Mysticism in Halacha
Chapter 33 of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch is entitled: Things Forbidden Because They Are Hazardous.
Body sweat is poisonous, according to the kitzur. It is also dangerous to smell food and then swallow the saliva in your mouth; instead you must spit it out. It is forbidden to place food or drink underneath a bed because of evil spirits. And so on. It also emphasizes that the sins involved in dangerous things are more strict than regular aveiros. There are so many halachos like this. There's another one about how if you delay peeing, you will become sterile and anytime you don't go right away, you are violating a grave prohibition.
Now, I know that there are frum Jews who are not adherents of mysticism and do not believe in evil spirits and don't worry if a drink is left under a bed. Some of these people consider themselves modern orthodox and others are yeshivish or whatever. My main question to them is as follows:
How do you differentiate between the different simanim of the shulchan aruch? How do you say, well there aren't any evil spirits anymore under our beds, but there still are evil spirits on our hands so we must wash negel vasser in the morning? Moreover, how do you know that although some things in the kitzur no longer apply, others still do? So clearly in 2008, the gentiles no longer milk piggies and mix in their milk with regular cow milk. And yet people argue about cholov yisroel and many maintain that it is a strict halacha and Rav Moshe gave a heter for those people who have a difficult time acquiring cholov yisroel and we cannot rely on this heter in New York and other places where CY is readily available. I just don't understand why you can't say that this whole issur doesn't apply anymore, just like the whole issur of swallowing saliva doesn't apply.
How do you decide whether something still applies? Presumably, if the rabbis could be wrong about the dangerous of body sweat or saliva or delayed urination, they could also be wrong about Cholov Stam. Or you could even argue that they were not wrong, but nishtanu hateva, times have changed and neither issue is applicable anymore. Same with women's roles in the community and other hot button topics. How do you differentiate? Do you say that all these medical issurim are just advice? It doesn't really look like it from the language of the shulchan aruch, it is pretty clear that these things, swallowing saliva, delaying peeing, placing food under a bed, these are all forbidden, not just not recommended.
Also, is there anyone here who actually is makpid upon spitting out saliva after smelling food? Are there people who don't take long road trips because they will inevitably have to wait for a restroom break? I don't know any of these people. I haven't even read any debates on this topic. Why not? How do people, rabbis, whomever choose which halachos of the shulchan aruch to ignore completely and which ones to fight about tooth and nail?