Zionist for Hire - Rav Aryeh Lebowitz - From The Rabbi's Desk

It is 7:30 on a Thursday night, so let's do it. Okay, two shylas this week. Let's see which two should we do. I'm going to save this one for Shabbos. Okay. All right, so here are two shylas that came up over the course of the week this week. One of them is as follows. One sad shyla, one happy shyla. Normally shylas are, you know, neither sad nor happy. They're just shylas. But we have one sad shyla, one happy shyla. Sad shyla is as follows. There was a terrible, terrible tragedy in my community last week and a 39-year-old father of four was killed in a car accident. And his kids are all in avelus now except the three youngest are all ketanim and there's no chinuch for avelus, so they don't have to think about avelus too much. His oldest became bar mitzvah two months ago. So you might recall from the year of your bar mitzvah that you not only became bar mitzvah the year of your bar mitzvah, you were attended a lot of and in fact that's like your entire social, you know, that's what's exciting about, whatever, eighth grade I guess is high school decisions and and attending friends bar mitzvahs every Shabbos and all the different nights of the week and things like that. So the shyla was he's an avel. He's you know, in Judaism being 13 is the same as being 30 in terms of you have in mitzvahs. So if he has an obligation to observe all the halachos, is he allowed to attend bar mitzvahs? of the Shabbos, of the weekday, if it's a kiddush, if it's you know, participating in dancing, not participating in dancing, how do we go about that? So the reason to me that this is an interesting shyla not only because it came up, but I asked a few rabbonim, what kabbalas they have from their rebbeim and from our rebbeim on this topic and most of them said nothing. They don't know anything about it. I mean they haven't they haven't spoken to Gedolei Poskim which means that was an opportunity to make sure that we speak to Gedolei Poskim about this to make sure that we get some hadracha on this issue. So that is issue number one. The happier shaila was that this week as was very nicely celebrated here in Yeshiva I believe was Yom Ha'atzmaut. So I got the following shaila from someone. The fellow who asked the shaila is a professional musician and he goes and he davens in different places with you know you know for his shabbatot and other festive occasions and things like that. So he writes as follows, "I'm probably not the first with this shaila but was theoretically wondering what the psak is if someone wanted to hire me whether it's not an issue with saying a bracha on hallel. My background is Flatbush heimisha yeshivish and I'm not anti or super into the Medina. I love Eretz Yisrael. By the way, does the rav say hallel with a bracha? The rav not meaning rav Soloveitchik meaning me. So the two people that are referred to as rav are me and rav Soloveitchik. So so his his So his question is if he's hired to daven in a modern orthodox school and you know on Yom Ha'atzmaut and they say hallel with a bracha so what should he do? Is he allowed to say hallel with a bracha when he would never say hallel with a bracha on Yom Ha'atzmaut normally cuz he's Flatbush heimisha yeshivish except he asks me his shaila. So how Flatbush heimisha yeshivish is he really? All right. Anyway, so okay. So these are two shailos. So we have a year of aveilus and parties and we have Zionists for hire. All those is a good one. All those who want to talk about a year of aveilus and parties Okay. All those want to talk about Zionists for hire? That's pretty close. A little a little edge to Zionists for hire. Let's see how we're doing on these Zoom votes. >> You ask kids what they think, but they don't even know what Yom Atzmaut is. >> Yeah, exactly. Okay. So, it seems tied on the Zoom, so a slight edge to Zionist for hire. Slight edge on the Zoom also for Zionist for hire. Okay, so that's the one we'll do, Zionist for hire. So, I guess there are two parts to this question. The first part of the question is, um is there such a sheet that they are supposed to have all of the bracha? Why yes, why no? And you know, at Verme Tikan, this is an old discussion, but it's an old discussion that most people know nothing about, by the way. Meaning everyone says, "Ah, it's an old hug." Whatever, but but unless you've recently uh studied the Sugya, a lot of people are unaware of the Makorot over here. And then the question is, okay, assuming that there are people who yes say Hallel on Yom Atzmaut, those who don't say Hallel on Yom Atzmaut, are you allowed to say a bracha that you hold shouldn't be said or that your Poskim say shouldn't be said when you are in a place where the practice is to yes say it? And are there any rayos one way or the other in terms of that? So, let's uh let's take the first thing first. So, let's give some basic background. Uh I'll try to make sure that I leave a few minutes at the end to discuss the second thing, which is obviously the crux of the shaila over here. But uh let's give you some basic background about the issue of Hallel on Yom Atzmaut. Um the most uh uh thorough treatment of the topic, a lot of Poskim wrote shailos on it. The most thorough treatment of the topic is Rav Ovadia Yosef in Yabia Omer Chelek Vav, Siman Mem Alef. Ke'darko bakodesh, you know, uh he shakes out every single mareh makom you could possibly uh imagine in assessing and analyzing this uh this this shaila. Now, one might say, well, in general, if I'm ever masupak about something, uh then uh don't don't do it. Why would you uh why would why would you uh risk? You know, I got a shaila today in another shiur that I give in the answering your shailos shiur. Someone said, uh what do you do when you're not sure what to do and there's no rabbi? Uh and you just have to make a decision like on the spot. So, I was like, okay, that's fairly common question. Then the said, "Like, for example, when I was in Lebanon on Pesach, and you know, I had all sorts of shailos that came up, and there was no I couldn't I couldn't just like reach out to a rabbi at that at that time." So, wow, okay, that's what our chayalim are thinking of. But, um but so sometimes what you do is when when you're in doubt is you're cautious. You don't want to you don't want to take any halachic risks if you don't if you don't have to. But, this is one of those shailos where if if you if you do it, it could be a and you're not supposed to, it could be a problem. And if you don't do it and you are supposed to, it could be a problem. Right? It's not so so possible. The Gemara tells us in Maseches Sanhedrin daf tzadi dalet, "Biketz Hakadosh Baruch Hu lasos Chizkiyahu Melech Yisrael Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to make Chizkiyahu Melech into Mashiach, but Avraham Avinu said in the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, "Ribono shel Olam, Umat David Melech Yisrael shama kamah shiros v'tishbachos lifnei'cha lo asisa hu Mashiach?" David Melech said, "All these beautiful shiros v'tishbachos didn't make him Mashiach? Chizkiyahu she'asisa lo kol hanisim ha'elu lo asisa lifnei'cha ta'aseh hu Mashiach?" Chizkiyahu, where you do all these good things for him, all these nisim, and he didn't say shirah, he didn't even have the decency to say shirah to you. He should be Mashiach? And that's it. Chizkiyahu was canceled. He couldn't be Mashiach because of that. So, he was apparently a real candidate, and that's why he was rejected to say shirah to Hakadosh Baruch Hu when he's supposed to. The Gemara, on the other hand, the Gemara in Shabbos daf kuf yud chet amud bet famously says, "Kol korei Halel b'chol yom harei zeh mecharef u'megadef." That a person who says Halel each every day, doesn't mean every day necessarily, means on regular days when there's not a special occasion that calls for it and that demands it, "Harei zeh mecharef u'megadef." He is it's like Apikorsus. Like, he's he's he's saying Apikorsus. So, you got to got to go one way or the other. You can't just say, "I'll be safe." There is no safe in this in this in this discussion. So the in in Halacha we always look for a takdim. We always look for a precedent to try to figure out is this the first time the child was ever asked has anyone ever discussed this before has have we had similar situations in the past and a lot of times you know it's a common pitfall that people have when they learn Halacha is they learn certain things that seem very unusual and they seem like they're not going to come up in your lifetime. So people say that's not so okay and they just forget about it. But life is funny and and things come up and one one of the things during COVID when I was shocked that he kept on pumping out those two of us he kept on writing those two of us we we said like you know I don't know we didn't ask how do you know all this but we're like you know we asked like how do you find the answers to these unprecedented questions and his response was none of these questions are unprecedented. They're just uh they're all in Shulchan Aruch. It's just a matter of whether you skip those lines of Shulchan Aruch or not whether you pay attention to every see if in Shulchan Aruch but they they all come up. Meaning there were see if in Shulchan Aruch about what if you don't have Krias Hatorah B'Tzibur for a couple of months. Like you know you'd read that you'd be like when is that ever going to happen in my life? Maybe one Shabbos I'm going to but the whole tzibur is not going to have Krias Hatorah. Like what's going to happen that the whole tzibur is not going to have Krias Hatorah for even one week let alone for but but it's there. It's just you would you would just be like okay not no good next you know and you wouldn't even read the Mishna Brurah carefully on something like that unless