Q&A: Why Do I Need a Verse? It’s Logical
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Why Do I Need a Verse? It’s Logical
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I read your article “Halakhic Reasoning and Its Halakhic Status,” in which you explained that a verse has greater force than a logical argument because of the element of command.
So why does the Talmud nevertheless ask: “Why do I need a verse? It’s logical”?
Answer
I explained it there. The Talmud asks this only in a place where the command element has no significance (that is, where it is not a commandment). For example: “the burden of proof rests on the one seeking to extract money from another,” or “the mouth that forbade is the mouth that permitted.”