Q&A: The Difference Between “From Now On Retroactively” and “Retroactively”
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This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Difference Between “From Now On Retroactively” and “Retroactively”
Question
Hello Rabbi, I came across the term “from now on retroactively,” and I wanted to understand what exactly the difference is between it and the plain term “retroactively.” Thank you.
Answer
“From now on retroactively” is a mechanism in which the future event serves as a cause that brings about the present state. “It becomes clarified retroactively” is simply a case where information was hidden from me and at some point became known to me. See, for example, Rabbi Shmuel’s lectures on Makkot, sec. 420.