Q&A: The Scope of Jewish Law
The Scope of Jewish Law
Question
Hello Rabbi, Jewish law deals with many areas of our lives—from the laws of family purity to the laws of the bathroom—so much so that it seems that for everything in our lives, “it has something to say.” Is there really an aspiration for there to be a halakhic statement on every issue in our lives? If not, what is the boundary line by which we would define one issue as ‘halakhic’ and another as outside the realm of Jewish law?
Answer
There is no a priori line. Whatever Jewish law says something about is a halakhic matter, and whatever it does not— is not. Why do we need to decide in advance on some line? One thing is clear: there are areas that are not connected to Jewish law. Not because it could not have said something about them, but because it chose not to. See the article by Yedidia Stern that was published in a booklet by the Israel Democracy Institute about accessibility to Jewish law, or something like that.