VII. The Mishna Berura’s Use of Key Terms

Abstract

W a cursory look, it may seem that the Mishna Berura uses particular terms simply as rabbinic expressions without any methodology behind their usage. However, upon examination, it becomes clear that its use of different terms has jurisprudential importance, as they signify its opinion regarding the legal merit of particular positions vis-à-vis their alternatives. For example, the Mishna Berura reveals a different attitude toward given positions when it uses the term Yireh Shamayim (One who fears Heaven), Ba’al Nefesh (A Spiritual Person), Tavo Alav Berakha (Will come to blessing), HaMedakdakim (The Scrupulous), or Machmir al Atzmo (Stringent upon Oneself). Yireh Shamayim: When the Mishna Berura writes that one who fears Heaven should be careful to act stringently even though a prevalent practice is more lenient, it means that the lenient practice is here considered legitimate. The Mishna Berura’s advice to people who fear Heaven that they should be more stringent is based upon a desire for a person to act in accordance with as many opinions as possible. When other poskim use the term “one who fears Heaven,” the Mishna Berura interprets their use of the term in the same way as its own use.