Hoil (Since — Retroactive Justification)
Rabbah's principle that an act is permitted 'since' a permissible use could arise (e.g. baking on Yom Tov for guests who might come).
Hoil (Hebrew for 'since') is a piece of Talmudic reasoning from Rabbah: an act can be permitted now because of a permissible use it might serve later. For example, the Sages allowed baking extra food on Yom Tov (a festival day), since unexpected guests might still arrive who would be allowed to eat it. The possibility, even if it never happens, justifies the act.
How it traveled
- Babylonian Talmud, PesachimSura (Babylonia) · c. 500 CEdefines
Key passages(1)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
לֹא זֶה הוּא חָמֵץ שֶׁמּוּזְהָרִין עָלָיו בְּבַל יֵרָאֶה וּבְבַל יִמָּצֵא. אֶלָּא: מַפְרִישָׁתָהּ וּמַנִּיחָתָהּ עַד הָעֶרֶב, וְאִם הֶחְמִיצָה — הֶחְמִיצָה.
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