The decision of a posek is known as a psak halakha ("ruling of law"; pl. piskei halakha) or simply a "psak". Piskei halakha are generally recorded in the responsa literature.
Generally, each community will regard one of its poskim as its Posek HaDor ("posek of the present generation").
Most rely on the rav in their community (in Hasidic communities, sometimes the rebbe) or the leading posek.
Poskim will generally not overrule a specific law unless based on an earlier authority: a posek will generally extend a law to new situations but will not change the Halakhah; see the article on Orthodox Judaism.
Conservative Judaismedit
Conservative Judaism approaches the idea of posek, and Halakha in general, somewhat differently: poskim here apply a relatively lower weighting to precedent, and will thus frequently re-interpret (or even change) a previous ruling through a formal argument; see Conservative Halakha. Although there are some "poskim" in the Conservative movement - e.g. Rabbis Louis Ginzberg, David Golinkin, Joel Roth, and Elliot Dorff - the rulings of any one individual rabbi are considered less authoritative than a consensus ruling. Thus, the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly maintains a Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, whose decisions are accepted as authoritative within the American Conservative movement. At the same time, every Conservative rabbi has the right as mara d'atra to interpret Jewish law for his own community, regardless of the responsa of the Law Committee.
Although Reform stresses the individual autonomy of its membership, it never completely abandoned the field of responsa literature, if only to counter its rivals' demands. Even Classical Reformers such as Rabbi David Einhorn composed some. Rabbi Solomon Freehof, and his successor Rabbi Walter Jacob, attempted to create a concept of "Progressive Halacha", authoring numerous responsa based on a methodology laying great emphasis on current sensibilities and ethical ideals. Full text collections of Reform responsa are available on the website of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.[1][2]
The Reconstructionist position is that if Jews had formed cohesive communities again, their rulings would be binding, but presently Judaism is in a "post-Halakhic state". Therefore, their basic policy is to allow tradition "a vote, not a veto" in communal and personal affairs.[3]
List of poskim and major worksedit
In chronological order, by the year of birth, and if needed, secondarily, by year of death and surname.
Poskim of past yearsedit
Toledot HaPoskim, History of the Jewish Codes, by Chaim Tchernowitz.
^Jacob, Walter (1988). Liberal Judaism and Halakhah. Rodef Shalom Press. pp. 90–94. ISBN0-929699-00-9.
^Meyer, Michael A. (1993). "Changing Attitudes of Liberal Judaism toward Halakhah and Minhag". Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies. JSTOR 23536120. See a collection of CCAR Responsa.
^Sacks, Jonathan (1992). Crisis and Covenant: Jewish Thought After the Holocaust. Manchester University Press. p. 158. ISBN0-7190-4203-8.
Further readingedit
Hecht, N. S.; et al. (eds.). An Introduction to the History and Sources of Jewish Law. Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-826262-0.
Jacobs, Louis (1999). A Tree of Life: Diversity, Creativity, and Flexibility in Jewish Law. Littman Library of Jewish Civilization (Second ed.). ISBN1-874774-48-X.
Lewittes, Mendell (1994). Jewish Law: An Introduction. Jason Aronson. ISBN1-56821-302-6.
