Chidush ( he, חִדּוּשׁ; also

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

as chiddush, hiddush or hidush), sometimes used in its plural form, chidushim ( he, חִדּוּשׁים), is a novel interpretation or approach. Historically referring to Torah topics, the term is widely used in

rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writ ...

to describe a form of innovation that is made inside the system of the

halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

, as distinguished from

shinuy In Halakha, a shinuy (Hebrew: , with variant English spellings) is an unconventional method of performing an act that is normally forbidden when there may be justification for performing such an act, for example, when there is a medical need. A sh ...

, an innovation outside tradition.

Etymology

comes from the Hebrew root word ( he, חדש), meaning . The usage of the word in this context originated from the language of

Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

analysis and argumentation in the

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah w ...

. It passed into

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

, where it is at times used informally.

In rabbinic literature

Nachmanides Moses ben Nachman ( he, מֹשֶׁה בֶּן־נָחְמָן ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; el, Ναχμανίδης ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ra ...

states that it is an "obligation imposed upon us to search through the subjects of the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

and the precepts and bring to light their hidden contents". What "powers" Chidushim? MaaYana Shel Torah asks regarding "VaYayLech Moshe" (31:1) - where did he go? and answers that he went into everyone: ''NichNas Moshe Rabbeinu LeToch ToCho Shel Kol Adam MiYisroel.'' This, he writes, is the basis of people having/writing ChiDuShim. Although "any chiddush (novel idea) which a reputable disciple will ever come up with was already given to Moses by Sinai," in one

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

's understanding of a particular ruling, he wrote: "I have always understood Rabbi Feinstein to be insisting on a balance between innovation and tradition. Chidushim are the ongoing results of a process and, as a form of Kavod HaTorah, we're required not to forget them. New ways to recall what we learn can be a form of chidush.

Rulings vs. understanding

There is a difference between issuing a ruling, meaning to "distinguish the case at hand from the precident (sic)... to solve a problem," and an understanding of something. Even in the latter case, he writes "What Rabbi Feinstein means is that one should not be innovative (''mechadesh'') just to innovate." * Although it is a Torah command for Kohanim to bless the people, there might be a chidush whether it is obligatory upon those who are not Kohanim to make themselves available to receive these blessings. * Can ''always'' be ''new''? Psalm (27:4) has King David asking that he "dwell.. and visit.." Which is it? Rabbi Yissocher Frand explains the experience as "The Pitfall of Consistency: Been There, Done That." This question is so important that it is a notable part of what many add to the daily prayer service, "twice daily from Rosh Chodesh Elul until

Shemini Atzeret Shemini Atzeret (—"Eighth

ay of Ay, AY or variants, may refer to: People * Ay (pharaoh), a pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty * Merneferre Ay, a pharaoh of the 13th Egyptian dynasty * A.Y. (musician) (born 1981), a Tanzanian "bongo flava" artist * A.Y, stage name of Ayo Makun ...

Assembly") is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew calendar, Hebrew month of Tishrei in the Land of Israel, and on the 22nd and 23rd outside the Land, usually coi ...

Forms of chidush

Notarikon

One form is called

Notarikon Notarikon ( he, נוטריקון ''Noṭriqōn'') is a Talmud, Talmudic and Kabbalah, Kabbalistic method of deriving a word, by using each of its initial (Hebrew: ) or final letters () to stand for another, to form a sentence or idea out of the w ...

. :

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

(שַׁבָּת), the Sabbath, is a day of rest. The word is spelled with 3 Hebrew letters.
The

of the three-word phrase "Shayna b'Shabbat Taanug" (שינה בשבת תענוג) (translation: "(Extra) Sleep on Shabbat is considered a Delight!") spells Shabbat (שַׁבָּת). : By itself it might seem like at best a minor chidush. When published amidst a collection of many other such 3-word phrases about the day of rest, the title has justified use of the plural form: chidushim.

Gematria

Another is finding a

Gematria Gematria (; he, גמטריא or gimatria , plural or , ''gimatriot'') is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher. A single word can yield several values depending on the cipher ...

