This discussion below of the validity of marriage of a cohen to a convert is relevant to this posting & this posting. It is also important because it is not cited accurately by Rabbi Simcha Cohen in his discussion of the matter. The person who sent this teshuva also requested the identity of the rabbi cited in this posting who gave a heter for a baalas teshuva to marry a cohen - or possibly the source the rabbi relied upon for his heter.
The Rabbi in question was Chief Rabbi Mordecai Eliyahu.
ReplyDeleteThe following short item just appeared in the English-language HAMODIAH:
ReplyDelete"HAMODIA
Community
25 Teves 5769 | January 21, 2009
Page C20
RUACH IN THE WINDY CITY
By Y. M. Kayler
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Harav Gedalia Dov Schwartz to Lecture in Chicago
The community is invited to hear Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz, shlita, Av Beis Din of the CRC and RCA, speak about "Conversions: Are there Only Crises Or Are There Solutions Too?" The oneg will be on Friday evening, January 30, Parashas Bo, at the home of Alan and Devorah Gold, 2922 Lunt Avenue, Chicago. Rabbi Schwartz will speak at 8:00 p.m. Men and women are invited."
I do not understand why a Gadol such as R'Gedalia Dov Schwartz would address such an important issue in a parlor meeting which only the immediate neighborhood can attend.
ReplyDeleteIf Rav Schwartz has a solution to the Conversion (and the shiddach crisis that has arisen from it), then I would wish that he would share it publicly.
Meanwhile, I just spent Shabbat with yet another 30 year old, GORGEOUS, single Jewish woman. She has excellent Ashkenazic yichus, went to Breur's, is a practicing attorney, and a really sweet, easy going person.
She has been working with numerous shadchanim and is not at all picky unless you consider picky that she does not want to date a guy who is currently living with or seeing a shiksa.
Where are all the single Jewish men who want to marry Jewish girls that such a girl has SAT (and I know she has sat because I have been trying to set her up for the past 5 years) for the past 10 years???
I told her to write Rabbi Eidensohn. Like me, she has noticed that especially Chabads but also many of the Modern Orthodox shuls she has visited around the country (for singles events) are full of many women who are obviously not born Jewish, mainly Asian and Northern European but also many Latinas.
Obviously our Rabbis have not slowed down their pace of continuing to perform intermarriages under the false pretense of "converting" the Gentile woman. This has left thousands of wonderful Jewish women with no Jewish men to marry.
Either we will have to accept Jewish women who intermarry as readily as we have accepted all of the half Chinese and half Dutch "Goldbergs" or thousands of Jewish women will need to choose between single motherhood via the sperm bank or leaving Judaism altogether.
I wish that some of the Rabbis in Israel who decide halachic policy for the Jewish world (ie the decision NOT to declare Chabad a sect outside of Judaism) would take a tour of Chabad houses and look at the women who are there wearing sheitals. Most of them are obviously "converted" for marriage.
If the only criteria for being Jewish is wearing a sheital then there are hundreds of thousands of African Methodist Episcopalians that could be considered a "Lost Tribe", I guess.
So 'jersey girl' has another brilliant solution to the shidduch crisis....surprise!
ReplyDeleteOf-course it's all Chabad's fault...how could it be anything else?
When you finish explaining how the Farmland (treife) milk you're so proud to have been raised on, and the likely tens of neveilos you're so proud of having been fed (sure- the tzaddik shechting in your backyard on the farm did bedikos-pnim, chutz, and everything else...right), and how your recipe for solving the kashrus 'problems' 'crisis' etc. make any sense, then come tell us how to solve the shidduch crisis.
Oh, and if you have some extra time, could you please solve the economic crisis as well :-)
As an orthodox Jew, I ask only one thing:
Keep all your 'solutions' that violate the SA to yourself, please.
The person who sent this teshuva also requested the identity of the rabbi cited in this posting who gave a heter for a baalas teshuva to marry a cohen - or possibly the source the rabbi relied upon for his heter.
ReplyDeleteI know that R' Shlomo Amar and R' Bakishi Doron both have issued public psakim to this effect, however it all depends on the issues at hand.
I also know a couple in which R' Eliashiv issued a Psak allowing a B"T woman to marry a Kohen. Though he has written nothing publicly concerning the issue.
Overall my understanding is that it all depends on the individual woman, and in all cases a Dayyan(not just a Rav but a Dayyan as they are fluent in these laws specifically) or a halachic body such as the Vaad HaKohanim(under the direction of R' Eliashiv) should be consulted directly. Depending on the various issues of her being a Baalat Teshuva she may still be eligible to marry a Kohen. For instance some women are Baalat Teshuva later in life and some are before they are Bat Mitzvah.
The case in which I know that R' Eliashiv overturned the ruling of another Rav to allow a B"T woman to marry a Kohen, she was B"T from when she was 10yrs old. The initial Rav simply said no, however when R' Eliashiv investigated the matter more seriously he found that she was perfectly eligible to marry a Kohen.
These issues become more relevant as there are more and more B"T Kohanim who need to find spouses and because of their status as B"T are typically excluded from marrying FFB women.
Jersey Girl said...
ReplyDeleteLike me, she has noticed that especially Chabads but also many of the Modern Orthodox shuls she has visited around the country (for singles events) are full of many women who are obviously not born Jewish, mainly Asian and Northern European but also many Latinas.
Obviously our Rabbis have not slowed down their pace of continuing to perform intermarriages under the false pretense of "converting" the Gentile woman. This has left thousands of wonderful Jewish women with no Jewish men to marry.
While I may criticize Chabad on a number of issues, I do believe this one to be completely unjustified.
Personally I spent 8yrs in Chabad. In their Yeshivot, in their Chabad houses, on just about every level you can find within Chabad, and I never saw a Lubavitcher accept marriage as a valid reason for conversion, or be willing to marry such a couple, and I have seen plenty ask.
You may have a bone to pick with Chabad, personally I have several, however descending to speaking Shem Ra against them is ridiculous.
If the women are valid converts who attend singles events(and i could only see Chabad allowing a valid convert to attend) then what is the problem? Are they not Jewish enough? That in and of itself is against Jewish law.
Furthermore how do you know that someone who looks European(as most Ashkanzim do) or Latina(as many Sephardim do) or even Asian was not born Jewish? Have you forgotten the Halacha to Dan Kaf Zecut?
Or are you saying that Chabad actively allows non-Jews to attend their singles events? This again would be a shem ra. In all the years I was in Chabad I have never seen such a thing.
Though I cannot speak for the modern Orthodox, they too are Jews. If you are going to bring such accusations you need to bring solid evidence. These are serious recriminations that you are making against Rabbanim and if you want to make them you need to back them up.
I live in Florida. Attend one of Rabbi Shay Amar's singles shiurim, one of Rabbi Faivish Dalfin's events, or one of Rabbi Korf's (Hollywood), or one of Rabbi Sholom Lipskar's events and start asking questions of the attendees. More than half aren't Jewish, and they are very welcome.
ReplyDelete