Contemporary Halachic Rulings

Question

I am curious, how do modern contemporary poskim rule and set responsa on questions? How exactly does one go from the Bible and Talmud to, say, the Igrot Moshe and Shulchan Halevi and Teshuvot V’hanhagot in terms of building Halacha and responsa?

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    There is actually very little intrinsic difference between the way that the Halachic authorities have arrived at their rulings throughout the generations. Even though the subject matters ruled upon today may not have existed in earlier times, the Halachic concepts within them have always existed. And that is what allows an authority to rule on a particular issue today. What needs to be done is that the core Halachic issue needs to be identified, and then the process of connecting back into the earlier Halachic works, such as the Shulchan Aruch and the Rambam, can begin. Once the pertinent Halachic issue has been uncovered, the journey back into the Talmud, the Mishna and the Written Torah can commence.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team