In
Jewish law
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...
, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''
halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
'', the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
religious law
Religious law includes ethical and moral codes taught by religious traditions. Different religious systems hold sacred law in a greater or lesser degree of importance to their belief systems, with some being explicitly antinomian whereas othe ...
s derived from the
written and
Oral Torah
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ( he, , Tōrā šebbəʿal-pe}) are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah ( he, , Tōrā šebbī� ...
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
''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars ...
literature.
Orthodox Judaism
Poskim play an integral role in
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses o ...
.
* Generally, each community will regard one of its ''poskim'' as its ''Posek HaDor'' ("Posek of the present Generation").
* Most rely on the
rav
''Rav'' (or ''Rab,'' Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah; a Jewish spiritual guide; or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (1:6) states that:
The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi''. (For a more nuan ...
in their community (in Hasidic communities, sometimes the
rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritu ...
) 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
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses o ...
.
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generati ...
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
Louis Ginzberg ( he, לוי גינצבורג, ''Levy Gintzburg''; russian: Леви Гинцберг, ''Levy Ginzberg''; November 28, 1873 – November 11, 1953) was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish desc ...
,
David Golinkin,
Joel Roth
Joel Roth is a prominent American rabbi in the Rabbinical Assembly, which is the rabbinical body of Conservative Judaism. He is a former member and chair of the assembly's ''Committee on Jewish Law and Standards'' (CJLS) which deals with questio ...
, and
Elliot Dorff Elliot N. Dorff (born 24 June 1943) is an American Conservative rabbi. He is a Visiting Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and Distinguished Professor of Jewish theology at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) in ...
- 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 Committe
Progressive Judaism
Both
Reform Judaism, Reform and
Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism is a Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization rather than a religion, based on concepts developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). The movement originated as a semi-organized stream w ...
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
The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the worl ...
.
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.
List of poskim and major works
In chronological order, by the year of birth, and if needed, secondarily, by year of death and surname.
Poskim of past years
Pre-20th century
*
Yoel Sirkis (1561–1640), ''Bach''
*
David HaLevi Segal
David ha-Levi Segal (c. 1586 – 20 February 1667), also known as the Turei Zahav (abbreviated Taz ()) after the title of his significant '' halakhic'' commentary on the ''Shulchan Aruch'', was one of the greatest Polish rabbinical authorities ...
(1586–1667), ''Turei Zahav''
*
Sabbatai ha-Kohen (1621–1662), ''Shach''
*
Avraham Gombiner (c.1633–c.1683), ''Magen Avraham''
*
Yechezkel Landau (1713–1793), ''Noda Bihudah''
*
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...
(1720–1797), ''Gra''
*
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi ( he, שניאור זלמן מליאדי, September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S. / 18 Elul 5505 – 24 Tevet 5573) was an influential Lithuanian Jewish rabbi and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of ...
(1745–1812), ''
Shulchan Aruch HaRav
The ''Shulchan Aruch HaRav'' ( he, שולחן ערוך הרב, , Shulchan Aruch of the Rabbi; also romanized ''Shulkhan Arukh HaRav'') is especially a record of prevailing halakha by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), known during his l ...
''
*
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
*
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
The ''Mishnah Berurah'' ( he, משנה ברורה "Clear Teaching") is a work of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Poland, 1838–1933, also known as ''Chofetz Chaim''). It is a commentary on ''Orach Chayim'', the first section ...
'', ''
Chafetz Chaim''
*
Moshe Greenwald (1853–1910), ''Arugath HaBosem''
*
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863–1940), ''Achiezer''
*
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one o ...
(1865–1935)
*
Eliezer David Greenwald
Rabbi Eliezer David Greenwald (1867-1928) was a rabbi and head of a yeshiva in the cities of Tzehlim (today Deutschkreutz in Austria), Oberwischau (Upper Vishuvah) and Satmar in Transylvania. He is known for his book Keren L'David. Brother of Ra ...
(1867–1928), ''Keren L'Dovid''
*
Yaakov Chaim Sofer
Yaakov Chaim Sofer (1870–1939) (Hebrew: יעקב חיים סופר) was a Sephardi rabbi, Kabbalist, Talmudist and '' posek''. He is the author of ''Kaf Hachaim'', a work of halakha that he came to be known by.
Biography
Sofer was born in ...
