Rav Moshe Sternbuch strongly condemns the heter given to Tamar Epstein to marry without a Get

[update - added English translation]

A person who has known Rav Sternbuch for many years told me that he has never seen Rav Sternbuch as outraged about an issue as he is about this "heter".

In Rav Sternbuch's letter he refers to a teshuva which was written to justify the "heter". He said that while he can mention it because he was given the teshuva   - but it can not be publicized without permission of the author.

Rav Sternbuch's letter was distributed by an organization Taam V'Daas that added the following explanation.

מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך במכתב חריף כנגד היתר הלכה מפוקפק להתיר אשת איש בלא גט רח"ל – "היא אשת איש לכל דבר והוולד ממזר"

סערה בעולם היהודי: רב באמריקה הנפיק היתר מחודש לאשה נשואה שבעלה סרבן גט, להשתחרר מכבלי העגינות בלא גט בטענת 'מקח טעות' וזאת על אף שהאשה קיימה חיים רגילים עם הבעל תקופה ארוכה כאשר במהלך חייהם המשותפים גם נולדה להם בת * מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך במכתבו "אין לי מנוחה שאין שומעים מחאה על כבוד ה' ותורתו: * "לדעת רבנים אלו נאמר כן ח"ו אף בהרבה גיטין שהאשה מביאה חוות דעת מרופאים שסובל וסבל ממחלת נפש, וזהו הירוס הדת וקלקול דיני אישות בישראל" * את דבריו החריפים חתם הגר"מ בפסק הלכה לפיו "היא אשת איש לכל דבר והוולד ממזר" * 

סערה בעולם היהודי: רב באמריקה הנפיק היתר מחודש לאשה נשואה שבעלה סרבן גט, להשתחרר מכבלי העגינות בלא גט, הנימוק להיתר הוא מדין 'מקח טעות', וזאת על אף שהאשה קיימה חיים רגילים עם הבעל תקופה ארוכה אשר במהלך חייהם המשותפים גם נולדה להם בת. 

 ה'היתר' המחודש ניתן לאשה כמובן באורח נדיר מתוך התחשבות במצב האשה העגונה הכבולה בכבלי עגינות זה חמש שנים, ובעלה מסרב לתת לה גט.

פרטי המקרה הגיעו לאוזני מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א, שמיהר לפרסם את מחאתו החריפה כנגד ההיתר המחודש להפקיע קידושין לאחר חיים משותפים כמה שנים בלא גט, ואף התבטא במכתב החריף "אין לי מנוחה שאין שומעים מחאה על כבוד ה' ותורתו".

את האיגרת פותח מרן הגר"מ בפרטי המציאות - "בדבר מה שנתפרסם כאן פסק של אחד מגדולי ראשי הישיבות באמריקה עם אחד מהפוסקים שם שהתיר רח"ל בלא גט אשה שכבר חיה יחד עם בעלה תקופה, וכבר יש לה ילד ממנו, ועכשיו לדעת הרופא הוא סובל ממחלת נפש שהייתה בו כבר קודם, והם פסקו שנתברר שזהו מקח טעות ויכולה להינשא מיד, וסידרו לה חופה וקידושין בלא גט".

במהלך המכתב נמנע מרן הרב שטרנבוך להתייחס לצדדי ההלכה בעניין, מתוך נימוק מעניין - "שמעתי מפי מרן הגאון דבריסק זצ"ל שכשיש תקלה אוסרים בלי נימוק, שאם מפרש טעם דוחין אותה, וגם כאן לא באתי אלא לחזק מי שמוחה ומקדש שם שמים ששכרו רב מאוד".  

את עיקר מכתבו הקדיש מרן הגר"מ לסכנת הפרצה העלולה לצאת מכך, וכפי שכתב – "בדרך זו יכולים לקלקל כל דיני אישות בישראל, ולדוגמא חולה סרטן רח"ל שתמיד המחלה מקוננת בגופו הרבה לפני שמתברר, נאמר שהוא מקח טעות, וכן כמוהו באלפי מקרים, ובהרבה גיטין האשה מביאה חוות דעת מרופאים שסובל וסבל ממחלת נפש, ולדעת רבנים אלו נאמר שלא צריכה גט ח"ו, וזהו הירוס הדת וקלקול דיני אישות בישראל.

