List of rulings by Moshe Feinstein

The following is a list of notable halachic rulings by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the foremost halachic authority of the late 20th century in the United States; Responsa in Igrot Moshe are cited in parentheses.

Artificial insemination from a non-Jewish donor (EH I:10,71, II:11, IV:32.5)^[1]
Ascending the Temple Mount nowadays (OH II:113)^[2]
Cosmetic surgery (HM II:66)^[3]
Bat Mitzvah for girls (OH I:104 (1956), OH II:97 (1959), OH IV:36)^[4]
Brain death as an indication of death under Jewish law. (YD II:146,174, III:132, IV:54)^[5] However, this is disputed.
Cholov Yisroel Permitted reliance (at least under extenuating circumstances, such as if no Cholov Yisroel milk is available^[6]) on U.S. government agency supervision in ensuring that milk was reliably kosher, and it is as if Jews had personally witnessed it (YD I:47). This was a highly controversial ruling disputed by prominent peers of Feinstein.^[7]
Cheating (he forbids it) for the N.Y. Regents exams (HM II:30)^[8]
Classical music in religious settings (YD II:111)
Commemorating the Holocaust, Yom ha-Shoah (YD IV:57.11)
Conservative Judaism, including its clergy and schools (e. g., YD II:106–107)^[9]
Donating blood for pay (HM I:103)
Education of girls (e. g., YD II:109, YD II:113 YD III:87.2)^[10]
End-of-life medical care^[5]
Eruv projects in New York City
Hazardous medical operations^[5]
Heart transplantation (YD 2:174.3)^[5]
Labor union and related employment privileges (e. g., HM I:59)
Mehitza (esp. OH I:39)^[11]
Mixed-seating on a subway or other public transportation (EH II:14)
Psychiatric care (YD II:57)
Separation of conjoined twins who were fused all the way from the shoulder to the pelvis and shared one heart. It is during this case that C. Everett Koop, the 13th Surgeon General of the United States, said "The ethics and morals involved in this decision are too complex for me. I believe they are too complex for you as well. Therefore I referred it to an old rabbi on the Lower East Side of New York. He is a great scholar, a saintly individual. He knows how to answer such questions. When he tells me, I too will know."^[12]
Shaking hands between men and women (OH I:113; EH I:56; EH IV:32)^[13]
Smoking marijuana (YD III:35)
Tay–Sachs disease fetus abortion, esp. in debate with Eliezer Waldenberg^[14]
Smoking^[15]
Veal raised in factory conditions (EH IV, 92:2)
Permitted remarriage after Holocaust (EH I:44)

References

^ Cohen, A. in JHCS
^ Meyer, Gedalia; Messner, Henoch (2010). "Entering the Temple Mount—in Halacha and Jewish History". Hakirah (10). ISBN 978-0-9765665-9-5.
^ Halperin (2006)
^ See esp. Joseph (1995)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Feinstein & Tendler (1996)
^ "Groundbreaking Letter by Rav Feinstein Restricts Cholov Stam". 18 February 2020.
^ Rav Yaakov Breisch in Chelkas Yaakov Vol.2 ch.37 stated that "all of his rationales are not sufficient to contradict a clear ruling of the Shulchan Aruch and halachic authorities...." Later in ch.37 and 38, Breisch extensively disputes various premises underlying the rationale for Feinstein's lenient ruling. See also Shu"t Beer Moshe Vol.4, ch.52, Kinyan Torah 1:38 for a more detailed listing of the many authorities disputing Feinstein's reasoning and conclusion.
^ פיינשטיין, משה. אגרות משה חלק ז - חושן משפט חלק שני סימן ל. p. 244. Retrieved 12 November 2017. הנה בדבר שאלתו על כותב האג״מ מה ששמע שבישיבות מתירין להתלמידים לגנוב את התשובות להשאלות במבחני הסיום שעושה המדינה (רידזענם) 'כדי להונות ולקבל את התעודות שגמרו בטוב, הנה דבר זה איסור לא רק מדינא דמלכותא אלא מדין התורה, ואין זה רק גניבת דעת שג״כ אסור כדאמר שמואל בחולין דף צ״ד ע״א שאסור לגנוב דעת הבריות ואפילו דעתו של עכו״ם וכ״ש הכא שהוא גניבת דעת לכולי עלמא אף לישראל, אלא 'דהוא גם גניבת דבר ממש דהא כשירצה לפרנסתו במשך הזמן להשכיר עצמו
^ Roth (1989), op. cit. on YD 139.
^ Joseph (1995)
^ Baruch Litvin, The Sanctity of the Synagogue, 1962
^ Tendler excerpt on Jlaw.com
^ See Negiah, section entitled "Shaking Hands in Halacha," for a discussion regarding Rav Moshe's opinion on this topic, both with regard to initiating a handshake and with regard to returning a handshake (i. e., where the other party extends his/her hand first). For a translation of R' Moshe's three Teshuvos (responsa) on men shaking hands with women, see [1]
^ E. g., see Sinclair, Daniel. Jewish Biomedical Law 2004
^ See RCA decision and, earlier, RCA Roundtable. (Statement by Saul Berman, Reuven Bulka, Daniel Landes and Jeffrey Woolf.) "Proposal on smoking" (unpublished) July 1991.

