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Should a layman learn Choshen Mishpat even if he's not aiming for Dayanus and doesn't own a business? Or just stick to Orach Chaim and Yoreh Deah? I'm not trying to pasken, this is just a general question.

I don't have a Rov to ask as I live in a very small town with no community so please bear with me. A lot of what I learn and still have questions about is based on only learning Poskim and Gemara by myself.

mbloch
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    You should learn as much as you can. – shmosel Jan 09 '24 at 19:28
  • Why is it not learned enough by the general public if i may ask ? –  Jan 09 '24 at 19:51
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    A layman who operates a business needs to know the halachos of business. – N.T. Jan 09 '24 at 20:26
  • @N.T i don't operate or run any business, im not employed by any boss either. I currently do dogsitting for a if you want to call it a job, because i don't want to work for goyim who will risk making me work on shabbos and yomim tovim, and have to fight for my right to have that time off. –  Jan 09 '24 at 20:28
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    You should definitely learn everything, but prioritize what is most relevant to you. May Hashem help your situation improve so you can find a Rav and a good job where you can keep the Torah. – N.T. Jan 09 '24 at 20:31
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    @Niel, dogsitting is a business! You run a small business. The laws of Chosen Mishpat would definitely be useful to you. Who knows, learning that part of the Shulchan Aruch may well be a segoulah for bigger and better things (may it come soon!) – יהושע ק Jan 09 '24 at 21:24
  • אגרת המוסר? perhaps – Dr. Shmuel Jan 10 '24 at 07:25
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    First of all, joining in N.T.'s and Yehoshua's berachos to you. Second, check out the Business Halacha Institute (https://businesshalacha.com/) - they have a lot of material on Choshen Mishpat in a very down-to-earth way; you may indeed find a lot that is of practical relevance to your current situation. – Meir Jan 10 '24 at 15:36
  • @Niel The reason that it's not usually learned by laypeople is because of the complexity of application. If you learn Orach Chaim, you'll have a good idea how to wear tefillin and keep Shabbos, for example (generally speaking). But business law is exceedingly complex, especially when considering how halachah evaluates the laws of the locality. So most people tend to just ask a rov when they have questions. Additionally, the following links may be helpful to you: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/136262/17821 and https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/8303/17821 – Yehuda Jan 10 '24 at 17:35
  • @Yehuda Ashaynem dank for your reply. Is that to say that one shouldn't learn Choshen Mishpat (From Shulchan aruch haRAv in my case) alone ? And just leave it and when i have questions go directly to a Rov instead of the sefer? Because i currently learn by myself, i live in a small town with no Rov and no one to learn with and i don't have money for a yeshivah or online classes as i don't earn much through dogsitting but i do earn enough for groceries and necessary things daily. –  Jan 10 '24 at 23:03
  • @Niel You can definitely learn it if it interests you, and it could help to inform the shailos that you might ask. It might be more advantageous if you're looking for something that has halachah l'maaseh to get an English halachah digest of Choshen Mishpat, e.g. Cases in Monetary Halachah, The Laws of Interpersonal Relationships, or Business Halachah, as they'll quote all the sources you're discussing, and tell you modern practical application. – Yehuda Jan 11 '24 at 16:00

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