Q&A: Things Forbidden Because of Forgetfulness and Danger
Things Forbidden Because of Forgetfulness and Danger
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Are all the things that are halakhically forbidden because of forgetfulness still in force today? For example: wearing clothes inside out, eating olives, walking between two women, leaving a book open and going away for a certain amount of time, and eating peeled garlic, onions, or eggs that were left overnight.
And what about things forbidden because of danger: drinking uncovered liquids, sleeping alone at night and going out alone at night, picking from a fruit tree
Answer
Most halakhic decisors still instruct people to be careful about these things. Some have been lenient. In my opinion, there is no reason to be concerned unless we know that one of these things is actually dangerous. These seem like old, unfounded beliefs that were probably common in that period. Sometimes people explain them as matters of hidden spiritual properties, but in my assessment there are no such things, and even if there are, I do not know where the Sages got such knowledge from. I do not see how they could have known all this.
Therefore I think that one does not even need proof that something is not dangerous in order to be lenient; rather, one needs proof that it is dangerous in order to be stringent.
Discussion on Answer
As for a garment worn inside out, maybe one could say that they did not mean that it literally causes forgetfulness, but only wrote this in order to prevent wearing a garment inside out for other reasons. Regarding olives, that is less plausible, because it does not seem that there is any reason to prevent eating olives. But in my opinion one can definitely be lenient.
Thank you for the answer, Rabbi.
Is it the same regarding forgetfulness? Wearing a garment inside out and eating olives do not cause forgetfulness?