Rabbeinu Tam & Halacha
Rabbeinu Tam, the grandson of Rashi and a leading Tosafist, had several practical halachic disputes which have had great influence on certain practical halachic practices today including tefilin, when Shabbat ends, placement of a mezuzah and more. Join Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman as explores the halacha of Rabbeinu Tam.
Rabbeinu Tam & Halacha: Rabbeinu Tam & Halacha
Hello Everyone,
It is almost absurd for me to plan and teach a course titled “Rabbeinu Tam and Halacha.” Rabbeinu Tam was the towering figure in Ashkenazi Jewry. Perhaps even more than his grandfather Rashi, Rabbeinu Tam shaped the evolution of Ashkenazi scholarship with his method of Talmudic study which became the “Tosafot.”
Biographies have been written about Rabbeinu Tam. Each author brings his own perspective on Rabbeinu tam’s life and how he influenced the development of Ashkenazi jewry.
In these two meetings I will give a brief overview of rabbeinu Tam’s life. i will focus on some of the Halachic rulings which Rabbeinu Tam gave.
I look forward to meeting with you.
Rabbeinu Tam & Halacha: Rabbeinu Tam & Halacha
Hello Everyone,
Last week we learned about a ruling of Rabbeinu Tam’s which became the accepted Halacha; that ruling was that a bracha needs to be said when lighting the candles for Shabbat.
Today we will learn about a ruling which was not accepted. Rabbeinu Tam’s grandfather, Rashi, ruled that mezuzot need to be attached vertically to the doorposts of the home. Rabbeinu Tam ruled that they need to be attached horizontally.
I think that no one has ever seen a mezuzah attached horizontally to the frame of a door. Rabbeinu Tam’s argument has been ignored. But the story of Rabbeinu Tam’s ruling raises a a question. Rabbeinu Tam’s grandfather was Rashi. Rashi has an unequalled position in our history. Why, or perhaps how, could Rabbeiu Tam permit himself to disagree with his renowned grandfather?
After we study this particular Halacha we will see one suggestion of how Rabbeinu Tam approached the Halacha.
Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman graduated from Yeshiva University in 1980 and the dental school of Columbia University in 1985. In 1989 he began studying and teaching at Yeshivat Hamivtar and now studies and teaches at Yeshivat Machanaim in Efrat. He has rabbinic ordination from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.