[Avodah] Rav Yisroel Belsky on Anisakis Worms

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 07:12:46PM -0400, Rich, Joel wrote:
::: I have seen this explanation given in a number of instances, but isn't
::: the logical implication of this that extrapolation from the reasons to new
::: cases is not guaranteed to give the correct result ( or put differently,
::: isn't any extrapolation a safek)

:: Isn't that the whole basis of the position we've discussed besheim
:: the Gra and RAYKook?

: Since we don't know, we can only extrapolate lechumerah. And if we see
: the science in a way that brings us to a kulah, we have to be concerned
: that perhaps there is more going on than we're aware of.

: To me it's more than science issue, it's an issue of any new case that
: was not previously dealt with for whatever the reason.

I would agree that it's more than science. However, halachic process
works in *defining* application to new cases. You can't guess wrong what
their reasons were, you're using the process to pasqen new cases.

So then what did I mean by "more than science"? Taamei hamitzvos in
general. We don't create heterim from them either. Formal halachic process
grounds have to exist to matir before we use a taam hamitzvah -- whether
based in science or not -- to choose that heter over a different valid
pesaq.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha