Tamar Epstein's Heter: R Shalom Kaminetsky's letter asking for the heter and Rav Nota Greenblatt's teshuva giving the heter

 update: added transcript of Rav Greenblatt's psak

I received the letters of R Shalom Kaminetsky and Rav Greenblatt with permission to publish them. They are not the sharpest copies but ocr doesn't work.  There apparently are a number of different versions. Will publish the variations as I receive them.

I just received a set of letters from a different source today with full unconditional permission to publish them -  so I will be publishing them without the disclaimer required from the first person. The first person also said he could not send the letters from Rav Greenblatt while the second person could.

 It is clear from these letters that R Shalom Kaminetsky was shopping for a heter of mekach ta'os as requested by Tamar Epstein. It is also clear that Rav Greenblatt accepted without question what he was told were the facts of the case and he agreed to give a heter of mekach ta'os. There were no conditions - despite what Rav Greenblatt wrote last week in the letter I published (It is the last letter in this posting).

This letter of R Shalom Kaminetsky also makes an anonymous claim that Aharon was not only mentally ill but had threatened a girl that he had been engaged to before Tamar. Anyone who knows Aharon will realize the claim is a lie. He is not violent nor has he been violent. In all the years this divorce has been in beis din and courts and the public media - there has never been a claim that he is violent. They should have added that he steals candy from babies and throws old ladies down the steps for entertainment. The level that the Kaminetsky's and Tamar's allies stooped is really sickening.

Letters  of Rav Shalom Kaminetsky claiming Aharon is incurablely severely mentally ill and asking for a heter of mekach ta'os

Letters of Rav Nota Greenblatt accepting as fact what Rav Shalom Kaminetsky said and giving a heter for Tamar to remarry without a Get

Transcript of Rav Greenblatt's letter above

  

כ"ו תמוז תשע"ג

לכבוד הרב הגאון מגדולי מרביצי תורה מוהר"ר שלום קמנצקי שליט"א

ע"ד העגונה מרת תמר אסתר שתחי' שיושבת כן כה' שנים אחר שהרופאים החליטו שאין תרופה למחלת רוח של בעלה ומיד התחילה לעזבו ולעבור לבית אמה והבעל מסרב לתת לה גט עד עתה וכבוד אבי כת"ר הגאון שליט"א רוצה לדעת חות דעתי אם אפשר להתירה לינשא בלא גט משום דבודאי לא היתה מרוצה להתקדש לו אילו ידעה מזה.

הננני מסכים מצטרף להצטרף לעוד רבנים בעלי הוראה שיתירה. הרי רוב בעלי הוראה שבדורות האחרונים, שנשאו את אחריות ההוראה על שכמם, נזקקו לסברא של מקח טעות בכגון זה, וכמו שכת' כת"ר מכמה ספרי שו"ת כי קידושין כמו בכל קנינים בעינן דעת מקנה. האחד מגאוני ההוראה והוא מרן הגרי"א הנקין זצ"ל לא נזקק לביטול קידושין בשום מקרה וז"ל בספרו (פירושי איבר"א ס"א אות מ"ז) שהכל נכנסין לספק ונו' אפילו היה מבורר המום והצד השני לא ידע ממנו, וכתב עוד (וכן בעוד מקומות) צא ובדוק בש"ס רמב"ם וטוש"ע ולא תמצא בשום מקום למעשה ביטול קדושין משום מומין אפילו להצטרף לספק אחר יעו"ש, והנה חוץ מזה שלא מצינו אין ראי' שאין הדין כן, נ"ל שיש טעם לזה והוא דבזמנם כמעט לא היתה מציאות שכזו דהיינו למצוא מום אחר הנשואין שלא היה נראה מקודם שיוכל לבטל את הקידושין (אשר לאין לו גבורת אנשים ... הרבה פעמים מתרפא אחר זמן ואופן שלא שייך להתרפאות לא שכיח' ושלא כבזמננו וענינינו מחלות רוח שהרופאים מרפאים לכמה ויודעים למיני מחלות שאין להן תרופה כזו של הבעל - הנידון. חרי לא שייך שתדור עם נחש שמצער לה הרבה ובודאי לא חיתה נישאת לכזה.

והנה בחיי הגר"מ זצ"ל אירע כאן בעירי שאחד נשא אשה ושנה שנתים אח"כ חלתה האשה במחלת לב אנושה והבעל ברח ממנה, שהרופאים אמרו שהמחלה הזו היתה לה כבר כמה שנים אעפ"י שהיתה נראית בריאה ולא תוכל לחיות רק בניתוח מסוכן מאד מאד. בעזה"ש אחר הניתוח הוטב לה וחיתה כמה שנים. ומרן זצ"ל אמר לי שיש לדון משום מקח טעות דאין אדם שיתחתן למסוכנת שכזו, (אבל היו לו עוד צירופי היתר) ומקרה זה כגון בדידן לא שייך שיקרה בימים הקדמונים.

