On One Foot
SHULCHAN ARUCH, YOREH DEAH 179:1-2 One is not to consult star-gazers nor cast lots [because it says, “You shall be complete with Hashem, your God.” Moreover, it is forbidden to consult diviners, enchanters or sorcerers.] It is customary not to begin (work) on the second or fourth and not to marry women except when the moon is full. Accordingly, it is cus- tomary to begin learning at the beginning of the new month because
even though it’s not a pre- diction, there is an omen, and what a man knows is against the constellations he should not do, so as not to rely on miracles. How- ever, one should not inves- tigate this matter because of the commandment, “You shall be complete.” 4
4 RABBI JOSEPH KARO, the author of the foremost code of Jewish law from which this is excerpted, tries to split the difference between the Talmud and Maimonides. While Jews are not permitted to personally consult any sort of astrol- oger, they can adhere to established practices that assume astrological influence: in the sixteenth century, when Karo was writing, Mondays were believed to be ruled by the moon, and Wednesdays by Mars, neither of which were seen as auspicious. There isn’t much in the way of discussion of the topic for several centuries af- ter this, but there are some indications of growing skepticism about astrology. In a comment on the original verse from Deuteronomy, early twentieth century Lith- uanian rabbi Baruch Epstein quoted seventeenth century rabbi Moses Hagiz, who maintained that, since the light of God had now spread throughout the world (i.e., we live in a monotheistic world), the powers that are seen in the Bible no longer op- erate and are used only by fools.
RABBI ELIEZER MELAMED, YESHIVA HAR BRACHA WEBSITE The halakha follows the overwhelming majority of poskim [halakhic authorities] that it is forbidden to attempt to inquire about the future through astrology. According to most poskim … the person asking violates the positive commandment “You shall be wholehearted with the Lord your God.” And there are those who say … that he also transgresses the negative commandment “Do not practice divination.” After learning that it is forbidden to ask astrologers about the future, we are left to clarify: Is it permis- sible to conduct a personality assessment with the help of an astrologer? According to those who hold that astrology sometimes contains truth, it would be permissible for a
person to use astrology to deepen his understanding of his char- acter and traits. For if one knows he is prone to a certain sin, he can be more careful to avoid it, and if he knows he has talent in a certain area, he can develop it further. As our Sages said (Shab- bat 156a) about one born under the constellation of Mars, that by nature, he will tend toward bloodshed, but it is within his ability to choose whether to be a murderer, a ritual slaughterer, a doctor who performs therapeutic bloodletting, or a mohel (circumciser) … However, it is preferable to refrain from doing so, since it is difficult to know who is truly an expert. 5
5 THIS IS A GOOD SUMMATION of how contemporary Orthodoxy sees astrology. Based on the last sen- tence, the author would likely exclude just about all the astrological wisdom floating around today: despite his ap- parent permissiveness, one would be hard pressed to find sound sources of astrological insight.
22 SUMMER 2025
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