you're a Shochet you read everything carefully. So is there a takdim in Halacha about some sort of miracle? So the Gemara in Maseches Shabbos Daf Kuf Yud Zayin Amud Alef talks about the Chiyuv of saying Hallel in a Pesach context and the Gemara tells us Navi Yishayahu equally in the social also Al Kol Perech U'Perech V'Al Kol Tzarah U'Tzarah Shelo Tavoh Lahem U'Lekish Ani Kolin Omnos Algulasa. >> that uh we say hallel for the that happens from any from any difficulty and says Rashi on the spot what is an example of a from like Hanukkah so Hanukkah is an example of we say from from a from a uh fascinatingly I think the first marker we have for hallel well I don't know the first marker because we have but you have hallel without a in a in a context not in a context the second on that second says that all on every that happens Russia hallel at small also because he talks about a personal personal he says you can say hallel every anniversary of that day Ella you just cannot say a uh uh on that on that hallel you're not allowed to say a on that on that hallel so that's interesting so he says that you're allowed to say the hallel but you don't say a on the hallel so where does that come from meaning I thought you have to decide yes or no so why would you yes say the hallel and not say not say a but be that as it may the the nice Hanukkah is apparently which is hallel with the is apparently used as a precedent for the idea that that we're from we say say hallel on now in it doesn't actually quote that you have a question >> so what did he say when it's like the was redeemed so they would say with a just like >> it seems that way it seems that way now the the quotes where he writes not about an individual not about the whole but you the second that if you have a community that experienced the miracle, that experienced something great, they also can make a day of of hollow. There's a where he goes through how he he made a Purim for his family and for all of future generations because of something that happened some miracle that happened to his family. That's part of the discussion of Suda's right I I've discussed in the past what happens if there was a tragedy and and at the same time someone was miraculously saved. So does that person make a Suda's just had that recently never with this case I was referring to before this man that wonderful young person who never the son was was killed was in the car with his 11-year-old son and his 11-year-old son pretty much walked out without a scratch. So do you does does he make a Suda's for the car accident that that killed his father? So it's does he bench go mail? Meaning what is there a difference between those two things? A Suda's and go mail? It's a very very painful painful question, right? But but but let's say if a person were in a terrible car accident and nothing happened to them and nobody got hurt and there's no then of course you would you would you would say a Suda's you would have a Suda's it was very moving to me again painful and difficult but very moving to me I was having a discussion with one of the doctors that was involved in the case you know he was in the car accident he died a month later. One of the doctors said that every time I walk into the hospital room his his wife is diving her heart out. It was a from doctors that she's diving her heart out and she's diving for a miracle. She's diving for a miracle. And he said I I I don't think a miracle is going this one before he had died he said I don't think a miracle is going to happen here but but one thing I can tell you is that this family already did have a miracle. Because for an 11-year-old to walk out of that accident, an accident of that magnitude without a scratch on him, there already was a miracle. So, you know, it's it's to some degree I'm thinking no one can ever say that to them. You know, this is like the most tragic day of their lives. And they asked the shaila. They asked the shaila. Does he bench gomel? Does he have a seudas hodaa? What do we what do what what to to have that level of uh I don't know. Emunah and bitachon and God awareness, you know, to to be able to realize that you experienced a miracle also. Anyway, extremely extremely inspiring. And also very obviously very sad. So, question is was Yom Atzmaut a miracle? Is it something that was a miracle for the entire Jewish community? So, some say, well, geulah would be defined as the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash, and that would be for the entire Jewish community. Rav Aaron Soloveitchik has a passage, a lengthy passage, in Logic of the Heart, Logic of the Mind. Um I don't know if you've ever seen the book, but it's Rav Aaron Soloveitchik wrote his essays on parshios, and he says that there is no doubt in his mind that you cannot say hallel with a bracha, and he explains the recitation of hallel is obligatory only when the redemption affects the Jewish