Responsa (Latin: plural of responsum, "answers"; Hebrew: She'elot U-teshuvot שאלות ותשובות "questions and answers") comprise the body of written decisions and rulings given by Poskim and Rabbis in response to questions addressed to them.
The Responsa constitute a special class of rabbinic literature, to be distinguished from the commentaries - devoted to the exegesis of the Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud - and from the codes of law which delineate the rules for ordinary incidents of life. The responsa literature covers a period of 1,700 years - the mode, style and subject matter have changed a function of the travels of the Jewish people and of the development of other halakhic literature, particularly the codes. See History of Responsa.
The responsa play a particularly important role in Jewish law. The questions forwarded were usually practical, and often concerned with new contingencies for which no provision had been made in the codes of law, and the responsa thus supplement the codes. They therefore function as a source of law, almost as legal precendent, in that they are consulted by later decisors in their rulings; they are also, in turn, incorporated into subsequent codes. See Posek; The sources and process of Halakha.
In addition to requests for Halakhic rulings, many of the questions addressed were theoretical in character. The responsa accordingly contain rulings on ethics, business ethics, the philosophy of religion, astronomy, mathematics, history, geography, as well as interpretations of passages in the Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud and the Midrash. Thus, while early Jewish literature has few historical works, many notes on the history of Judaism have been introduced into the responsa. The responsa also contain invaluable material for general history, as many events are cursorily mentioned in them which were either noted obscurely or totally ignored by contemporary historians, yet which illustrate the conditions of the times. The responsa thus contain valuable information about the culture of the Jews and of the people among whom they lived. Information is also offered on the moral and social relations of the times, occupations, the household, on customs, on expressions of joy and of sorrow, and even on recreations and on games. Older responsa are also important for readings and emendations of the Mishnah and the Talmud, providing material for later textual criticism.
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