Klalei HaPsak (Halachic Decision Making)

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Rambam

  1. When a contradiction is found between the Perush HaMishnayot and the Mishneh Torah, the Halacha follows Mishneh Torah, which was written later and as a set of rulings, not a set of elucidations of the Mishnah.[1]
  2. In Mishneh Torah, the Rambam focuses on relaying rulings explicated in the Gemara in a lucid way, while leaving out rulings that can only be inferred but aren't stated explicitly.[2]
  3. Every word of the Rambam is written with tremendous precision and exactness, enough for one to infer from his words as one would from the Gemara itself.[3]
  4. It is not uncommon for the Rambam to pin a ruling on a Pasuk not mentioned in or even rejected by the Gemara, because he felt it to be simpler or more acceptable, especially if there's no practical difference.[4]
  5. One cannot infer from the presentation of a ruling in one section of Mishneh Torah and its absence in another seemingly appropriate section that it only applies in one and not the other, as the Rambam's goal is to present the Talmud's rulings in their wording in their appropriate place. For example, a Halacha in Terumot that might also fit in Maachalot Assurot cannot be assumed to only apply in Terumot and not Maachalot Assurot given its presence in the former and absence in the latter. This is, however, a valid tool in reading other Poskim, such as the Tur.[5]

Shulchan Aruch

Sources

  1. Yad Malachi (Klalei HaRambam 1)
  2. Yad Malachi (Klalei HaRambam 2)
  3. Yad Malachi (Klalei HaRambam 3)
  4. Yad Malachi (Klalei HaRambam 4). See the Shut Rama MiFano Siman 108 he cites who says that the Rambam will often present a ruling borrowing the wording of one opinion but adjust it to match the other.
  5. Yad Malachi (Klalei HaRambam 5)