nation in its entirety. And this will be realized only in the Yemos Hamashiach. Essentially, what he's saying is Hakamas Hamedina affects Klal Yisrael b'Eretz Yisrael. It does not affect the Jewish nation in its entirety. Now, what's the counter-argument? Rav Twersky said the other day at the Torah web shiur, Rav Twersky said that and more famously known from my WhatsApp status, yes, Rav Twersky said that that that a Jew anywhere in the world, anywhere in galus, is only able to sleep at night if he has a an up-to-date passport and knowledge of the fact that we have a safe haven in the medina, that when every other government in the world will turn against us and slowly unfortunately we're seeing that many are where many government officials or people of rising power and are turning against us. We know there is one government that will be a safe haven for us. So in a certain sense the coming of Medina affects all Jewish people throughout the entire world. So that's the counter argument to what Rav Aaron Soloveitchik said. Then you also have to define Geulah. What does it mean that for Geulah you're allowed to say hallel? So Rav Schachter famously has a piece, I don't know how famous, but he has a piece in B'ikvei Ha'tzon where he defines Geulah because a lot of people are very uncomfortable with the phrase Reishit Tzmichat Geulateinu. That that the coming of the Medina, the beginning of the Geulah process. Who says the beginning of Geulah? You'll only know at the end of the Geulah process what was the beginning of the Geulah process. Only once we're at the finish line we'll be able to look back and say, "Ah, that was, you know, that was where it all where it all started." That's the only way you're you're going to know. It's like the definition of goses. Right? The halacha is that a goses is someone who's within 72 hours of dying. So when do you know if and you're not allowed to touch a goses. So when do you know if the person's a goses? After he dies and then you could calculate back 72 hours. But there's no way of figuring it out in advance. It's an impossible thing to know to know in advance. So Rav Schachter tightens that maybe that's true with goses, that is not true when it comes to when it comes to determining the Reishit Tzmichat Geulateinu. We know in advance when it's Reishit Tzmichat Geulateinu. Why? Because the Gemara in Masechet Sanhedrin tells us that Shlosh Mitzvot Nitztavu Yisrael B'chnisatam L'aretz, that we have three mitzvot that we're obligated to do when we enter Eretz Yisrael, L'hamid Melech, L'hachrit Zera Amalek, U'l'vnot Beit Ha'Bechirah. And we know that Livnot Beit Ha'Bechirah, building a Beit Ha'Mikdash, is the definition of Geulah. The Ramban in Nachmanides writes that that that Shmot is called Sefer Ha'Geulah not because that's when we got out of Mitzrayim, not because that's when we had Kriat Yam Suf, not because that's when we got the Torah, but because at the very end of Shemot, we had the Mishkan. And is the definition of So whatever is a process that leads to defined as base of is going to be and we know that this is the three steps of the process. Step number one to establish Jewish government in the land of Israel. That's step one. Step two of the world. We're working on it. Step three is living in base of So once we get to to So that that is step one of the question the Megillah says question is this enough or do you need actual So it seems that the word means different things in different context. Meaning when the talks about it doesn't necessarily mean from a you know, with with with an eye toward the future as much as it is as it as it means from a particular that there was a particular and that ended like it was there's a in which seems to say that the reason didn't sing right when we got out of the way that teaches he says because it was only to the and the was complete. He doesn't say Mishkan. He doesn't say he says So after we saying cuz that's when the was complete. What does he mean by in that context? He means that's when the were done. We didn't have to worry about them anymore. They weren't That's when we were fully fully saved from any threat from the from the So from a perspective, it's it's tricky, right? Meaning are we are we finished from being threatened by the We're pretty sure that's not the case with her commas and Dina on the other hand, maybe an open miracle or miracles in general are enough reason to say hello. The Marsha and the Hanukkah Sugya says that the reason we say hello on Hanukkah is because it was a nice Nigla. And as long as a nice Nigla happens, you're allowed to say you're allowed to say Hanukkah. You're you're allowed to say hello. So he So he says and and his Raya is the Gamorah says my Hanukkah and the Gamorah doesn't mention a word about a Milchama, about battles, about What is the Gamorah talking about? A Pasha and an open miracle. So that the Marsha says it's not just that the Gamorah is choosing to focus on one part of the story not the other. The Gamorah is making a value statement saying that what gives us the right to say hello on Hanukkah? It's a nice Nigla. Anything short of a nice Nigla. So where does that put your Matzmon? So one might argue that the Marsha says wrong that the Gamorah is highlighting one of the two elements. In Al Hanisim we talk all about the Milchama, right? So maybe the Milchama is is enough. Also one might argue that the Gamorah talks about why don't we say hello on Purim, right? And what does the Gamorah Gamorah gives a bunch of answers. I can't have the uh Krias Hatorah, right? The Gamorah gives a bunch of answers. You know what answer the Gamorah doesn't give? What doesn't the Gamorah say? That there there was no nice Nigla. It was all a nice Nister. Why didn't the Gamorah say that if that was true, if that's enough of a reason not to say hello? That's pretty compelling Raya against the Marsha that maybe you don't need a a an open an open miracle. In fact, the whole Kuntres of Purim is that there was no open miracle, right? That's the whole thing is that it was all a nice Nister. You know, furthermore, one could argue who said we didn't see nice Niglas? I don't know. The last couple of years you haven't seen a nice Nigla at all. I I don't know. If you have two powerful air forces, you have the Israeli air force and the IAF and you have the American, the mighty American Air Force. And they're joined together fighting a war. And the American Air Force is obviously, I mean, the size of the country, the budget, the whatever, everything. I mean, obviously, obviously, it's it's it's got to be viewed as the superior military, uh, power. And how many I believe I heard should how many Israeli planes went down or were shot down or from or or involved in accidents or what have in in the this this latest, uh, war with with Iran? And how many American planes? How is it that American planes went down a couple of times? Once where they actually, uh, had to go in and get the people, you know? But but how's that possible? And the Israeli Air Force is going back and forth and back and forth and back. Is that not miraculous? Like, how many times, you know, the first time they attacked and they shot I mean, you could watch what's-his-name's whole, uh, video. What's, uh, you know, you know I'm talking about it. It's like Yeah, Rabbi Pliskin. Right? I mean, you get There are lots and lots of miracles that, uh, that happened. So, one might argue it's It's a Rabbi Pliskin keeps referring to it as a nister nigleh. You know, a revealed hidden miracle. Meaning, you got to be an idiot not to see miracles. At the same time, there's nothing There's no single thing that breaks teva. So, it's a it's like this in-between kind of thing. Um, so that's, um, And the question is, well, what does that have to do with Yom Ha'atzmaut? Maybe, uh, you would need the War of Independence to be miraculous. That was also a nister nigleh nister, right? Meaning, I think Rabbi Tali used to tell the story that when, uh, when when, uh, he went, uh, to fight, um, you know, in the War of Independence after, uh, you know, after surviving the Holocaust. So, uh, so he said that they told him, um, that he was he's an officer. Like, he showed up to help fight. They said, "Okay, you're an officer." He said, "What do I do to be an officer?" They said, "Well, you've ever shot a gun before?" He said, "Yeah." So, that makes you an officer. Meaning you know, he knew how to shoot a gun. That was it. That that that makes you more experienced than the rest of us. And they won, right? Meaning how's that possible? So, it's it's obvious it's obvious that that whether one says Hallel and doesn't say Hallel, one certainly has to recognize the greatness of what we experienced from desolate rights has to do with the Gullah. He says, I I I find it hard to define it as a skull to the Gullah. That woe unto someone who has to face the Yom HaDin and is blind to what Hashem is doing. That's what Rabbi Reisman always commented said, if you don't realize that Kibbutz Galliyos has happened in the last in in the last 75 years, that then then you're blind. And every decade it's from a different continent. It's a Kibbutz Galliyos is happening. It's uh so to to to recognize So, the question the the question is only to does that necessarily generate a chiyuv Hallel? And if it doesn't generate a chiyuv Hallel, then like we said before, l'chari you're not supposed to say Hallel. So, there and if it does generate a chiyuv Hallel, then you must say Hallel. So, is there room to argue that one should say full Hallel with a bracha? Yes, there are gedolei olam that said full Hallel with a bracha. Is there room to argue that one should not say Hallel or to say only half Hallel? Why half Hallel? Because that's what we do on Rosh Chodesh. So, if you want to be safe, that's the safest thing. That it's not a