Is this true? | Imamother

tichellady

Fri, Jun 16 2017, 1:25 pm

SpottedBanana wrote:

Saving non-Jews on Shabbos is definitely more complicated, e.g. there is always 911, other people to call 911, etc. I don't think there are too many factors involved in saying that a non-Jewish child is cute, unless maybe one has non-Jewish family etc. which is not the case in most situations.

I'm not explaining well what I'm trying to say. The point is that there are those who hold that gentiles today have a different status than "gentiles" in certain halakhic (rabbinic) rulings from the past, so certain halakhot that are based on non Jews being immoral may not apply anymore, whereas the law that are about preventing intermarriage do still apply. This is based on the opinion of the Meiri. He says that you may give gifts to non Jews who are not idolatrous

SpottedBanana

Fri, Jun 16 2017, 1:40 pm

tichellady wrote:

OK, so you're basically saying that "oved kochavim" doesn't necessarily equal "non-Jew," at least according to the Meiri. I believe he is famously a daas yochid on this -- can you name any modern rabbanim who pasken this way? I don't think it's unfair to say that there are wide swathes of the frum population who prefer not to rely on a daas yochid l'kula, even if the heter is 700 years old (yoshon being the famous exception).

tichellady

Fri, Jun 16 2017, 2:11 pm

SpottedBanana wrote:

Most modern orthodox rabbis.
I'm not telling you how to pasken, just saying that it's not cut and dry for everyone. I also certainly wouldn't rebuke someone for this ( as op indicated was done to her) as there is clearly room within halakha to allow it.'