Q&A: An a fortiori inference from a halakha
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An a fortiori inference from a halakha
Question
Hello Rabbi
Why don’t we derive an a fortiori inference from a halakha? Sabbath 132, Nazir 57.
After all, if we don’t derive it, we end up with a distorted situation, where the more severe case has a more lenient law. And why should I care at all how the law was derived: from a verse, an exposition, or a halakha?
Answer
It is commonly thought that this is because a halakha does not have an ordinary logical basis, and therefore it is not correct to apply an a fortiori inference to it (in the sense of: it extends no further than its specific novelty).