responsa

Responsa, plural of responsum, is a genre of formal written answers by rabbinic authorities in Judaism to questions of Jewish law and practice. The responses are typically framed as a question (she'elah) submitted to a learned rabbi and a concise, reasoned answer (teshuva) that cites Talmudic and later legal sources. In Hebrew literature the term is often rendered as she'elot u-te-shuvot, meaning questions and replies; in scholarly work the collection is referred to as responsa literature.

Historically, responsa began in the Geonic era with letters from leading rabbis addressing practical questions for Jewish communities. Over the medieval period the genre expanded across the Jewish world, including Spain, France, Germany, North Africa, and the Middle East, with many authorities producing widely circulated collections. The responsa shaped everyday practice in ritual law (Sabbath observance, dietary laws, prayer), civil and family law, conversions, and communal governance, and they also addressed new issues arising from changing circumstances such as commerce, printing, and, later, science and medicine. The form usually includes the question, a detailed analysis grounded in Talmudic sources, and a ruling or conditional ruling.

In modern times responsa remain a dynamic field, with scholarly institutions compiling and translating large bodies of answers. They continue to influence contemporary halakhic decision making and serve as a record of how Jewish law adapts to new technologies, ethical questions, and social change.