real Hallel. It's if you're gomer Hallel b'chol yom, it's mechayev from a gaddif. So, if you're not gomer Hallel, then that's not called that you really said hallel. Therefore, it's not from the Godif. Yet, you still might have the benefits of having a hallel because that's what we do on Rosh Chodesh. So, we do have some precedent and the rest of the days of Beis So, we do have some precedent for it. Uh where do we have precedent from without a bracha? Speak to your Sefardic friends. We have a precedent for a hallel without a bracha as as well. Now, the question is, okay, so I hold not to say a bracha, but I was hired to daven in a place that does say a bracha. So, Ethan Schaffer pointed out to me a uh a teshuvah from Rav Moshe Feinstein in Igros Moshe Orach Chaim Gimel siman tzadi vov, where Rav Moshe was asked, let's say you are noheg lomar birchas Yiru Eineinu b'chol Mo'adei Chol u'Motza'ei Shabbos einenu omer. You don't say the bracha You know that bracha at the end of the birchas Krias Shema in Maariv on Motza'ei Shabbos, but you're in a makom she'no omer. You're in a makom where they do say it. So, im tzorech hu lomar k'mo ha kahal? Do you have to conform to what the tzibur is doing? Right? Let's say you don't say birchas Yiru Eineinu and you are in a tzibur that does. Must you say it? So, says Rav Moshe, you can fake it. That's good enough. You don't have to say it. But then he says, but what if you're the shliach tzibur? Can't fake it if you're the shliach tzibur because you're you're expected to read the last line if you're the shliach tzibur. You're not supposed to go right into Kaddish. It will be obvious if you do that. So, then what are you supposed to do? So, Rav Moshe writes, then you say it. Then you say it. He says, "I have a clear raya." What's his raya? The Gemara in Pesachim daf kuf vov amud aleph tells us that Rav Ashi was in a place in a town that was somewhat where the minhagim were unfamiliar to him and they asked him, "Would you honor us with Kiddusha Rabba?" With reciting the Kiddusha Rabba. And he's thinking, "I never heard of Kiddusha Rabba. I don't know what Kiddusha Rabba means." But every Kiddush starts with Borei Pri HaGafen. So, let me start with that and see where where it goes. So, he took the kos and he said, "Borei Pri HaGafen." He took it slowly. And as he's elongating the words, he notices an old man leaning over to start to drink. And he realized, "Ah, that must be kiddush rabba. It must be over already if he's the guy is already drinking." And therefore, he knows to stop there. They They ask Rashi, or or the Rashba maybe, "What was plan B?" He What was he going to do if if there wasn't an old man that was going to lean over and drink? So, says Rashba, he was going to say Friday night kiddush. He was going to say the whole kiddush. He was going to say the bracha. But that's obviously not his minhag to say the bracha on Shabbos day. Why would he say the bracha if because if they told him say kiddush rabba and it's their minhag, even though it's not his minhag, then that's what you do. If you're in a place like that, that's what you do. So, says Rav Moshe, it's fascinating. That's the teshuvah of Rav Moshe says, "You asked me about someone who says baruch she'ana me'ein every weeknight but not on Motzei Shabbos and he's davening in a place where they do say it on Motzei Shabbos." He says, "That's ridiculous because there's no such thing as a minhag to say it every weeknight and not on Motzei Shabbos. That minhag is stupid." He said, "There There There is a minhag to say it and there's a minhag not to say it. The Motzei Shabbos thing doesn't exist. It does exist. There are There are There are people that do but Rav Moshe was not a fan of that that minhag." So, Ethan actually told me that Rav Schachter uses this teshuvah. You know, Rav Schachter doesn't say the bracha of she'ana me'ein every morning because it's not it's not me'ein the Gemara. It doesn't come from the Gemara. So, it's not so pasul to You can say brachas that were instituted after chasimath hatalmud, right? So, what if he's the the davening for an amud in a place that does, you know, that that that does say, which is pretty much every place, right? So, he would say it then. Why? Like this Rav Moshe. So, l'chora l'chora, this fellow who wants to daven for an amud and he's hired to daven, you know, the Zionist for hire, right? L'chora, he's allowed to say he's allowed to say the bracha on the hallel even if he is personal on hagah and is is not to say it. So just to be sure, I asked yesterday what the guy should do. And he said, "Yeah, he should say it with a bracha." He said it's a legitimate shita to say hallel with a bracha. We don't do it, but it's a legitimate shita to say hallel with a bracha. So so yeah, there's that's that's probably what he should do to conform to the to the practice of the place where he is. Okay, we wish everyone a wonderful shabbat.