Q&A: The Sages and the Laws of Niddah
The Sages and the Laws of Niddah
Question
Hello Rabbi,
What does the Rabbi think about the claim that the Sages did not understand the structure of a woman’s womb and the menstrual cycle, and on that basis built laws? For some women this even has a negative effect, because it comes out that they can become pregnant דווקא on the forbidden days, or that they are defined as impure when this is just ordinary blood (aside from the fact that composition-wise there are some slight differences, but they are not relevant to the halakhic issue).
Answer
The very assumption that they did not understand is certainly possible. But at each point one has to examine whether that is indeed the case. Beyond that, even if we reach the conclusion that they did not understand, that does not necessarily mean that Jewish law changes. Each matter has to be judged on its own merits.
Discussion on Answer
Ariel, apparently Jewish law does not change even if it is based on an error… although to me that is absurd—how can a law remain relevant and valid even when it contains mistakes?
Each issue has to be considered on its own. There are things where it does and things where it does not. Secular law too does not change even if reality has changed, until the law itself is changed. In Jewish law as well there are ways to change the law.
And how are we supposed to identify when Jewish law changes, if not by examining the Sages’ understanding of reality in relation to our understanding of reality?