[Avodah] money and halakhah

[Zev Sero]

Yitzhak Grossman wrote:

> Hasam Sofer (YD 134) clearly says that 'banknotes' derive their value
> from government fiat, not from their convertibility into metal, from
> which he infers that they are in the Halachic category of 'matbea' as
> opposed to 'shtaros'.
> 
> He proves his contention that their value derives from government fiat
> by pointing out that their assigned value is sometimes greater than
> purely economic considerations, based on their convertibility, would
> dictate.

But, IIRC (and it's been about 20 years since I saw it inside) he says
this only applies bein adam lachavero, not bein adam lamakom.  And
therefore that for pidyon haben, which is bein adam lamakom, it doesn't
work.


-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas