Journey To Portugal: Lisbon - Is There a Cherem Not To Return To Spain and Portugal?

this Tower class is brought to you by torahanytime.com good morning everyone assalamualaikum we're headed to the city of Lisbon we were we were in uh Puerto we're headed to Lisbon but I would like to revisit a subject that's relevant to our visit to Spain and our visit to Portugal as well and that is is it permitted for a Jew today to visit Spain and to visit Portugal because there seems to be some kind of unspoken practice or acceptance or perhaps even not to visit Spain and maybe even not to visit Portugal now for many hundreds of years this was not an issue because we weren't allowed to visit Spain we weren't allowed to visit Portugal but 1968 the Franco government gave permission to repair an ancient synagogue in Madrid and it brought to the Forefront this issue whether it's permitted to visit Spain today so revuchi asked me to discuss this topic and uh here we go also rabavaji Yosef was invited to inaugurate a Yeshiva in in Spain and Madrid and the question is is this permitted so in the Journal hadarum an issue appeared written by ravihuda gershuni as well as by the author of The hamar and that is the author suggests that there was a Hiram that was a unspoken acceptance of the Jewish people that for 400 years we were Bound by akhiram that we're not allowed to visit the country of Spain and after the 400 year left in 1892 the Jewish people willingly accepted upon themselves never again to return to these cursed countries and the question is is there any hallastic basis for this was there in fact did the Jewish people accept not to return to these countries so it was a bit of a mystery writes in his letters there is no halachic source that there was ever a harem that there were there was ever a ban not to return to Spain likewise Herzog the first Chief Rabbi of Israel also right there is no halachic basis not to be able to return to these countries he says even if there was it would be permitted for later rabbis to revoke that Hera however reviews after studying the subject and in fact acknowledging that there is no authentic basis for such he says that is only enough to downgrade the status of such a Prohibition to a suffix now what would the halach Habib suffix Suffolk means a doubt we know suffix when you're endowed as regarding biblical law one has to be strict what about Hiram well the rajbar writes in achuva the rajba rep benaderas of Barcelona the Raj variety so in that case review the gershuni concludes it would be prohibited for a Jew to return at least to Spain today my personal opinion is that one should avoid going to Spain because it's too hot but that's that's my own personal opinion now there were um revaldenberg after discussing the issue and concluding that we have no not to return to Spain he applies the following rule Israel the Jewish people if we are not prophets we are the descendants of prophets and somehow if it's in our national conscience not to return to Spain it must be rooted in authentic Torah perspective and therefore the tits Alias are also uh uh suggests that perhaps it's better not to visit Spain in light of this Jewish practice there were a number of halachic authorities however who did permit return to Spain the moon catcher Shapiro and a response until talpios he says it is permitted for a Jew to reside in Spain provided that the Jewish Nationals of the country are given religious freedom um now Rabbi Warman Rabbi Warman quotes a very interesting source he quotes to say forever it's the son-in-law of Ramos who says that this Prohibition in fact while there is some basis we mentioned you know the name toledano the etymology is Toledo no they took a vow they would never return to Toledo but nevertheless he says that the ban never extended to all of Israel only to those families who were expelled and in that case it never attains the halachic status of something which is binding upon all of the Jewish people and therefore he rules it is permitted for a Jew to return to Spain today likewise the mooncatcher allowed return to Spain whoever I want to share with you that it is clear that throughout Jewish history residents in Spain was discontinenced rabbi tovia prashell wrote an article in the Israeli newspaper in the hamodya in 5714 and later he it appeared in hadoa then in the archives of Hamburg it contains a document indicating that in 1658 the community adopted a regulation that provided whoever visits Spain or Portugal may not be called up to the Torah or honored with any other mitzvah for two years when you return now from your trip if you're all insulted you know how come I don't get an Aliyah my shul why doesn't anybody value me no no no you're done you can't get an Alia for two years not only for visiting Spain visiting Portugal also there was whether it was not a halachic ruling there was a in the National conscience of the Jewish people it was discountedenced sister Ross in Jewish life 5717 Rabbi black sites that their religious sanctions opposed upon any visitor to Spain and Portugal what did that include that in the society for towering the brides if you wanted to give money to a Hassan no no no no you can't go to Spain or Portugal and furthermore in 16 in 1785 in the haskamas in London that there were sanctions placed against anyone who visited Spain here is probably the most realistic perspective on the issue a professor avraham shalom published the chuva and palpeace who gave the following approach he says the law of the land of Spain as long as the Inquisition wasn't was in effect is that no Jew could return to Spain and practice Judaism openly any Jew who returns to Spain after the date of the expulsion would be obligated to convert to Christianity or suffer death that is what was stated by the inquisitions in the Inquisition well into the 19th century in that case if a Jew wanted to return to Spain his only option was to cloak himself to dress up to pretend to be a Christian now is it permitted for a Jew for financial reason or to save their life to pretend to be a Christian no it's prohibited one has to give up their life not to pretend to be a Christian therefore Shalom Yehuda there was never a harem not to return to Spain the Inquisition halachically forbid a Jew from returning to Spain because in order to return to Spain you had a disguise as a Christian and that is prohibited so not that there was actually a halacha not to return to Spain but rather inherent in the Inquisition was it was forbidden for a Jew to return to Spain I would like to conclude with the halache conclusion of malan Joseph in the image was invited to inaugurate Yeshiva in Madrid not necessary that is permitted to live in Spain but it's permitted to visit Spain why first of all it's not always hot no I'm just joking that's not the reason number one because it is not clear that there was ever a hero not to return to Spain number two it's therefore a suffix and even if there was a herem maybe they only decreed it upon themselves and not not on their descendants and even if there was a decree on their descendants Maybe they only decree that one is not allowed to live there but visiting is permitted therefore says I visited the capital I inaugurated the Yeshiva and I was invited by King Juan Carlos of Spain to his Palace and rivervadia writes he very much respected Juan Carlos as a very wise and sagacious ruler and he made two blessings on Juan Carlos he made the blessing that God gives power to flesh and blood and he made the blessing that God gives wisdom to flesh and blood and King Juan Carlos gave rabavadya a Bible that was published in Amsterdam as well as another gift and therefore rabbadio aposkins one is allowed to visit Spain and Portugal and we could add that's what we did in tuftshin pagimo and uh we should see the continued rebuilding of the Jewish communities here on the Iberian Peninsula until the great day of our return to Zion experienced another Torah class brought to you by torahanytime.com