External linksedit
An introduction to the system of Jewish Law 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, aish.com
, Live answers
at the Wayback Machine (archived February 20, 2009), archived from the 2004 original at nishmat.net
posek, jewish, posek, hebrew, פוסק, poˈsek, poskim, פוסקים, posˈkim, legal, scholar, determines, application, halakha, jewish, religious, laws, derived, from, written, oral, torah, cases, jewish, where, previous, authorities, inconclusive, those, situations, w. In Jewish law a posek Hebrew פוסק poˈsek pl poskim פוסקים posˈkim is a legal scholar who determines the application of halakha the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no clear halakhic precedent exists The decision of a posek is known as a psak halakha ruling of law pl piskei halakha or simply a psak Piskei halakha are generally recorded in the responsa literature Contents 1 Orthodox Judaism 2 Conservative Judaism 3 Progressive Judaism 4 List of poskim and major works 4 1 Poskim of past years 4 1 1 Pre 20th century 4 1 2 Orthodox 4 1 3 Conservative and Reform 4 2 Living poskim 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksOrthodox Judaism editPoskim play an integral role in Orthodox Judaism Generally each community will regard one of its poskim as its Posek HaDor posek of the present generation Most rely on the rav in their community in Hasidic communities sometimes the rebbe or the leading posek Poskim will generally not overrule a specific law unless based on an earlier authority a posek will generally extend a law to new situations but will not change the Halakhah see the article on Orthodox Judaism Conservative Judaism editConservative Judaism approaches the idea of posek and Halakha in general somewhat differently poskim here apply a relatively lower weighting to precedent and will thus frequently re interpret or even change a previous ruling through a formal argument see Conservative Halakha Although there are some poskim in the Conservative movement e g Rabbis Louis Ginzberg David Golinkin Joel Roth and Elliot Dorff the rulings of any one individual rabbi are considered less authoritative than a consensus ruling Thus the Conservative movement s Rabbinical Assembly maintains a Committee on Jewish Law and Standards whose decisions are accepted as authoritative within the American Conservative movement At the same time every Conservative rabbi has the right as mara d atra to interpret Jewish law for his own community regardless of the responsa of the Law Committee 1 Progressive Judaism editBoth Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism do not regard Halakha as binding Although Reform stresses the individual autonomy of its membership it never completely abandoned the field of responsa literature if only to counter its rivals demands Even Classical Reformers such as Rabbi David Einhorn composed some Rabbi Solomon Freehof and his successor Rabbi Walter Jacob attempted to create a concept of Progressive Halacha authoring numerous responsa based on a methodology laying great emphasis on current sensibilities and ethical ideals Full text collections of Reform responsa are available on the website of the Central Conference of American Rabbis 1 2 The Reconstructionist position is that if Jews had formed cohesive communities again their rulings would be binding but presently Judaism is in a post Halakhic state Therefore their basic policy is to allow tradition a vote not a veto in communal and personal affairs 3 List of poskim and major works editIn chronological order by the year of birth and if needed secondarily by year of death and surname Poskim of past years edit nbsp Toledot HaPoskim History of the Jewish Codes by Chaim Tchernowitz Pre 20th century edit Yoel Sirkis 1561 1640 Bach David HaLevi Segal 1586 1667 Turei Zahav Sabbatai ha Kohen 1621 1662 Shach Avraham Gombiner 1633 1683 Magen Avraham Yechezkel Landau 1713 1793 Noda Bihudah Vilna Gaon 1720 1797 Gra Shneur Zalman of Liadi 1745 1812 Shulchan Aruch HaRav Avraham Danzig 1748 1820 Chayei Adam Moses Sofer 1762 1839 Chasam Sofer Menachem Mendel Schneersohn 1789 1866 Tzemach Tzedek Shlomo Ganzfried 1804 1886 Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor 1817 1896 Orthodox edit Yechiel Michel Epstein 1829 1907 Aruch HaShulchan Yoseph Chaim of Bagdad 1832 1909 Ben Ish Chai Rav Pealim Yisrael Meir Kagan 1838 1933 Mishnah Berurah Chafetz Chaim Moshe Greenwald 1853 1910 Arugath HaBosem Chaim Ozer Grodzinski 1863 1940 Achiezer Abraham Isaac Kook 1865 1935 Eliezer David Greenwald 1867 1928 Keren L Dovid Yaakov Chaim Sofer 1870 1939 Kaf HaChaim Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro 1870 1943 Yonasan Steif 1877 1958 Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz 1878 1953 Chazon Ish Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg 1878 1966 Seridei Eish Yosef