Q&A: Permitted and Deferred
Permitted and Deferred
Question
Hello Rabbi. I know that in the Rabbi’s view, the inquiry into whether saving a life on the Sabbath is fully permitted or merely overrides the Sabbath has no practical difference. What about “permitted” versus “deferred” in other areas? For example, a positive commandment overriding a prohibition, a brother’s wife in levirate marriage, a unattended corpse that must be buried, and relatives of a priest? And is it possible that this inquiry has significance even without a practical difference? Thank you
Answer
Usually I don’t see any practical difference in these questions at all. But it’s possible there are some. The commentators do of course bring practical differences, but it seems to me that all of them can be rejected.