בסיום דבריו הוסיף הגר"מ כי מעיקר הדין היה ראוי לקרוע קריעה על סילוף דין תורה -

"ובשעתו כשרב אחד מהלאומיים התיר ממזר דרש בעל ה"מנחת יצחק" הגרי"י וייס זצ"ל שהתאספו יחד החרדים לדבר ה' וישבו על הארץ וכולם קרעו קריעה כדין.

ובגמ' בקידושין י"ג ע"א מבואר שכשמתירים אשת איש שלא כדין הקב"ה בכעס ומעניש יותר מדור המבול עד כדי שאפילו דגים שבים נכרתים".

את דבריו חתם מרן הגר"מ בקריאה כי "חייבים בית ישראל לפרסם שאין לפסקם שום יסוד, והיא אשת איש לכל דבר והוולד ממזר".

יצויין, כי בימים אלו כבר חתמו כמה רבנים באמריקה מכתב מחאה וקול קורא כנגד ההיתר המחודש, דבר שעומד להתפרסם בימים הקרובים. 

[my unauthorized translation]

Rav Moshe Sternbuch

Protest against heter for Tamar Epstein to remarry without a Get

This is in regards to the recently publicized psak of one of the gedolim (an American rosh yeshiva) together with an American posek. The psak freed a woman from marriage without a Get despite the fact that she had lived with her first husband for an extended period of time and she had born a daughter from him. But now a therapist claims that the husband suffers from mental illness that had existed prior to their marriage. Therefore these two rabbis paskened that they had determined that the marriage was a mistake (mekach ta'os) and that therefore the woman was free to marry immediately without needing a Get. And in fact they [the posek] officiated at a wedding for her without her receiving a Get.

And I saw the teshuva that "freed" her. I hate to say this but the teshuva is total nonsense. Taking the approach of this teshuva it is possible to destroy the whole framework of halachic marriage. For example, if a spouse is found to have cancer – something which begins to develop a long time before it is discovered by the doctors – it would be possible according to the logic of this teshuva to declare that the marriage is a mistake (mekach ta'os) and thus never existed. Similarly there are thousands of other cases of problems that develop prior to marriage but are only discovered after marriage. 

In fact in many cases of divorce, the wife brings a therapist's opinion to beis din, that the husband suffers from mental illness that was a pre-existing condition. Therefore according to the view of these two rabbis there would be no need for a Get (G-d forbid!) in those cases! Such an approach is destructive to Judaism and uproots the basic laws governing Jewish marriage. And this that they claim that they are merely basing themselves on the views of Rav Moshe Feinstein – that is total nonsense. The present case is not comparable to Rav Moshe's cases. But this is not the place to go into the details.

When a certain Religious Zionistic rabbi declared the he had found a heter for  a person who had the status of a mamzer to marry, the Minchas Yitzchok (Dayan Weiss) gathered the people together and they sat on the ground and tore their clothing as a sign of mourning. It is explained in Kiddushin (13a) that when a married woman is declared to be free of her married status against the halacha, G-d becomes very angry and brings about punishment which is greater than that of the Generation of the Flood. To the degree that even the fish in the sea are destroyed.

It is important, therefore that it be publicized that the heter of these rabbis for her to remarry is totally worthless and has no basis. Consequently she is still married to the first husband in every respect and therefore any children born from her relation to the second husband are clearly mamzerim. I have no peace of mind because I have not heard protests against this false heter - which is against G-d's honor and His Torah.

I heard from the Brisker Rav that when there is a serious problem that it be  dealt with by  issuing a categorical prohibition without giving detailed explanations. That is because if a reason for the objections are given, then it is possible for someone to argue and say they are wrong. Therefore also in this case, I am not coming forth except to encourage he who protests the heter and sanctifies G-d's name.  His reward is exceedingly great.

Bombers, molesters & rabbinic guidance with seichel & derech eretz

The purpose of this post is to try and clear up a number of issues from a previous post relating to substance and form of dealing with gedolim and sensitive halachic issues - as well as the need for respect and derech eretz for others - even when you disagree with them.

As most of my readership is aware - I have recently published a 2 volume book dealing with the very sensitive subject of child and domestic abuse. It deals with very sensitive halachic issues such as rodef, mesira, lashon harah. This project was done with the strong encouragement Rav Moshe Sternbuch. While Rav Sternbuch did not read through the material before it was published - we did have a number of discussions. When I asked him to write a teshuva on the material he said simply that I should a write a summary of what we had talked about it and he would review that summary - which he did by carefully reading and annotating and correcting the summary. That corrected material has been included in the book.