Lechadesh (to renew)

The above term points to a need for something "old" to be seen in a new light. A multi-volume commentary on

Mesillas Yesharim ''Mesillat Yesharim'' or ''Mesillas Yeshorim'' ( he, מסילת ישרים, lit. "Path of the Upright") is an ethical ('' musar'') text composed by the influential Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746). It is different from Luzzato's other wri ...

compares and contrasts this to emotional insight, a type of Chidush where "something which is novel emotionally" illuminates the value of an idea one already knew intellectually, and brings "a new internalization".

History

Among the first post-

Geonic ''Geonim'' ( he, גאונים; ; also transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of ...

writers of chidushim are: *

Joseph ibn Migash Joseph ibn Migash or Joseph ben Meir HaLevi ibn Migash or Yosef Ibn Meir Ha-Levi Ibn Megas or José ben Meir ibn Megas (early 1077 – c. 1141) ( he, יוסף בן מאיר הלוי אבן מיגאש) was a Rabbi, Posek, and Rosh Yeshiva in Lucena ...

wrote the first published cḥidushim incorporating commentaries on

in the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

* Abraham ben David de Posquières (RABaD) * Meir ben Todros HaLevi Abulafia (c. 1170 – 1244) *

was the first to write chidushim on the

Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, indigenous languages of California See also * Chumash traditional ...

. By the late sixteenth century, with printing an established technology, hair-splitting distinctions into the treatment of

halakic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

ic themes became more frequent, with chidush-driven works such as those by: * Rabbi Meir Lublin, MaHaRam, author of Chiddushe Maharam Lublin *

Solomon Luria Solomon Luria (1510 – November 7, 1573) ( he, שלמה לוריא) was one of the great Ashkenazic ''poskim'' (decisors of Jewish law) and teachers of his time. He is known for his work of Halakha, ''Yam Shel Shlomo'', and his Talmudic commenta ...

("MaHaRSHaL") * Rabbi Samuel Eliezer Edels ("MeHaRSHA") A counter-intuitive use of the term was the

Chasam Sofer Moses Schreiber (1762–1839), known to his own community and Jewish posterity in the Hebrew translation as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work ''Chatam Sofer'', ''Chasam Sofer'', or ''Hatam Sofer'' ( trans. ''Seal of the Scribe'', and acron ...

's novel interpretation of the phrase

Chadash In Judaism, ''Chadash'' (or ''Chodosh'') () is a concept within Kashrut (the Jewish dietary regulations), based on the Biblical requirement not to eat any grain of the new year (or products made from it) prior to the annual ''Omer'' offering o ...

asur min haTorah, ("'new' is forbidden by the Torah"). The phrase as originally used is regarding the laws of keeping

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

, whereas his use was regarding changes being made by the

Reform movement A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary mo ...

in Europe: it was a way of saying no - but using a pun.

Current usage

has become assimilated into

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...

. In its regular use, it means an unusual or innovative idea or point, though the word is also commonly used in an ironic or humorous fashion, so as to imply that the statement in question is nothing new. Book titles may use the word: :* The work known as ''Chidushei HaRim'' ::: uses the Hebrew word in the possessive form, and means chidushim of. :* Another form is :: (name of person): Chidushim or Chidushim of (name of person) Chidushei father and son: :* "I once learned a very useful ''chidush'' (novel idea) in the name of Harav

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—Je ...

zt"l, concerning ..." :* "He is famous for his original insights on ..." (review: Rabbi

Dovid Feinstein Rabbi Dovid Feinstein ( he, דוד פיינשטיין; 1929 – November 6, 2020) was a Torah scholar and ''halachic'' authority, considered by many as the leading halachic authority in the United States in the 21st century. He served as the ...

- Kol Dodi On Torah)

References

External links

The command to be mechadesh -- for the right reasons

What is the importance of Chiddush

Lessons from Rabbi Elazar ben Aruch

CHIDDUSH - Online Beit Medrish
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