Bibliography

Feinstein, Moshe; Moshe David Tendler (1996). Responsa of Rav Moshe Feinstein: translation and commentary. [translated and annotated] by Moshe Dovid Tendler. Hoboken, NJ: KTAV Publishing House. ISBN 0-88125-444-4. LCCN 96011212. OCLC 34476198.
Halperin, Mordechai (2006). "The Theological and Halakhic Legitimacy of Medical Therapy and Enhancement". In Noam Zohar (ed.). Quality of life in Jewish bioethics. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. ISBN 0-7391-1446-8. LCCN 2005029443. OCLC 62078279.
Joseph, Norma Baumel (1995). Separate Spheres: Women in the Responsa of Rabbi Moses Feinstein (PhD thesis). Concordia University.

[1] Cohen, A. in JHCS

[2] Meyer, Gedalia; Messner, Henoch (2010). "Entering the Temple Mount—in Halacha and Jewish History". Hakirah (10). ISBN 978-0-9765665-9-5.

[3] Halperin (2006)

[4] See esp. Joseph (1995)

[Tendler1996-5] Feinstein & Tendler (1996)

[6] "Groundbreaking Letter by Rav Feinstein Restricts Cholov Stam". 18 February 2020.

[7] Rav Yaakov Breisch in Chelkas Yaakov Vol.2 ch.37 stated that "all of his rationales are not sufficient to contradict a clear ruling of the Shulchan Aruch and halachic authorities...." Later in ch.37 and 38, Breisch extensively disputes various premises underlying the rationale for Feinstein's lenient ruling. See also Shu"t Beer Moshe Vol.4, ch.52, Kinyan Torah 1:38 for a more detailed listing of the many authorities disputing Feinstein's reasoning and conclusion.

[8] פיינשטיין, משה. אגרות משה חלק ז - חושן משפט חלק שני סימן ל. p. 244. Retrieved 12 November 2017. הנה בדבר שאלתו על כותב האג״מ מה ששמע שבישיבות מתירין להתלמידים לגנוב את התשובות להשאלות במבחני הסיום שעושה המדינה (רידזענם) 'כדי להונות ולקבל את התעודות שגמרו בטוב, הנה דבר זה איסור לא רק מדינא דמלכותא אלא מדין התורה, ואין זה רק גניבת דעת שג״כ אסור כדאמר שמואל בחולין דף צ״ד ע״א שאסור לגנוב דעת הבריות ואפילו דעתו של עכו״ם וכ״ש הכא שהוא גניבת דעת לכולי עלמא אף לישראל, אלא 'דהוא גם גניבת דבר ממש דהא כשירצה לפרנסתו במשך הזמן להשכיר עצמו

[9] Roth (1989), op. cit. on YD 139.

[10] Joseph (1995)

[11] Baruch Litvin, The Sanctity of the Synagogue, 1962

[12] Tendler excerpt on Jlaw.com

[13] See Negiah, section entitled "Shaking Hands in Halacha," for a discussion regarding Rav Moshe's opinion on this topic, both with regard to initiating a handshake and with regard to returning a handshake (i. e., where the other party extends his/her hand first). For a translation of R' Moshe's three Teshuvos (responsa) on men shaking hands with women, see [1]

[14] E. g., see Sinclair, Daniel. Jewish Biomedical Law 2004

[15] See RCA decision and, earlier, RCA Roundtable. (Statement by Saul Berman, Reuven Bulka, Daniel Landes and Jeffrey Woolf.) "Proposal on smoking" (unpublished) July 1991.

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