Thursday, September 07, 2006

leaving eretz yisrael to visit kivrei tzadikim

I am feeling a bit out of it, so will be ‘yotzei’ writing by passing on a mareh makom to this article, which has a nice collection of sources on whether one may leave Eretz Yisrael to daven by kivrei tzadikim. One point I thought worth highlighting is a Chasam Sofer cited by R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach z”tl. The Mishna (Gitin 43b) tells us that a slave sold to an aku”m (so he is prevented from observing mitzvos) or from Eretz Yisrael to chutz la’aretz must be set free. The gemara (Gitin 44a) leaves unresolved whether a slave sold with an exception that allows him to keep Shabbos or Y”T goes free or not. Yet, the gemara (44b) is clear that a slave sold to chutz la’aretz is free. The Chasam Sofer asks: why is it that a slave who can keep ALL mitzvos with the exception of yishuv ha’aretz is automatically free, but the gemara remains in doubt regarding a slave who can keep Shabbos and Y”T but is prevented from keeping ALL other mitzvos? The C”S explains: Chazal tell us that ‘Hadar bchu”l k’mi she’ain lo Eloka’, one who lives outside Eretz Yisrael is as if he has no G-d – the mitzvos that a slave does in chutz la’aretz are nsignificant compared to his loss of living in Eretz Yisrael, the nachalas Hashem. “V’zehu musar gadol” – “And this”, writes the Chasam Sofer, “Is a great lesson.” Indeed.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:26 PM

    ...said the guy from Cedarhurst, quoting the Rabbi from Hungary.

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  2. What could I do? - the article quoted R' S.Z. simply quoting the Chasam Sofer.
    Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to recall in the Ch. R' Shlomo Hyman the issue raised whether 'omeir b'shem omro' includes saying over the entire chain of mesorah (ploni b'shem ploni etc.) or as long as the last name is right (the last ploni on the list) it is called b'shem omro.
    (I don't have a copy of the Ch R' Shlomo at home to check).

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  3. Anonymous4:08 PM

    It was stam laitzanus. Pay me no heed.

    As far as the "b'sheim omro" issue is concerned, the very ma'amar of "kol ha'omer davar" is quoted in various different places in the name of different people!

    For some reason I think Drew Kaplan wrote a paper (or post) on this a while back. He may have some sources.

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  4. Anonymous5:48 PM

    Refuah shelemah!

    About "b'sheim omro"--I should think that every name in the list would be important--the first one to identify the originator of the teaching, and all the rest as a sort of verification that the teaching did not get distorted along the way.

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