ה' יהיה בעזרה, שלא תשב בדד ושיהיה לח נחת רוח מבתה שתחי'.

והנני בזה דו"ש וכ"ת

נטע צבי גרינבלט

 

Letter from Rav Nota Greenblatt claiming the heter was only  theoretical and conditional
See post with translation and discussion of this letter

Popularity ln Philidelphia

 As readers of this blog are well aware there is an ongoing sensitive situation which I have written extensively about which involves a married woman remarrying without a get basically on the allegations of a psychologist and the respect a posek had for what he understood was the wish of a Godol HaDor. The out come is clearly against mainstream halacha. 

At the present the Gadol denies he had anything to do with it and the posek is no longer with us and no one is directly telling the married woman to separate from her second husband. 

I was recently informed that because of what I have posted on this blog I am very unpopular in Philadelphia

In short Torah is viewed as less significant than the reputation or the perceived slights to the reputation of a Gadol. Basically is this another example of the Angel Bakery boycott?

The issue is whether I should be more concerned with what they are saying in Philadelphia  or what the halacha says? Alternatively should I be more concerned with possibly be upsetting or being perceived to be insulting the Gadol or be faithful to Halacha?

Brooklyn rabbi who spent a decade on the run in Israel when he was accused of molesting two minor female relatives in 2010 appears in NYC court after being extradited

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12162593/Brooklyn-rabbi-fled-Israel-2010-accused-molesting-children-appears-court.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 

Gershon Kranczer, a Brooklyn rabbi and former Yeshiva school principal, was accused in 2010 of sexually assaulting at least two of his minor female relatives

How the Brooklyn DA Protects Orthodox Child Molesters (PART TWO)

 https://www.algemeiner.com/2016/08/30/how-the-brooklyn-da-protects-orthodox-child-molesters-part-two/

In the first part of this article, I explained how a year and a half ago, I made a public record request for the photos and arrest reports of 15 Orthodox men convicted of child molestation by the Brooklyn DA. The DA refused to give me any of the information that I requested.

Gesuntheit?

 Tosefta (Shabbos 7:5) One who says “good health” is an example of  Darchei Emori while Rabbi Eliezar  said not to say it becauses it interrupts Torah study. The followers of Rabban Gamliel did not say good health because of Darchei Emori

רבי עקיבא איגר מסכת ברכות דף נג עמוד א

מחצה על מחצה נמי מברך. עיין פר"ח יו"ד סימן קי"ד סק"ו.

רש"י ד"ה מרפא כו' שרגילים לומר כו'. והוא בפרקי דר"א פרק נ"ב מיום שנבראו שמים וארץ לא היה אדם חולה אלא אם היה בדרך או בשוק והיה עוטש ונשמתו יוצא מנחיריו עד שבא יעקב אבינו ובקש רחמים ואמר רבון כל העולמים אל תקח נפשי ממני עד שאצוה את בני ובנותי ונעתר לו לפיכך חייב אדם לומר בעטישתו חיים שנהפך המות הזה לאור שנאמר (איוב מ"א י') עטישותיו תהל אור.

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (52) From the day when the heavens and the earth were created no man was ill, (who) sneezed and lived, but in every place where he happened to be, whether on the way or in the market, and (when he) sneezed, his soul went out through his nostrils; until our father Jacob came and prayed for mercy concerning this, and he said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the worlds! Do not take my soul from me until I have charged my sons and my household; and He was entreated of him, as it is said, "And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick" (Gen. 48:1). || All the kings of the earth heard (thereof), and they wondered because there had been no one like him from the days when the heavens and earth had been created. Therefore a man is in duty bound to say to his fellow: Life! when the latter sneezes, for the death of the world was changed into light, as it is said, "His neesings flash forth light" (Job 41:18). 

שו"ת משנה הלכות חלק יב סימן קלז

ניחוש להמתעטש למשוך תנוך אזן 

לכבוד ידידי היקר וכו' הי"ו, אחדשה"ט. 

מה שהביא מנהג כשאדם מתעטש (ניס"ן בלע"ז או סני"ז) מושך תנוך אזנו. 

לפענ"ד אין זה מנהג ישראל ועכ"פ לאו מנהג ותיקין ובגמ' ברכות (נ"ג ע"א) אמרו של בית ר"ג לא היו אומרים מרפא בבית המדרש מפני בטול בית המדרש ועיין רש"י שרגילים לומר אסותא והוא בפדר"א פ' נ"ב מיום שנבראו שמים וארץ לא היה אדם חולה וכו' לפיכך חייב אדם לומר בעטישתו חיים שנהפך המות לחיים ע"ש ובגשה"ס ציין עליו ועיין יו"ד סי' רמ"ו סי"ז. והנה לומר אסותא שהוא לרפואה שמענו אבל מה לי משיכת האוזן ואין לעשות כן כי הוא מדרכי גוים.