Eliyahu Henkin 1881 1973 Eliezer Silver 1882 1968 Yehezkel Abramsky 1886 1976 Yoel Teitelbaum 1887 1979 Vayoel Moshe Divrei Yoel Avraham Chaim Naeh 1890 1954 Ketzos HaShulchan Shiurei Mikveh Shiurei Torah Zvi Yehuda Kook 1891 1982 Yaakov Kamenetsky 1891 1986 Aharon Kotler 1892 1962 Moshe Feinstein 1895 1986 Igrot Moshe Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss 1902 1989 Minchas Yitzchak Yosef Greenwald 1903 1984 Vayaan Yosef Joseph B Soloveitchik 1903 1993 Yitzchok Hutner 1906 1980 Chanoch Dov Padwa 1908 2000 Cheishev Ho Ephod Shlomo Zalman Auerbach 1910 1995 Minchat Shlomo Yosef Shalom Eliashiv 1910 2012 Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg 1910 2012 Pinhas Hirschprung 1912 1998 Shmuel Wosner 1913 2015 Shevet HaLevi Aharon Leib Shteinman 1913 2017 Ephraim Oshry 1914 2003 Avraham Shapira 1914 2007 Eliezer Waldenberg 1917 2006 Tzitz Eliezer Shlomo Goren 1918 1994 Chaim Kreiswirth 1918 2001 Yaakov Yitzhak Neumann 1920 2007 Ogiro Be Oholcho Ovadia Yosef 1920 2013 Yabbia Omer Baruch Ben Haim 1921 2005 Fishel Hershkowitz 1922 2017 Klausenburger dayan in Williamsburg Brooklyn New York Hayim David HaLevi 1924 1998 Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv author of the set of halakha Mekor Hayim Menashe Klein 1924 2011 Ungvarer Rav Mishneh Halachos Gedalia Dov Schwartz 1925 2020 av beit din of Beth Din of America and the Chicago Rabbinical Council Nissim Karelitz 1926 2019 Nahum Rabinovitch 1928 2020 rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Birkat Moshe Chaim Kanievsky 1928 2022 Mordechai Eliyahu 1929 2010 Dovid Feinstein 1929 2020 Ephraim Greenblatt 1932 2014 Rivivos Efraim Zalman Nechemia Goldberg 1932 2020 av beit din rosh yeshiva of Machon Lev editor in chief of the Encyclopedia Talmudit Aharon Lichtenstein 1933 2015 rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion Meir Brandsdorfer 1934 2009 Kaneh Bosem Yechezkel Roth 1936 2021 Karlsburger Rav author of Emek HaTeshuvah Shimon Eider 1938 2007 Yisroel Belsky 1938 2016 Yehuda Henkin 1945 2020 Haim Drukman 1932 2022 Conservative and Reform edit Jacob Zallel Lauterbach 1873 1942 Louis Ginzberg 1873 1953 The Responsa of Professor Louis Ginzberg Solomon Freehof 1892 1990 Reform Jewish Practice and its Rabbinic Background Isaac Klein 1905 1979 A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice Jacob Agus 1911 1986 Dialogue and TraditionLiving poskim edit Shmuel Kamenetsky 1924 rosh yeshiva Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia Yitzchak Abadi 1933 Dov Lior 1933 Avigdor Nebenzahl 1935 Yaakov Ariel 1937 Zephaniah Drori 1937 Zalman Baruch Melamed 1937 Yisrael Ariel 1939 Eliyahu Ben Haim 1940 Ephraim Padwa 1940 rabbi of Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations Hershel Schachter 1941 rosh yeshiva at RIETS Shlomo Aviner 1943 Mordechai Willig 1947 rosh yeshiva at RIETS Yitzhak Yosef 1952 Chief Sephardic Rabbi of the State of Israel author of the set Yalkut Yosef Yitzchak Berkovits 1953 rosh kollel The Jerusalem Kollel Osher Weiss 1953 Minchas Osher Eliezer Melamed 1961 Simcha Bunim Cohen 1957 prolific author and pulpit rabbi in Lakewood New Jersey Yisroel Dovid Harfenes author of Yisroel Vehazmanim Mekadesh Yisroel and Nishmas Shabos Pinchas Toledano hakham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the Netherlands Gavriel Zinner author of the Nitei Gavriel series on halakhaSee also editDayan rabbinic judge Gemara History of responsa in Judaism Oral Torah Rabbinic authority Semikhah ConceptReferences edit Jacob Walter 1988 Liberal Judaism and Halakhah Rodef Shalom Press pp 90 94 ISBN 0 929699 00 9 Meyer Michael A 1993 Changing Attitudes of Liberal Judaism toward Halakhah and Minhag Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies JSTOR 23536120 See a collection of CCAR Responsa Sacks Jonathan 1992 Crisis and Covenant Jewish Thought After the Holocaust Manchester University Press p 158 ISBN 0 7190 4203 8 Further reading editHecht N S et al eds An Introduction to the History and Sources of Jewish Law Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 826262 0 Jacobs Louis 1999 A Tree of Life Diversity Creativity and Flexibility in Jewish Law Littman Library of Jewish Civilization Second ed ISBN 1 874774 48 X Lewittes Mendell 1994 Jewish Law An Introduction Jason Aronson ISBN 1 56821 302 6 External links editAn introduction to the system of Jewish Law Archived 2009 03 04 at the Wayback Machine aish com AskMoses com Live answers Authority and Autonomy in Pesikat HaHalacha at the Wayback Machine archived February 20 2009 archived from the 2004 original at nishmat net Jewish Law Research Guide University of Miami Law Library Jewish Law Examining Halacha Jewish Issues and Secular Law online journal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Posek amp oldid 1193989450, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
