reading …
“The family purity handbook shares the qualities of the other halakhic handbooks…, but it has a history of its own”
The family purity handbook shares the qualities of the other halakhic handbooks…, but it has a history of its own. … In addition to explaining complicated rules in plain language, these books were designed from[…]
Continue reading …
“…the needs of men and women informed by the values of our society are very different from those of the unlearned Ashkenazi masses of the past”
The technique of obscuring the difference between legislation and custom is well entrenched in talmudic and post-talmudic rabbinic literature, especially that of Ashkenaz (Europe); neither Zimmerman nor Knohl invented it. However, the needs of men[…]
Continue reading …
“Short apodictic summaries of halakhah are necessarily monolithic”
Short apodictic summaries of halakhah are necessarily monolithic. By contrast, discussions citing and accurately evaluating earlier sources (or better yet, giving the reader the tools to evaluate them by summarizing historical development) offer directions for[…]
Continue reading …
“The firmness of R. lsserles finds its fullest expression in his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch”
The firmness of R. lsserles finds its fullest expression in his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch and in the ד”מ, which served as a basis for the commentary. There we see R. Isserles as the[…]
Continue reading …
“Many halachic authorities dating back to the Rishonim have suggested that the difficult winter weather played a role in the menorah’s being moved indoors”
Many halachic authorities dating back to the Rishonim have suggested that the difficult winter weather played a role in the menorah’s being moved indoors. The Ritva (Rabbeinu Yom Tov ben Avraham Alashbili), commenting on the[…]
Continue reading …
“…within Mishna Torah, there may be Talmudic laws which have been redefined or reformulated for anti-Qaraite reasons”
Professor Haym Soloveitchik has argued convincingly that the unique arrangement of Hilchos Shabbos in Rambam’s Mishna Torah was organized specifically with anti-Qaraite intent. Briefly, Rambam’s formulation of the Shabbos laws does not follow a chronological[…]
Continue reading …
“The third element of the Tosafist enterprise, and the final stage chronologically, was the process of editing”
The third element of the Tosafist enterprise, and the final stage chronologically, was the process of editing. In this stage, Tosafist attention turned from elucidation of the Talmud, original dialectics, and integration of early sources,[…]
Continue reading …
“…when operating as an editor, a Tosafist seldom introduced new material into the text”
A great challenge facing those who sought to edit the integrated commentaries was the need to responsibly condense and abridge the sometimes verbose dialectical arguments. Many of the Tosafists wrote voluminously, strengthening their arguments with[…]
Continue reading …