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Why does Rashi (רש"י) allow sfeik sfeik to permit remarriage when rov kosher cannot overcome ma'alos l'yuchsin? The analysis develops a crucial yesod: sfeik sfeik works because there's actually no safek at all - what appears as two doubts creates a situation where no real doubt exists, unlike rov which acknowledges uncertainty while trying to resolve it.
This shiur analyzes a challenging Rashi (רש"י) on Kesubos 14a regarding the mechanics of sfeik sfeik versus rov in cases of ma'alos l'yuchsin. The central question emerges from the Gemara (גמרא)'s discussion of an almanas ish - if Rabbi Yehoshua invalidates even rov kosher due to ma'alos l'yuchsin concerns, how can sfeik sfeik be more effective than rov? The shiur explores Rashi's fundamental insight that sfeik sfeik operates on an entirely different halachic mechanism than rov. While rov acknowledges the existence of a safek and attempts to resolve it through statistical probability, sfeik sfeik creates a situation where no real safek exists at all. The analysis demonstrates that when examining what affects the second generation (the almana), there is no actual doubt - the compounded uncertainties cancel each other out rather than creating a genuine halachic question.
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Why does halacha forbid entering dangerous places if everything happens by Divine decree? The shiur examines the debate between Rashi and Tosfos on traveling at night, developing a fundamental distinction: Rashi holds one must avoid even deserved punishments that Hashem delays through mercy, while Tosfos holds the prohibition addresses self-inflicted harm through free will. This framework reveals how people rationalize self-destructive behavior as "hashgacha."
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Kesubos 14a
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