New answers tagged halacha-theory
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The Mishnah (Niddah 58b) addresses this question:
מעשה באשה אחת שבאת לפני ר"ע אמרה לו: ראיתי כתם, אמר לה: שמא מכה הייתה ביך? אמרה לו: הן, וחיתה. אמר לה: שמא יכולה להגלע ולהוציא דם? אמרה לו: הן. וטהרה רבי עקיבא. ראה תלמידיו מסתכלין זה בזה, אמר להם: מה הדבר קשה בעיניכם? שלא אמרו חכמים הדבר להחמיר – אלא להקל שנאמר (ויקרא ט"ו) ואשה כי תהיה זבה דם יהיה זובה ...
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Tearing plastic, paper, leather, et al. on Shabbos
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (340:17) (and I believe, the Minchas Chinuch) holds that the melacha of tearing only applies to composite items. I.e., fabrics, which are made from multiple threads, or anything else that is two or more items connected together. Therefore, there is no prohibition, Biblical or ...
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The Talmud Yerushalmi says that it is forbidden to Kill lice on Shabbat. ("killing lice is like killing a camel")
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14141&st=&pgnum=20
The Talmud Bavli says that killing lice on Shabbat is allowed.
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When discussing someone of the stature of the Rambam, it is important to recognize that whatever Islamic and Greek sources he studied, they were filtered through one of the greatest Jewish minds of all time. The Rambam attested about himself that he read every book composed on religion available in Arabic; his greatness was that he was able to assimilate ...
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Rabbi Broyde has a yutorah mp3 regarding hair covering where he says it appears that the general standard of erva is probably subjectively tied to what's considered appropriate by modest non-Jewish women in general society.
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Societal standards definitely affect how we ought to dress. Rabbi Yehudah Henkin quotes his grandfather, who said, “there is no prohibition against women wearing loose pants." If the purpose of tsnius is to act in a way that does not draw unnecessary attention to oneself, the way other people dress certainly makes a difference. What was necessary to achieve ...
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Yes: a number of areas of halacha depend on what is usual in the place and time. One I can think off the top of my head is: Some pos'kim have held one can smoke cigarettes or take a hot shower on yom tov because that was shave l'chol nefesh (widely done) at those times and in those places; they would agree that such would be forbidden when smoking and ...
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It's possible there are conflicting opinions, but I believe it is asur of lo yilbash if the husband's clothes are specifically men's clothes (e.g. his pants or suit), but not in cases of unisex clothing (e.g. a baseball hat or maybe certain t-shirts). Responsa Yaskil Avdi Yoreh Deah 20 says that k'li gever isn't violated unless the clothes is distinctly made ...
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There are several historical factors to consider, particularly the advent of the internet.
We live in the age of information. The gap between rabbinic leadership and the lay is being broached with great rapidity. More people are interested in a more horizontal society wherein they approach sources, analyze them, digest them, etc. and interact on such basis ...
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I read this chapter http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/10.1163/ej.9789004173330.i-358.39 and I am not so fond of what he says. He states according to Ibn al-Qifti, from which most scholars quote the alleged apostacy, said that RaMbaM read the Quran and participated in the prescribed prayers during the period in which he acted ostensibly as a ...
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