Yoreh De'ah: Encyclopedia - Yoreh De'ah

Yoreh De'ah

Yoreh De'ah is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Jewish calendar, finance, torts, marriage, divorce, or sexual conduct. (Nevertheless there exists occasional overlap into the excluded areas). Yoreh De'ah is therefore the most diversified area of Jewish law. Later, Rabbi Yosef Karo modeled the framework of his own compilation of practical Jewish law, the Shulkhan Arukh after the Arba'ah Turim. Many later commentators used this framework, as well. Thus, Yoreh De'ah in common usage may refer to an area of halakha, non-specific to Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Permitted and forbidden foods,
• Circumcision,
• Gentiles,
• Foreign worship,
• Prohibition against charging interest,
• Oaths,
• Converts,
• Honoring parents,
• Honoring scholars and the elderly,
• Charity,
• Torah study,
• Torah scrolls,
• Mezuzah scrolls,
• Sending away the mother bird to take the young,
• Eating new grain,
• Forbidden mixtures,
• Redeeming the firstborn,
• Excommunication,
• Visiting the sick,
• Mourning,
• Priestly tithes.

See also

• 613 mitzvot

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Yoreh De'ah", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki