3026 —הערות על קונקורדנציה תלמודית, הוצאת ספרים, והקלות הלכתיות

B"H, 13 MarCheshvan, 5715.

Brooklyn.

The distinguished Rav and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, engaged in communal needs, a modest author of sefarim, etc., R. Shlomo Yosef

Greetings and blessing!

Your letter of the eve of Shabbos Lech Lecha has just arrived, and some days ago your previous letter, and yesterday the concordance, the first volume, of the Talmud.

At a first glance, in some matters one senses a purely external, technical approach, without entering into the inner content of things. Among these are matters in dispute (in the root of words, their meanings, etc.) with no note about it. Perhaps the author explained all this in his earlier concordances, on the Mishnah and Tosefta, which I have not seen; but of course all this does not suffice, for at all times, and especially in these days of ours, one cannot rely on people surely looking in other books for the meaning of something difficult. (And the rule is known that the later authorities must explain their words.)

Of course, all the above is only a complaint as to why it did not come out better than it did. But as a reference work for finding a word or a saying of our Sages, there is perhaps an advantage in this approach, since the seeker does not always know the inner content of matters, and in these days of ours he may not even know the meaning of the words, only the combination of letters.

In any case, many thanks to your honor for the trouble of buying and sending this book; "the wine belongs to its owner, and thanks to its pourer," etc. (compare Sefer HaMitzvos of the Tzemach Tzedek, Milah, ch. 3).

From one matter to a similar one: permit me to trouble your honor in this. You surely know of what the Rav and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, engaged in communal needs, R. Binyomin Eliyahu Gorodetzky discussed regarding the sending of the books published by Mossad HaRav Kook, and to date this has not come about. R. Binyomin Eliyahu Gorodetzky told me that he wrote about this to one with whom he had spoken about how to carry it out, and although they wrote to my relative, the Rav and Chassid, etc., R. A. Z. Slonim to take on the trouble of packing the books, etc., and the shipping costs (which, of course, will be paid, with many thanks), nevertheless, since "from here to the Gichon River there are many accusers," etc., I hope your honor will find a suitable way to bring this to actual fruition, and many thanks in advance.

I was pleased at what you write about the family of R. Eliyahu Yosef, of blessed memory, of Dribin being aroused to publish his writings that have not yet seen print. It is self-understood that this is a good deed. Surely they will arrange matters so that they also have external beauty, for in addition to "זה א-לי ואנוהו" ("This is my G‑d and I will beautify Him"), "beautify yourself before Him," etc., because of the times this is the way to draw many of our Jewish brethren to look too at the face of the book and reflect on its content. To one such as yourself, to dwell on this is surely unnecessary. Of course I mean by external beauty not only the outermost part, that is, the print and paper, etc., but also the "handles to the basket," such as comparisons, references, etc., the external aspect of the inner content. Since they evidently consult your honor and your honor has influence on them, surely the above too will be arranged. In this connection I note that since his book Ohalei Yosef has long been out of print, and on the other hand it is no great trouble to print it again by photography, they might also publish this book.

The family of R. Eliyahu Yosef, of blessed memory, surely also has the manuscript itself. Some weeks ago I received as a gift from someone in the Holy Land, may it be built and established, a leaf in his handwriting, and he writes me that it is the actual manuscript of the author of Ohalei Yosef. To my question how it came to him, he answered that some years ago he bought it from a dealer in sefarim and does not remember the details.

Regarding the affairs of Toras Emes, I was pleased at what you write, that the state of the yeshivah has improved, spiritually too, both in matters of Torah and in matters of prayer and fear of Heaven. May it be G‑d's will that the situation grow ever better, and that one ascend in holiness, for this itself will also ease material matters, as in the saying of our Sages about "the land of the deer," said of the Land of Israel in its material sense; and since the material descends from the spiritual, this surely applies to Torah and its matters, which are the Land of Israel in its spiritual sense...

As for what you write about the religious front, of course it is very, very worthwhile. And as for your writing that you are of little faith in it, perhaps the situation has now changed from about two years ago. For then pressure was put on the religious parties from within, that is, by the religious, and so the party leaders did not want to heed it; whereas now, when the pressure and coercion come from outside, that is, from the left, there is more and more room for them to give up the imagined gain of this or that party leader so as not to harm the religious situation in the Holy Land, may it be built and established.

Mazal tov on the news you give, that the sixth volume of the Encyclopedia Talmudis will soon appear. May it be G‑d's will to grant your honor abundant success in the continuing volumes, and the merit of the many depends on him.

Incidentally, at the farbrengen of Beis HaShoevah this year I also looked into what you wrote in your book HaMoadim BaHalachah and in the references there, especially on the matter of the water libation, and I saw that you overlooked the responsa of Avnei Nezer, part 2, siman 495 (and it is not like the gloss of the Vilna Gaon in the Tosefta).

I do not know clearly the use of what I write below, yet "I restrain myself and cannot," beginning with the saying of our Sages, also cited as practical law in Rambam, that three things are not to be permitted: "the court that permits is called 'permissive'" (Avodah Zarah 37a; Mamrim 2:8). In contradiction to this, everywhere one finds an article, and at times even in Torah journals, from the distinguished Rav, etc.... containing some leniency, and at times a most surprising leniency. I do not know who can influence the above in this matter. And even granting that all the leniencies he published are one hundred percent clear, then in addition to the above saying of our Sages, which surely speaks also of a fit and ordained court and nevertheless forbade such conduct, one could, between one leniency and the next, publish also some letter of stringency or prohibition too; for there must surely be matters that the above would forbid, and even Beis Hillel testified that in some matters they are stringent.

I said in jest that because of the above's method and inclination toward leniency and permission, he has gone so far as to find, specifically he, a leniency and a kind of permission... for Kohanim to walk on the graves of tzaddikim, although R. Yehudah Leib of Yanovitch, etc., and also, as I know, the Rabbis of Poland, found no basis for this permission.

With blessing for success, awaiting good news in all the above,

M. Schneerson

Notes

From here to the Gichon River (דמכאן ועד נהר גיחון): Bereishis Rabbah 32:8: R. Pinchas in the name of R. Chanin of Tzippori said: "And Benayahu the son of Yehoyada answered the king and said: Amen, so may [G‑d] say" (Melachim I 1:36). But was it not already said, "Behold a son will be born to you, he will be a man of rest" (Divrei HaYamim I 22:9)? Rather, he said: Many accusers will stand from here to the Gichon.

Publisher's notes

R. Shlomo Yosef (מוהרש"י): Zevin. Further letters to him: above, vol. 9, 2798, and the references in the notes there; below, 3136, 3215, 3368.

The concordance (הקונקורדנציא): Otzar Leshon HaTalmud, by R. Chaim Yehoshua Kosovsky.

What was discussed... Gorodetzky (ממה שנתדבר... גאראדעצקי): See above, vol. 9, letter 2826; and see also above, letter 2965, and the references in the notes there.

To publish his writings (להו"ל כתביו): "Ohalei Yosef," a commentary and analysis of the Talmud by R. Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin, Jerusalem, 5716. In continuation of this, see below, letter 3215.

They might also publish (אפשר יוציאו לאור): Printed in 5733.

The religious front (החזית הדתית): See on this also above, vol. 4, letter 926, and the references in the notes there.

R. Yehudah Leib of Yanovitch (מוהרי"ל מיאנאוויטש): In his book She'eiris Yehudah, supplements, simanim 14 and 35. See also Kovetz Yagdil Torah, N.Y., no. 1, p. 22, and the references in the notes there.