It was clear that care needed to be taken in presenting material to him to make sure I presented the context correctly and that I understood the context of his comments. One case which I documented in a post - was when certain chasidim came to me because of their concern with my posting about the Tropper case which they were heavily involved. When they asked him about writing about this while he was walking to Mincha- he told them he saw no need to be involved in the subject. They gleefully pointed out that they had just gotten a psak that I should not write anymore about Tropper and that if I respected Rav Sternbuch's Daas Torah than I should cease and desist from further posting on the subject. I was clearly puzzled by Rav Sternbuch's comments since he had clearly indicated the importance of my writing and publicizing the issue. After Mincha I asked him to clarify his negative comment he had made to the chassidim and the positive comment that I had received. He expressed surprise that I was puzzled. He said he thought he was answering the chassidim what he felt they should do concerning their involvement in the matter while the positive comments were regarding what I should do.

I'd like to address the reason for this post. Franks comments regarding the very serious issue of what to do when faced with a possible life threatening situation - do you need to ask a rabbi's permission to call the police. We are dealing with a case of where there is a real possibility of immediate danger of delaying reporting to the police - in such a case Rav Sternbuch told me one should call the police first.

Frank commented on a previous post about the Santa Monica bomber said...

Micha: Rav Shternbuch specifically said it may only be reported to the authorities in a case where we can determine with certainty that the accused is guilty prior to such reporting. Yes, I have it first hand from Rav Shternbuch. You can ask him directly if you seek to truth.

The above comment is misleading - possible deliberately so. There are a wide number of scenarios that could fit into Franks assertion. (I am assuming that Rav Sternbuch stated what Frank claimed - though it is possible he misunderstood what Rav Sternbuch said.) I am thus questioning what Rav Sternbuch meant to say. For example 1) Did he think that there needs to be 100% certainty or just a reasonable possibility as opposed to merely suspecting that the person was guilty? 2) how likely did Rav Sternbuch think that there might be danger of delaying calling the police? 3) how serious a crime is the person suspected of committing? Are a serial killer treated the same as someone who drives without a driver's license? 4) Is the guilt or innocence readily established by a rabbi or does it need professional expertise. There are a number of other possibilities

Finally Frank tossed in a gratuitous insult "You can ask him directly if you seek the truth" A sneering statement which reveals a basic contempt for me and an assumption that I am not concerned with truth - at least not as much as Frank is.

In sum I stand by my original statement - in the case of the Santa Monica Bomber - one should call the police rather than a rabbi when the bomber was identified and there was even the slightest chance that he might escape or hurt someone i.e., perhaps he had another bomb with him. In addition in reporting molesters or other dangerous people - if there is a possibility that someone will be hurt by the delay or that the rabbis are not qualified to investigate - the police should be contacted.

And yes I did send a letter to Rav Sternbuch with a request for confirmation of my understanding of what to do in a question of doubt in a dangerous situation. If his view differs from what I have understood in the past - I will publicize his answer.

Dybuk: Accusations against me are based on a forged document

הרב יצחק בצרי
כבר בורר שאתה לא הולך על פי דברי גדולי ישראל בגלל אתה מקיים
בלוג, ולא רק בלוג סתם אבל בלוג מלא אם שקר ולשון הרע. עכשיו גם בורר שאתה  שקרן. הכל שרוצה לדעת את האמת צריך רק ללכת לישיבתנו ישיבת השלום איפה הם
יכולים לראות הפסק דין עם חתימת הרה"ג שטרנבוך שליט"א שהוא נתן לאמהרה"ג
המקובל הצדיק יסודי עולם דוד בצרי שליט"א. תגיד לנו הרה"ג שטרנבוך שליט"א
נתן לך רשות לשקר בשמו

I received the following letter  purportedly from Rabbi Yitzchok Batzri which falsely states that my blog is full of lies and lashon harah and  that in particular I am a liar in claiming that Rav Sternbuch's view is that the so called dybuk is a manifestation of mental illness. He claims that he has the letter in his yeshiva with Rav Sternbuch's signature that he claims Rav Sternbuch gave to Rabbi David Batzri. He demands to know whether Rav Sternbuch gave me permission to lie in his name.


