Thursday, September 17, 2020

Part 16: REBUTTAL TO THE LAWS OF AN ERUV

The Sefer – Footnote 40 (continued):

...והג' ודלא כהבה״ל דס״ל דאפילו אם יש שם ד׳ מחיצות צריך דלתות מדרבנן. אבל ע' בסי׳ שס״ד סעיף ב׳ ד״ה והוא שננעלות בלילה, וד״ה ואחר, ואפשר דיש מעלה בעומד מרובה שהוא עדיף משם ד׳ מחיצות כדמבואר כחזו״א עירובין סי׳ מ״ג, וכן באחיעזר בחלק א׳ סי׳ ח'. ...

Rebuttal: See above where I clarify that the Biur Halachah maintains lo asu rabbim; hence, there would be no benefit of mechitzos consisting of omed merubeh over shem daled mechitzos. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Biur Halachah maintains that we require delasos only when rectifying a reshus harabbim which is not encompassed at the minimum by shem daled mechitzos. However, in a situation of shem daled mechitzos, tzuras hapesachim to close the breaches in the mechitzos would be sufficient. In any case, the Bais Ephraim [and all the Rishonim who pasken like the Chachamim] would not agree that omed merubeh is superior to shem daled mechitzos. [It’s important to note, that the Chazon Ish ultimately (see the end of 112:5 in the letters) cites Rabeinu Yonasan that me’d’Oraysa there is no shiur pirtzah in a situation of shem daled mechitzos, as well as omed merubeh. Furthermore, the authors are incorrect as the Achiezer does not mention shem daled mechitzos at all.]  

 

The Sefer – Footnote 40 (continued):

...וכן יש משמעות בראשונים שעומ״ר עדיף ומהני אפילו לר״י דס״ל אתי רבים. ע׳ ברמב״ן מלחמות עירובין דף כב, ומאירי עירובין דף כ', ובגאון יעקב עירובין דף כב. ...

Rebuttal: It is fascinating that the authors would cite this opinion of these Rishonim. However, they are missing the main point. As I mentioned above, the overwhelming majority of Rishonim uphold lo asu rabbim umevatlei mechitzta, but there are six Rishonim who explicitly maintain otherwise: 1) Ramban, 2) Rashba, 3) Ritva, 4) Meiri, 5) Ran, 6) Hashlamah, (and maybe the Rivash).

The authors mention that in a situation of mechitzos that are omed merubeh al ha’parutz (as opposed to shem daled mechitzos), the Ramban and Meiri uphold that even Rav Yehudah would agree that we pasken lo asu rabbim. However, we can add that the other Rishonim who maintain asu rabbim would also agree with the Ramban and Meiri: see Rashba (22b, who quotes the Raved), and Ran (22b), [see also Rabeinu Yonasan (6a in the Rif’s pagination].

Following this, besides the Ritva who clearly upholds asu rabbim even in a situation of mechitzos, there are no other Rishonim who clearly maintain asu rabbim when utilizing mechitzos. Therefore, it is undoubtable that we are not mekil if we sanction lo asu rabbim umevatlei mechitzta, l’chatchilah.

 

The Sefer – Footnote 40 (continued):

 ...והד׳ אפשר דתלוי אם פרצת י׳ הוא מדרבנן, וכן הוא משמעות החזו״א והאחיעזר הנ״ל. ...

Rebuttal: It is not just mashmah from the Chazon Ish and the Acheizer that pirtzos esser is a matter of a d’rabbanan, they say it clearly. Moreover, besides the Chazon Ish and the Achiezer, nearly all poskim maintain that pirtzos esser is me’d’rabbanan (see Section One, note 3).

 

The Sefer – Footnote 40 (continued):

...אבל אין זה מוכרח שהרי י״ל דאפילו פרצת י׳ מדאורייתא מ״מ אם תקנו בצוה״פ, הוה כאילו העמידו על פחות מי׳. וכן משמע מהריטב״א עירובין כב. שבירושלים היה עומ״ר אע״ג דהיה לו פרצת י׳ ולפי האחרונים שס״ל דפרצת י׳ מה״ת צ״ל דיש מעלה בעומ״ר. ...

Rebuttal: The justification that the authors are suggesting is incorrect. Those who maintain (Mishkenos Yaakov and Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l) that pirtzos esser is a matter of a d’Oraysa would argue that even though (according to their opinion) a pirtzos esser is regarded as minimized when sealed by a tzuras hapesach, nevertheless, it would be breached by the rabbim traversing therein (and they do not accept the definition of a rabbim as being shishim ribo). Therefore, the authors need to face the facts; there is no alternative to allow pirtzos esser according to those who propose that it is a matter of a d’Oraysa (only in select cases would they be lenient, such as at the Brooklyn waterfront where there is no rabbim bokim through the pirtzos at all). The authors should stop trying to excuse our reliance on mechitzos that are omed merubeh; it is simply because we do not accept the Mishkenos Yaakov’s opinion regarding this inyan, and we follow the overwhelming majority of poskim who maintain pirtzos esser is only a matter of a d’rabbanan.

 

The Sefer – Footnote 40 (continued):

...וכן משמע בשו״ת רע״א חדשות סי׳ ו׳ וע׳ בספר האיר יוסף עירובין סי׳ ל״א בסוף הספר מש״כ בזה. ...

Rebuttal: The authors are incorrect and should relearn this Rav Akiva Eiger. Rav Akiva Eiger is arguing that [according to Tosfos’s first rejoinder] a tzuras hapesach is effective, not because it minimizes the pirtzos (as understood by the Mishkenos Yaakov), but only because it negates the effect of the multitudes traversing [rabbim bokim] in a shiur reshus harabbim, a sixteen amos wide road. Rav Akiva Eiger’s understanding of Tosfos’s first rejoinder is similar to the Bais Ephraim’s understanding of Tosfos and is in opposition to the concept that tzuras hapesachim effectively minimize pirtzos.         

 

The Sefer – Footnote 40 (continued):

...וכן שמענו מרב עקיבא שטיינמטץ שהגר״ש מילר סומך על מהלך כעין מה שכתבנו להתיר הטלטול בעיר טורנטו.

Rebuttal: You see, dear reader, the need for these justifications is because Rav Shlomo Miller shlita, as a talmid of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l (who followed the Mishkenos Yaakov) upholds asu rabbim umevatlei mechitztah and that pirtzos esser is a matter of a d’Oraysa. Therefore, the authors needed to propose a litany of reasons to allow eruvin even according to this view. However, this is all extraneous, as we follow the Bais Ephraim and the overwhelming majority of the poskim who maintain lo asu rabbim and that pirtzos esser is only a matter of a d’rabbanan. It is about time that people accept the fact that those who maintain asu rabbim umevatlei mechitztah and that pirtzos esser is a matter of a d’Oraysa are a small minority of poskim, and the halachic process does not require us to accommodate their view. 

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