דושה"ט בלב ונפש,

מנשה הקטן 

Criminals are using this stupidly simple tactic to send malicious links - and it's working

 https://www.techradar.com/news/criminals-are-using-this-stupidly-simple-tactic-to-send-malicious-links-and-its-working

However, cybersecurity researchers from Check Point Harmony Email have uncovered that some hackers are replacing all of that with a simple image. Instead of typing out a long email and risking being found out by typos or bad grammar, these attackers simply generate a promotional image - a flyer informing the recipients they’ve won a prize or are invited to participate in a some kind of competition.

2000-Year-Old Computer Discovered And Scientists Are Dumbstruck

 https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/tech/ancient-antikythera-computer.html

The Antikythera Mechanism, discovered in 1901 on a Roman-era shipwreck in Greece, has perplexed computer experts for centuries. This hand-powered instrument was a remarkable time-keeping device, using a wing-up system to track the sun and planets meticulously. This ancient marvel also functioned as a calendar, accurately monitoring the phases of the moon and eclipses.

New Security Warning Issued For Google's 1.8 Billion Gmail Users

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2023/06/05/google-gmail-problem-new-security-warning-sender-verification/?sh=1c2b7014e863

Introduced last month, the Gmail checkmark system highlights verified companies and organizations to users with a blue checkmark. The idea is to help users discern which emails are legitimate and which may have been sent by impersonators running scams. Unfortunately, scammers have tricked the system.

Lessons from the Israeli haredi boycott of Angel Bakery - analysis

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-745282

After about a month's hiatus, Angel Bakery’s bread is once again kosher for haredim.

Why? Did the bread behemoth suddenly change its recipe? Did it start greasing its pans with an ingredient that did not meet the mehadrin requirements of the ultra-Orthodox?

No, of course not. Angel Bakery's ingredients are as kosher now as last month and the month before that, going all the way back to the bakery's founding in 1927.

Anti-vaccine activism melded with US antisemitism

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-729992

 Because of rising anti-vaccine activism and some key global policy missteps, more than 70 years of global health gains are in danger of being eroded, according to a physician writing in the peer-reviewed Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal published by the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.

This phenomenon, wrote the author, is occurring through an “enabled and empowered anti-science ecosystem, with antisemitism and the targeting of Jewish biomedical scientists at its core.”

Entitled “Global Vaccinations: New Urgency to Surmount a Triple Threat of Illness, Antiscience, and AntiSemitism,” it was written by Dr. Peter Hotez of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Mother who served 20 years for killing her four babies pardoned

 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/04/australia/australia-kathleen-folbigg-attorney-general-hnk-intl/index.html

A woman condemned as Australia’s worst female serial killer has been pardoned after serving 20 years behind bars for killing her four children in what appears to be one of the country’s gravest miscarriages of justice.

New South Wales Attorney General Michael Daley intervened to order Kathleen Folbigg be freed, based on the preliminary findings of an inquiry that had found “reasonable doubt” as to her guilt for all four deaths.

Villain or heroine? New book documents the complex, astonishing life of Ruth Blau

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/villain-or-heroine-new-book-documents-the-complex-astonishing-life-of-ruth-blau/

In her 80 years on earth, Blau lived more lifetimes than would seem possible. Her stranger-than-fiction story winds its way from a stint in the French Resistance during World War II to serving as a spy in Morocco, going to prison for tax evasion, converting to Judaism twice, playing a key role in the kidnapping of a boy in Israel, a wildly controversial marriage to the founder of Neturei Karta and at least one meeting with Iranian ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Following Haredi boycott, Angel Bakeries apologizes for chairman’s Bnei Brak protest

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/following-haredi-boycott-angel-bakeries-apologizes-for-chairmans-bnei-brak-protest/

Following a month-long consumer boycott of Angel Bakeries by many ultra-Orthodox Jews, the chairman of the firm’s board apologized on Sunday for attending a rally last month in Bnei Brak in favor of national service by Haredim.

The apology Sunday by former public security minister Omer Barlev, who took up the top executive post at Angel Bakeries after leaving office, came in a letter that he left with his hosts following a shiva visit to the relatives of Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, the late leader of the Lithuanian stream of Ashkenazi Jews. Edelstein, a top adviser to the United Torah Judaism party, died last week at the age of 100.

Yaron Angel, one of the bakery’s owners, also joined the shiva visit alongside Barlev and left his own separate written apology.

Australian police reopen probe into Jewish school for allegedly helping Leifer flee

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/australian-police-reopen-probe-into-jewish-school-for-allegedly-helping-leifer-flee/

Australian police have reopened an investigation into whether a Jewish girls school in Melbourne helped former principal and convicted sex offender Malka Leifer flee to Israel after the allegations first surfaced 15 years ago.