Woodchopper Revisited 57
68. Newman(note 1, above) does discuss(at his note 10) a 1969 responsum of Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, but he cites no other liberal halakhic writings. One of those available to him is found in Walter Jacob , ed., Contemporary American Reform Responsa(New York : CCAR, 1987), pp. 138-140. He barely mentions the works of Orthodox halakhists. Though he does(at note no. 30) briefly refer to a decision by R. Moshe Feinstein , he draws this from a secondary source and does not analyze Feinstein ’s reasoning.
69. The original source for R. Yosef Karo ’s ruling in the Shulchan Arukh is Tractate Semachot ch. 1; see also M. Shabbat 23:5 and B. Shabbat 151b. The Talmudic passage is cited in Halakhot Gedolot, Hilkhot Avel(ed. Hildesheimer, v. 1, pp. 444-45); Alfasi , Moed Katan, fol. 16b; Yad, Avel 4:5; Hilkhot HaRosh,Moed Katan 3:75; and by numerous other rishonim.
70. See M. Shabbat 23:5 and Yad, Avel 4:1.
71. Or metaphor. The close relation between metaphor and analogy is addressed in D. Gentner, B. Boedle, P. Wolff, and C. Boronat,“Metaphor Is Like Analogy,” in D. Gentner, K.J. Holyoak , and B.N. Kokinov, eds., The Analogical Mind: Perspectives from Cognitive Science(Cambridge , Mass : MIT Press , 2001), pp. 199-253.
73. Isserles ’s source for much of this material is Sefer Chasidim, ch. 723(ch. 315, Wi istinetzki-Freimann ed.)
74. The term chovel beatzmo is used in tort law to refer to self-inflicted wounds in general; see M. Bava Kama 8:6 and B. Bava Kama 90b and 91b.
75. Various halakhists have sought to do just that. R. Eliezer Yehudah Waldenberg suggests that R. Chaninah’s promise to the officer, which was not accompanied by any offer of material gain, amounts to mere words and is not considered an“act” for which he would otherwise be held liable; Resp. Tzitz Eliezer 17:72, sec. 4. R. Shelomo Luria(16™ century Poland ), commenting on the story, draws a distinction between a concrete act undertaken to shorten one’s life(forbidden) and requesting from others that they take such an action(not forbidden); Yam shel Shelomo, Bava Kama 8:59. Presumably, those who hear this request are not obligated to fulfill it; thus R. Chaninah did not give an authoritative instruction that his life be terminated. Finally, we should make note of R. Yaakov Reischer(18" century Germany ) in his