The lecture will introduce the basic outline of decision making during the rabbinic period. How were decisions reached in the time of the Sanhedrin? Was the mishnah written as a book of law? How did the gemara transform the mishnah into a book of practical law? This lecture will explore the development of the earliest rules of decision making and the extra-halakhic considerations that help to determine the halakhah.
 

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In this shiur we will analyze the role of the minority opinion. Can a rabbi rely on this opinion? If so, what are the limitations of this ability to rely on a minority opinion? Is the minority opinion ever considered "right"? We will trace this question from the Mishna through the rishonim and the poskim.

 

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This lecture will explore the authority of an individual's posek and the posek of the community. Can a person or a community follow a posek even if he is a minority opinion? Does the authority of the posek apply even in today's society? The source material traces this issue through the rishonim to modern day poskim.
 

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This shiur will explore the source material that discusses the issue of asking multiple rabbis the same question in order to receive a "satisfactory" response. The sources will span the gemara, rishonim, aharonim and contemporary poskim and will address both the conceptual and practical aspects of this issue. Finally, the shiur will analyze whether the categories that were expressed by the earlier sources are still relevant today.

 

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What is the role of precedent in halakhic decision-making? Should the rabbis consider the previous decisions on a topic? Is he bound by these earlier decisions? This shiur will explore the sources on this topic which present a surprisingly expansive view of the rights of the posek in determining halakhis decisions
 

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This lecture will explore the limits of the decision-making process. Does the judge or posek have complete freedom to determine the halakhah or are there certain limits to his freedom of pesak? We will explore the relevant gemara and commentaries followed by an analysis of the reaction to the process of codification of the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
 

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This lecture will explore the role of extra-legal material in the decision-making of a posek. While this issue is very broad and includes changes in nature and economic considerations, this lecture will focus on whether the posek has to consider changes in behavior or societal change. We will analyze sources from the gemara and the commentaries on a wide variety of issues.

 

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Recently, Rav Eliyashiv, the posek of the Lithuanian Yeshiva community in Israel has issue several piskei halakha prohibiting going onto the Temple Mount, wearing Crocs on Yom Kippur and using Shabbat Elevators. Is the America Modern Orthodox community bound by these decisions? This lecture will explore this topic through the lens of the tradition sources ans the analysis of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.


 

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