(1870–1939), ''Kaf HaChaim''
*
Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro (1870–1943)
*
Yonasan Steif, (1877–1958)
*
Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz
Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish () after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent ...
(1878–1953), ''Chazon Ish''
*
Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg (1884–1966) was an Orthodox rabbi, posek ("decisor" of Jewish law) and rosh yeshiva. He is best known as the author of the work of responsa ''Seridei Eish''.
Weinberg was considered a genius in his time - with m ...
(1878–1966), ''Seridei Eish''
*
Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (1881–1973)
*
Eliezer Silver (1882–1968)
*
Yehezkel Abramsky (1886–1976)
*
Yoel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum ( yi, יואל טייטלבוים, translit=Yoyl Teytlboym, ; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty.
A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused ...
(1887–1979), ''
Vayoel Moshe'', ''Divrei Yoel''
*
Avraham Chaim Naeh
Avraham Chaim Naeh (3 May 1890 – 21 July 1954) was a Lubavitcher chassidApprobations to ''Ketzos ha-Shulchan''. and major '' posek'' ( halachic authority) active during the first half of twentieth century. He is most famous for his works ''Ketzo ...
(1890–1954) ''Ketzos HaShulchan'', ''Shiurei Mikveh'', ''Shiurei Torah''
*
Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook ( he, צבי יהודה קוק, 23 April 1891 – 9 March 1982) was a prominent ultranationalist Orthodox rabbi. He was the son of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandatory Pal ...
(1891–1982)
*
Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891–1986)
*
Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler (1892–1962) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and the United States; the latter being where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.
Early life
Kotler w ...
(1892–1962)
*
Moshe Feinstein (1895–1986), ''
Igrot Moshe''
*
Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss
Rabbi Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss (15 February 1902 – 14 June 1989), commonly known as the ''Minchas Yitzchak'' after the Responsa he authored, was the rabbi of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem] at the time of his death, but his Halakha, halakhic in ...
(1902–1989), ''Minchas Yitzchak''
*
Yosef Greenwald
Yosef Greenwald ( he, יוסף גרינוואלד 1903 – Brooklyn 1984) was the second Rebbe of the Pupa Hasidic dynasty, and the charismatic leader of all the Pupa Hasidim. Prior to World War II, he was a rabbi and rosh yeshiva in Pápa, Hun ...
(1903–1984), ''Vayaan Yosef''
*
Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993)
*
Yitzchok Hutner (1906–1980)
*
Chanoch Dov Padwa (1908–2000), ''Cheishev Ho'Ephod''
*
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ( he, שלמה זלמן אויערבאך; July 20, 1910 – February 20, 1995) was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem neighborhood Ramat Shlomo ...
(1910–1995), ''Minchat Shlomo''
*
Yosef Shalom Eliashiv (1910–2012)
*
Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg (1910–2012)
*
Pinhas Hirschprung (1912–1998)
*
Shmuel Wosner
Shmuel HaLevi Wosner ( he, שמואל הלוי ואזנר, 4 September 1913 – 3 April 2015) was a prominent Haredi rabbi and posek ("decisor of Jewish law") living in Bnei Brak, Israel. He was known as the ''Shevet HaLevi'' after his major w ...
(1913–2015), ''Shevet HaLevi''
*
Aharon Leib Shteinman (c. 1913–2017)
*
Ephraim Oshry (1914–2003)
*
Avraham Shapira
Avraham Shapira ( he, אברהם אלקנה כהנא שפירא; 20 May 1914, Jerusalem – 27 September 2007) was a prominent rabbi in the Religious Zionist world. Shapira had been the head of the Rabbinical court of Jerusalem, and both a ...
(c. 1914–2007)
*
Eliezer Waldenberg (1917–2006), ''Tzitz Eliezer''
*
Shlomo Goren
Shlomo Goren ( he, שלמה גורן; February 3, 1917 – October 29, 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi and Talmudic scholar who was considered a foremost authority on Jewish law ( Halakha). Goren founded and s ...
(1918–1994)
*
Chaim Kreiswirth (1918–2001)
*
Yaakov Yitzhak Neumann (1920–2007), ''Ogiro Be'Oholcho''
*
Ovadia Yosef (1920–2013), ''Yabbia Omer''
*
Baruch Ben Haim
Baruch Ben Haim ( he, ברוך בן חיים, November 18, 1921 – June 2, 2005) was a Sephardi Hakham who served as Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York for 55 years. He taught at Magen David Yeshiva and establi ...
