[Avodah] Outside societies' standards

[Yitzhak Grossman]

On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:11:51 -0400
"Rich, Joel" <JRich at sibson.com> wrote:

...

> Several questions - other than R'OY in his pants tshuva does anyone know
> of sources in non- monetary cases which specifically mention outer
> society as measure?  was the prisha saying either/or?  If it's not from
> the outside, how did malbush yisrtael get defined over the years?

Rav Breish (Shut Helkas Ya'akov EH 14:1) argues against artificial
insemination with donor sperm from the fact that the Catholics and the
Pope find it morally abhorrent.  He cites several precedents for the
concept of banning that which non-Jews consider immoral, including the
Magen Avraham (244:8) prohibiting a form of Amirah L'Akum which is
permitted midina, since the non-Jews do not allow even non-non-Jews to
work on their holidays, and if we would allow it (mutatis mutandis), a
Hilul Hashem would ensue.  Rav Moshe Feinstein (published there #17)
rejects this principle entirely, insisting that we do not care about
what the non-Jews prohibit for religious reasons, since their beliefs
are merely nonsense and Avodah Zarah, and on the contrary, it is
prohibited to adopt their religious doctrines.  He refutes Rav Breish's
proofs, and the latter counters his rebuttal in glosses to the
responsum.

> Joel Rich

Yitzhak
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