Q&A: An A Fortiori Inference
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
An A Fortiori Inference
Question
Hello Rabbi, what is the rule regarding an a fortiori inference? After all, for everything there is both a lighter and a more stringent side; it all depends on the eye of the beholder. If so, then it seems empty of any real content. So how can one know what counts as the lighter case and what counts as the more stringent one?
Answer
I didn’t understand the question. You’re assuming there is no lighter and more stringent case, and then asking how there can be an a fortiori inference? There are lighter and more stringent cases, and therefore there is an a fortiori inference.