I asked Rav Sternbuch tonight at his grandson's bar mitzva about this "letter". He responded angrily that it is a forgery. If the letter writer has any interest in the truth - he can simply call  Rav Sternbuch and hear for himself.  I don't know who created this forgery but Rav Sternbuch said he did not sign such a letter. It is a shame that this letter writer who claims to be  Rabbi Yitzchok Batzri feels the need to be abusive and  to attempt to slander me when all he had to do was pick up the telephone and be told by Rav Sternbuch that my words are accurate.

It has been suggested that the above letter is quite likely from a troll i.e., it is fake letter sent by someone who is just trying to cause irritation and who feels important by intimidating others. That is definitely possible but there is also no question that Rav Dovid Batzri has the phony letter purportedly from Rav Sternbuch and believes it to be genuine.

I was just informed that Rav Yitzchok Batzri was contacted last night by a member of Rav Sternbuch's family and he was asked about the letter purported to be from Rav Sternbuch about the dybuk. He said he did not have any such letter.  Thus the above letter is phoney. 

Kaminetsky-Greeenblatt supporters can only defend themselves with lies and crude forgeries

update: Rav Feldman has validated the below letter - though insisting that he is still opposed to the heter - which isn't clear from the letter itself.
http://daattorah.blogspot.co.il/2016/01/rav-aharon-feldmans-latest-official.html


The Kaminetsky-Greenblatt supporters have so far failed to produce any valid justification for the heter given to Tamar Epstein. Instead they are producing lies and forgeries. The claim by the Kaminetsky family that Rav Shlomo Miller had retracted was refuted by a lettery by Rav Miller himself. Now a letter has been posted in Lakewood claiming that Rav Feldman regrets writing a letter criticising the heter. It is a crude imitation and obviously a forgery. Why don't they simply admit the heter was a major mistake?

Chazon Ish: Lashon harah about gedolim is required - if there is to'eles

I was recently told that it is prohibited to say anything negative about a talmid chachom - even if true. Obviously my critic disagrees with the Chazon Ish

Rabbi Alfred Cohen - “Privacy – Halacha and Contemporary Society April 1981 page 68). It is told about Rabbi A. I. Karelitz, known as Chazon Ish (1878-1953). that he loved to reminisce about "gedolim" (outstanding Torah scholars and leaders). and incidents in which they played a role. Now, the Chazon Ish was well-known as a person who had spent decades closeted in his study, filling every minute of every day for years, engrossed solely in learning Torah. How then, could he waste his time in idle chitchat about other Rabbis? But he explained that we learn not only from the formal legal opinions published by brilliant Talmudists, but equally from their casual conversations and from their reactions to ordinary human occurrences. And if sometimes even a revered leader fell short of the ideal in his actions, the Chazon Ish did not hesitate to relate that as well - so that the masses would not blindly follow. (Interestingly, however, one time a visitor launched into a story about a certain public official, and the Chazon Ish held up his hand to stop him. "No, no," he admonished, "that person is by no means a Gadol, and to talk about him is certainly not allowed; it is only gossip."[ 15. This is a personal experience ot the Chazon-lsh’s grandnephew, as related to this writer. The Chazon lsh in one of his letters (2:133) notes that once his Shabbat was disturbed since he feared he had spoken evil against a scholar, but assures the reader that it had to be said for one is obliged to know the ways of scholars. However, he admonishes his audience not to add on even an extra word lest he be speaking evil talk against a Torah scholar. ]

Chazon Ish(2:133):Knowledge about a talmid chachom who shapes yiddishkeit is similar to that of an artisan. Just as one is permitted to convey accurate information about an artisan if there is to'eles so it it permitted to reveal information about a gadol if there is to'eles. Of critical importance is to be totally accurate otherwise it is slander. This implies that expressing negative information about others is relevant for those who are considered influential authorities – in order to understand the degree to rely on them.

Florida confirms it sent migrants to California amid Newsom-DeSantis feud

 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4037722-florida-confirms-it-sent-migrants-to-california-amid-newsom-desantis-feud/

The Florida Division of Emergency Management on Tuesday confirmed the state was behind recent migrant flights to California amid a growing feud between the Golden State’s Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the Sunshine State’s Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

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.