Raising the Pinky

I recall seeing this question in Ohr Somayach’s Ask the Rabbi section many years ago.

http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/40/Q1/

k so conservative”judaism” isnt generally accepted as legitamite, and certainly not in relation to halacha. i think its ossur to drive on shabbos.

The reason for raising the pinky at Haghbah — It may serve as a tikkun for the *issur* of looking at the pinky of a woman. I believe this is brought down in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 152:8 and relevant commentaries.

In a search for rd’s posts on Tosafos’ shittah, I noticed this.

I am moche in the strongest terms.

sorely misguided, and an aspiring talmid haham?

If I attack certain shitot on the grounds that the underlying methodology resembles Conservative heresy, how would that make me Conservative? I oppose any efforts which claim that changing circumstances override Talmudic gezerot. Halakha doesn’t change with the times, as many liberals among us claim (Tosafot explicitly say that whenever the reason of a rabbinic

There must be a beit din hagadol with the proper authority to implement changes of the magnititude that we see with things like people not washing mayim achronim, people carrying in invalid eruvin, clapping on Shabbat (many among us are then mechallelei shabbat, albeit be shogeg), some people making tea on shabbat improperly (Shabbat 40b s.v. U’shma claims that there is no bishul in a kli sheni) and even lifting commercial restrictions between Jews and idolatrous Christians, ignoring classic definitions of avodah zarah. When the Conservatives impose any of their innovations, in most cases, they claim to be falling back on Tosfos. Whether it be mayim achronim, cheese, instruments, or whatever the issue is. The consensus among most Orthodox Jews, thankfully, is not to rely on these leniencies.

You’re not allowed to shave or wash clothing on Tisha b’Av, but when Tisha b’Av falls on Thursday, Tosafot allows Jews to shave and to wash clothing in the afternoon to facilitate the preparation of the Sabbath (Taanit 30a sv Ve tarveihu).

Stop and think a moment. If you’re such Tosafists, then why don’t you do things that Tosafot permits that are seen as improper among most Orthodox Jews and by scores of poskim? Do serious Orthodox Jews really ever do things like this? Do you clap on shabbat, do laundry on Tisha be Av when it falls on a Thursday, carry in communal eruvin, make tea in a kli sheni, believe Christianity is not avoda zarah (most poskim nowadays say that shituf is forbidden even for gentiles, contra Tosafot), eat microbial rennet cheese made by goyim, etc.?

As i explained earlier, Tosafos did not discontinue any Gezeira. He did explain why we don’t have to revert back to it when it is not Nahug. Tosafos followed the Mesora Conservative Jews change messora. Which one are you?

We view Mayim achronim leniently because of Tosafos. This is true of those of us who are Makpid on Mayim Achronim. We follow Tosafos’ Psakim anywhere that the concensus of Rishonim don’t disagree. If you found a place where we don’t actually Pasken Lemaase like Tosafos, that has absolutely no bearing on the point you are making.

You are doing to Rabboseinu Mitzarfas what the tziddukim did to the Tanna’im. Similar complaints; similar conclusions.

Tosafos’ “methodology” is actually straight from the Gemara. We don’t have the courage, usualy, to apply such answers that are used in the Gemara (Okimtos, Tarti Ninhu, Hava Matzi, Kechad Amora etc.) because we know our limits and figure it is our Lamdus that it limited, and that there is a simpler answer that skipped our brains.

This is the reason we find that it often takes a great Amora to give a simple answer when the Gemara was actually cornered into applying that answer in the first place. But since for all we know there might be a simple logic that will make everything fall into place we refrain from giving a cornered answer until someone with vast understanding and knowledge says that this is indeed the appropriate answer.

Someone I know once said that it is not necessarily a good thing to be Mechaven to Tosafos’ Terutz.

Applying terminology to Tosafos’ learning does not show depth of understanding Sof Daatam of Tosafos. It shows an intelligent narrow-mindedness which is very common in these shallow, sweeping, observations that are published in order to gain a suffix.

If one is trying to show respect for the torah, why not bow?

The finger thing doesn’t seem appropriate.