[Avodah] klalei psak

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Mar 11, 2024 at 01:41:50PM +0200, Danny Schoemann via Avodah wrote:
> l'Ashkenaz" by R' Emanuel Elalouf['s]` (rifyomi at gmail.com) ...
> approach is that the Ashkenaz and Sefard psak diverged due to
> geopolitical reasons.

> Since the Geonim and the  "Spanish" Jews lived under the same rulers,
> they were able to communicate relatively easily. They would send their
> questions to Bavel, the Geonim would discuss it at the Yarchei Kalla
> and send back a response...

There is a school of historical thought that R Rich Wolpoe used to
champion here that says that this began even before the geonim. Pointing
to cases where Ashkenazi pesaq makes more sense when one looks at the
Medrashei Halakhah or the Yerushalmi than if one expects a maqor in
Talmud Bavli.

After all, so many of those who kept Minhag EY end up in Rome, and
eventually emigrate from Italy to the heart of the Holy Roman Empire,
Ashkenaz.

Genetic testing confirms that this is likely. However, it also says that
Jews from Shamma (the Levant) are genetically closer to Ashkenazim than
Sepharadim. Which still makes sense -- Syria was a Roman province, not
Sassanid.

But do we see more similarity between the pre-Galus Sepharad versions of
Syrian, Lebanese or Turkish Jewish practice and Minhag Ashkenaz? I have
no idea.

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 "'When Adar enters, we increase our joy'
http://www.aishdas.org/asp    'Joy is nothing but Torah.'
Author: Widen Your Tent       'And whoever does more, he is praiseworthy.'"
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                   - Rav Dovid Lifshitz zt"l