Chayei Sarah: The Fine Line Between Divine Signs and Divination

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!This morning (10/29/21), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we had two objectives: (1) to examine the permissibility of Eliezer's actions in this week's parashah in light of the Torah prohibition of nichush (divination/omen-reading), and (2) to clarify on a theoretical level the distinction between permissible and prohibited ways of utilizing signs. We examined this topic in light of the Gemara which is the source of these halachos, which we analyzed according to five Rishonim: Rambam, Raavad (including Rashi and Tosafos), Sforno, Radak, and the Ran. Our most difficult challenge was attempting to make sense of R' Yochanan's actions in the Gemara, which - according to the Rambam - would seem to be both prohibited and utterly foolish.----------This week's Torah content has been sponsored by R.R. in appreciation for all the growth and insight that she has gained from these shiurim. To that I say, "Thank YOU, R.R., for helping make that possible!"----------מקורות:בראשית כד:י-כזויקרא יט:כודברים יח:ירמב"ם - משנה תורה, ספר המדע, הלכות עבודה זרה וחוקות הגויים יא:ד-ה, טז-יזא' שמואל יד:א,ו-יראב"ד - הלכות עבודה זרה יא:דתלמוד בבלי - חולין דף צה עמוד ב עם רש"יתוספות חולין דף צה עמוד ב ד"ה כאליעזר עבד אברהםתוספות חולין דף צה עמוד ב ד"ה וכיונתן בן שאולספורנו - בראשית כד:ידרד"ק - א' שמואל יד:טחידושי הר"ן - חולין דף צה עמוד ברמב"ם - אגרת אל חכמי מונטפשליר על גזירת הכוכבים----------If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.----------If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.----------YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweissBlog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss"The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.comGuide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html