Q&A: First-Order Halakhic Ruling
Originally published:
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First-Order Halakhic Ruling
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael,
Which halakhic decisors do you think rule in the style that you call “first-order”? Even if only based on a general impression. Do you think Rabbi Moshe Feinstein is one of them?
Answer
It’s a whole spectrum. This is not a binary distinction between first-order and second-order. There are decisors who are closer to first-order, and others who are more second-order. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein is fairly close to first-order. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach is also close to that. The Sha’agat Aryeh was a first-order decisor (?)—although his responsa are not actually halakhic rulings.