Page 99 - Tzurba M'Rabanan Volume1

ןנברמ אברוצ םיוגה תוקוח תוכלה · 97

“chok”– that there is no logical reason. In such [a situation], it ךשמנכ יאדו הארנ זאש ,ריבס םעט ילב
certainly seems that one is following them, and accepts their ץמש אמש ןיששוח ונאו ,םהל הדומו םהירחא
[practices], and we are concerned that there is some residual וחכש םינשה ךשמבו םהידיב הרז הדובע
idolatry in this practice, but over the years the reason [for אצויו תוצירפ וב שי אוהה רבדהשכ ןכו ,םעטה
doing so] was forgotten. Similarly, when this issue involves ןכ השועו ,ם"וכעה וב וגהנו תועינצה רדגמ
licentious behavior and departs from the norms of modest ןיא םא לבא .רוסא הזב םג ,םייוגל תומדהל
behavior and the gentiles act in this manner, and one does so
to imitate them, this is also prohibited. However, if neither of .רתומ וללה םיאנתהמ דחא
these two conditions exist – it is permitted.

There is a dispute among the poskim whether the prohibition of chukot hagoyim is limited to the list of
activities mentioned by the Sages (in Shabbat 67 and elsewhere), or whether one must refrain from any
unique activities that they do. The Hagahot Maimoniot cites the Yereim that only actions mentioned by the
Sages are prohibited, while the Bach argues and holds that according to the Rambam and others, there are
different actions in every generation that are forbidden.

r Hagahot Maimoniot, | תוינומיימ תוהגה . 18
Hilchot Avoda Zara 11:1 א:אי ,הרז הדובע ׳לה

Rav Eliezer of Metz writes (Sefer Yereim, chapter 313) that one המ לע ארבסמ ףיסוהל ןיאש ם"ארה בתכ
should not add based on logic to that which the Sages listed, אוהש םדיב הלבק התיהש םימכח ונמש
for they had a tradition [regarding these things] that they are :םיבכוכ ידבועה תוקחמ
considered chukot hagoyim.

a Bach, Yoreh Deah 178:2 ב:חעק ד״וי | ח"ב . 19
Similarly, the Smag (negative commandment 50) writes that לארשיה אהיש ריהזמ 'נ ןיואל ג"מסה כ"כו
Jews must be distinctive from gentiles in their clothes and 'וכו רובידב גהנמב שובלמב םיוגה ןמ לדבומ
their speech, and this is the opinion of the poskim, against …ץיממ א"רהכ אלדו םיקסופה תטיש ךכו
Rav Eliezer of Metz… rather the truth is that anything that is ךירצ םהל דחוימש המ לכבש רקיעה אלא
unique to them, a Jew must be separated from [practicing], וניאש יפ לע ףא םהמ לדבנ תויהל לארשיה
even though it isn’t mentioned by the Sages. For the Sages וריכזה ל"ז וניתובר יכ ל"ז וניתובר ירבדב רכזנ
only mentioned activities that the gentiles practiced at
that time, but the same applies to any practices that the אוהו םימיה ןתואב םיוגה םיגהונ ויהש םירבדה
gentiles have created at any time in history – Jews have to be םינמזה לכב ושדחתנש םיוגה גהנמ לכב ןידה
distinctive from them regarding their clothing, their actions, שובלמב םגהנממ לדבנ תויהל לארשיה ךירצש
and their speech… …רובידב גהנמב

The accepted halacha follows the opinion of the Bach that gentile practices in every generation that fit the
conditions for chukot hagoyim are included in the prohibition. If so, it is possible that certain contemporary
gentile practices may be forbidden as chukot hagoyim. In the next few sections, we will examine a number
of these in detail.

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