(1921–2005)
*
Fishel Hershkowitz (1922–2017),
Klausenburger ''
dayan'' in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
*
Hayim David HaLevi
Hayim David HaLevi (24 January 1924 – 10 March 1998) (),
was Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Biography
Hayim David HaLevi was born in Jerusalem. He studied under Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. When R. Uziel was ...
(1924–1998), Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, author of the set of halakha ''Mekor Hayim''
*
Menashe Klein (1924–2011),
Ungvar
Uzhhorod ( uk, У́жгород, , ; ) is a city and municipality on the river Uzh in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and th ...
er Rav; ''
Mishneh Halachos''
*
Gedalia Dov Schwartz(1925-2020),
av beit din
The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...
of
Beth Din of America The Beth Din of America is a Beth Din (Court of Jewish Law) which serves Jews throughout the United States of America as a forum for arbitrating disputes through the din torah process, obtaining Jewish divorces, and confirming Jewish personal status ...
and the
Chicago Rabbinical Council
*
Nissim Karelitz
Shmaryahu Yosef Nissim Karelitz ( he, נסים קרליץ; July 19, 1926 – October 21, 2019) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and posek who served as the chairman of the ''beis din tzedek'' (rabbinical court) of Bnei Brak.
Biography
Karelitz ...
(1926-2019)
*
Nahum Rabinovitch, (1928-2020) rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivat Birkat Moshe
Yeshivat Birkat Moshe is a hesder yeshiva located in the Mitzpeh Nevo neighborhood of Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank. It was founded in 1977 by Rabbis Haim Sabato and Yitzchak Sheilat, then two young rabbis from Yeshivat HaKotel, in Jerusalem.
...
*
Chaim Kanievsky (1928-2022)
*
Mordechai Eliyahu (1929–2010)
*
Dovid Feinstein
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein ( he, דוד פיינשטיין; 1929 – November 6, 2020) was a Torah scholar and ''halachic'' authority, considered by many as the leading halachic authority in the United States in the 21st century. He served as the r ...
(1929-2020)
*
Ephraim Greenblatt (1932-2014), ''Rivivos Efraim''
*
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg (1932- 2020), av beit din, rosh yeshiva of
Machon Lev
The Jerusalem College of Technology - Lev Academic Center (JCT; he, המרכז האקדמי לב) is a private college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a ...
, editor-in-chief of the
Encyclopedia Talmudit
*
Aharon Lichtenstein (1933–2015),
rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
of
Yeshivat Har Etzion
*
Meir Brandsdorfer
Rabbi Meir Brandsdorfer ( he, מאיר ברנדסדורפר; 7 September 1934 – 13 May 2009) was a member of the Rabbinical Court of the Edah HaChareidis, the Haredi Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, and was in charge of their Kashrut operations ...
(1934–2009), ''Kaneh Bosem''
*
Yechezkel Roth
Rabbi Yechezkel Roth was known as the Karlsburger Rav. He was the author of ''Emek HaTeshuvah'' (nine volumes: Chezkas Taharah Hilchos Niddah, Emek Shmaatsa Gemara, Chazon Yechezkel on Drush, Mishpat Ha’aretz on Shmittah, Keren HaTorah Ribbis, ...
(1936-2021) Karlsburger Rav, author of ''Emek HaTeshuvah''
*
Shimon Eider
Shimon D. Eider (December 2, 1938 - September 28, 2007) was an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and a posek (decisor of Jewish law). R. Eider, a graduate of Yeshiva University High School for Boys, was a pioneer in the field of Jewish law in English. He autho ...
(1938-2007)
*
Yisroel Belsky (1938–2016)
*
Yehuda Henkin (1945-2020)
Conservative and Reform
*
Jacob Zallel Lauterbach
Jacob Zallel Lauterbach (1873–1942) was an American Judaica scholar and author who served on the faculty of Hebrew Union College and composed responsa for the Reform movement in America. He specialized in Midrashic and Talmudical literature, ...
(1873–1942)
*
Louis Ginzberg
Louis Ginzberg ( he, לוי גינצבורג, ''Levy Gintzburg''; russian: Леви Гинцберг, ''Levy Ginzberg''; November 28, 1873 – November 11, 1953) was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish desc ...
(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 Tradition''
Living poskim
*
Shmuel Kamenetsky
Shmuel Kamenetsky (born November 1924) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the co-founder and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages).
Biography
R ...
(1924- ), rosh yeshiva,
Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia
*
Haim Drukman (1932- )
*
Yitzchak Abadi
Yitzchak Abadi (born March 12, 1933) is an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and Posek and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in the United States and around the world.
Early life
Yitzchak Abadi was born in Venezuela. He moved with his parents to Tiber ...
(1933- )
*
Dov Lior (1933- )
*
Avigdor Nebenzahl
Avigdor Nebenzahl (born 1935) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and Posek. He is the senior rosh yeshiva at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, a faculty member at Yeshivat HaKotel, and rabbi of the Ramban Synagogue. Nebenzahl previously served as rabbi of the Old ...
(1935- )
*
Yaakov Ariel (1937- )
*
Zephaniah Drori (1937- )
*
Zalman Baruch Melamed (1937- )
*
Yisrael Ariel (1939- )
*
Eliyahu Ben Haim (1940- )
*
Ephraim Padwa
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa (born 1940) is a senior Haredi rabbi in London. He is rabbinical head of the Stamford Hill-based Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, succeeding his father Chanoch Dov Padwa, who died in August 2000. Padwa is an internati ...
(1940-) rabbi of
Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations
*
Hershel Schachter (1941- ), rosh yeshiva at
RIETS
*
Shlomo Aviner (1943- )
*
Mordechai Willig
HaRav Mordechai Yitzchak HaLevi Willig (born April 25, 1947; 5th of Iyyar, 5707 on the Hebrew calendar) is an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University in Washington Heights, Manhattan. He is often known to his students as the Ramu ...
(1947- ), rosh yeshiva at
RIETS
*
Yitzhak Yosef
Yitzhak Yosef ( he, יצחק יוסף, born January 16, 1952) is the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel (known as the Rishon LeZion), the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia, and the author of a set of books on ''halakha'' (Jewish law) called Yalk ...
(1952- ), Chief Sephardic Rabbi of the State of Israel, author of the set
Yalkut Yosef Yalkut Yosef ( he, ילקוט יוסף, "Collation of Yosef") is an authoritative, contemporary work of Halakha, providing a detailed explanation of the Shulchan Aruch as based on the halachic rulings of the former Rishon LeTzion Rav Ovadia Yosef. ...
*
Yitzchak Berkovits
Yitzchak Shmuel Halevi Berkovits ( he, יצחק שמואל הלוי ברקוביץ) is an American-born Orthodox Jewish rabbi, rosh yeshiva, rosh kollel, and posek (arbiter of Jewish law) in Israel. In 16 years as Menahel Ruchani (spiritual direc ...
(1953- ), rosh kollel
The Jerusalem Kollel
*
Osher Weiss (1953- ), Minchas Osher
*
Eliezer Melamed (1961- )
*
Simcha Bunim Cohen, prolific author and pulpit rabbi in Lakewood, New Jersey
*
Yisroel Dovid Harfenes author of ''Yisroel Vehazmanim'', ''Mekadesh Yisroel'' and ''Nishmas Shabos''
*
Pinchas Toledano,
hakham
''Hakham'' (or ''chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i)''; he, חכם ', "wise") is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "H ...
of the
Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the Netherlands
*
Gavriel Zinner
Rabbi Gavriel Zinner ( גבריאל ציננער; also Tzinner, Cinner, Tsinner) is an Orthodox Rabbi in Boro Park, New York City known for his series of books on Jewish law, ''Nitei Gavriel''.
Biography
Zinner studied at the Puppa yeshiva and ...
author of the ''Nitei Gavriel'' series on halakha
See also
*
Dayan (rabbinic judge)
A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
*
Gemara
The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah ...
*
History of responsa in Judaism
*
Oral Torah
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ( he, , Tōrā šebbəʿal-pe}) are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah ( he, , Tōrā šebbī� ...
*
Rabbinic authority
*
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
An introduction to the system of Jewish Law aish.com
AskMoses.com Live answers
* , archived from the 200
originalat nishmat.net
Jewish Law Research Guide University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
Law Library
Jewish Law: Examining Halacha, Jewish Issues and Secular Law (online journal)
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Jewish religious occupations
Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles
Rabbis
Region-specific legal occupations