Brothers and Sisters in Silver Spring - Wake up! It is deal time for Tamar and you are messing it up big time

Some of you might be aware that the  Baltimore Beis Din  just issued an astounding courageous and honest apology for mistakes which have caused Aharon Friedman much grief. Some of you might have figured out that this is part of a push to persuade Aharon Friedman to give Tamar a Get - which she desperately wants and needs at this point. And you would be right.

So what are the sticking points? There are in fact simply two.

 1) Aharon wants his daughter in Silver Spring. Aharon has requested that Tamar move back to Silver Spring so he will be in close proximity to his daughter. Tamar in fact is willing to do so. However he is concerned that she will move back to Philadelphia  the day after she receives the Get. Fortunately the gedolim involved think they can solve that problem both halachically and legally.

2) Aharon wants his name and reputation restored. For many years Tamar, together with ORA, Rav Herschel Schachter and the Kaminetskys have been publicly slandering him and have done their best to make him a hated outcast. This despite that their actions clearly violated the halacha as stated by the Baltimore Beis Din. (In fact the halacha is that a Beis Din that issues a false seruv - which they clearly did - is itself considered to be in cherem.) Aside from the fact that Tamar never has had the halachic status of Aguna or Aharon having the obligation of giving a Get - they have arrogantly lied and deceived the public and apparently themselves as well.

They cooked up at psychiatric report which is such a basic violation of professional ethics that the author refused to have his name published because he probably would lose his license to practice if it became known. Tamar and the Kaminetskys were well aware that the report was full of lies and yet they ran around the world trashing Aharon as "a total lunatic" and someone who is incapable of marriage. They persuaded Rav Greenblatt to give a heter with false allegations. We are not talking about honest mistakes. We are talking about evil actions - done out of arrogance and a feeling of entitlement to destroy a man - in order to do a favor for the daughter of  a close donor and supporter.

Taking the menchlich formal apology of the Baltimore Beis as an example - the above individuals needs to publicly ask Aharon for forgiveness. The way it stands now - if Aharon gave Tamar a Get - Tamar would be viewed as a heroine for taking something she says she doesn't need and for being so brave all these years in her public fight as Aguna Number 1. This is incredibly perverse and a mockery of truth.

Sorry - but it is absolutely certain that she can not come out of this as the heroic victim. She is the source of all this evil and she needs to acknowledge it. Aharon would be perceived as simply giving into public pressure for giving the Get - but he would continue to be viewed as the vile man who cruelly tormented his wife for years. He wants the truth acknowledged that he and his daughter are the victims. He is not seeking revenge but simply yoshrus and simple justice.

However even if all the above is fulfill, Aharon tells me there is a major problem. Assuming that Tamar moves to Silver Spring with their daughter, the above publicly apologize and assuming Aharon gives a Get - what will life be like for Aharon the day after? 

The answer is it will still be hell for Aharon. The Silver Spring community has placed Aharon in cherem for not giving a Get. This despite being informed by the Baltimore Beis Din that he has no obligation to give a Get and that all sanctions and pressure are against halacha. They were formally sent the recent letter with a request to allow Aharon to enter into the shuls to be able to pray. This trivial request was rejected by these paragons of social justice and political correctness! Aharon tells me these "wonderful" people of Silver Spring will not even let their children play with his 8 year old daughter because he is in cherem. They are torturing his daughter because of their societal values which they view as being superior to Torah values. In fact there are only 2 families that have the elementary human decency not to harm his daughter.

If the Silver Spring community really wants Tamar to receive a Get - then starting this Shabbos they need to welcome Aharon Friedman and his daughter. They need to acknowledge that they were wrong in ostracizing him. If he is not made welcome then that is the end of the story - there is no Get and Tamar will be giving birth to a mamzer. Think about it!

Rav Zalman Nechmiah Goldberg to Rav Shalom Kaminetsky - Establish beis din to evaulate heter

Contrary to rumors which have been circulating Lakewood recently, Rav Goldberg has not given his approval to the heter.

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky: If Rabbonim say not to protest sin

אמת ליעקב (מלכים א' כב:מז). ויתר הקדש אשר נשאר בימי אסא אביו בער מן הארץ . 

עי' רש"י שהיו נוהגין ניאוף בפרהסיא, וכן פירש הרד"ק וכן בת"י. לכ' הדבר נפליא על התנהגות כזאת, אולם ראה בעקידת-יצחק שער כ', שכתב וז"ל: וכמה פעמים נתחבטתי על זה על אודות הנשים הקדשות שהיה אסורן רופף ביד שופטין ישראל אשר בדורנו ולא עוד אלא שכבר יאותו בקצת הקהלות ליתן להם חנינה ביניהם. גם יש שמספיקין להם פרס מהקהל כי אמרו כיון שמצילות את הרווקים או הסכלים מחטא איסור אשת איש החמור, או מסכנת הגויות, מוטב שיעבור על לאו זה משיבאו לידי אסור סקילה, או סכנת שריפה. ואני דנתי על זה פעמים רבות לפניהם ולפני גדוליהם .הסברתי להם שהחטא הגדול אשר יעבור עליו איש איש מבית ישראל בסתר ושלא לדעת הרבים וברשות ב"ד • חטאת יחיד הוא, והוא שבעונו ימות ע"י ב"ד של מעלה או מטה; וכל ישראל נקיים כמו שהיה עון פילגש בגבעה אם היו ב"ד שלהם מוסרין האנשים הרשעים ההם לבדם ביד ישראל. אמנם החטא הקטן כשיסכימו עליו דעת הרבים והדת נתנה בבתי דיניהם שלא למחות בו, הנה הוא זמה ועון פלילי וחטאת הקהל כלו ולא ניתן למחילה, אם לא בפורענות הקהל כמו שהיה בבני בנימן על השתתפם בעון, והוא היה עון סדום כמו שביארנו וכו', עכ"ל, עיי"ש ובשער צ"ז (והובאו דבריו בהק' לש"ש אות ת'). הרי שיתכן מצב שיתירו זנות בפרהסיא עם כל מיני טצדקי. ומסתמא נלחם יהושפט נגד תופעה זו שלא תהיה פרהסיא בהסכירו להם את גודל החטא כמו בעל העקידה.

Rav Herschel Schachter says Tamar's heter is not valid

At 33.5 minutes Rav Herschel Schachter starts talking about the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter and that it is invalid because the posek did not have the correct information. He also talks briefly about the problem with the Krauss Beis Din for Agunas, being criticized for questioning rabbinic competence and the necessity of rabbonim talking to each other.

Torah Web

The Proper Way to Ask and Answer Halachic Questions

Rav Avraham Yehoshua Soloveitchik: Condemns the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter

Update: audio recording click on link

מדברי מחאה של הגאון ר' א. י. סולובייצ'יק שליט"א

 ראש ישיבת בריסק 

 נפל דבר בישראל

באמריקה התירו אשת איש לשוק רח"ל בלא גט -

זהו נבלה ממש

וחוץ מעצם הענין שאין רצוני ליכנס בזה שהוא באמת חמור מאוד

הרי אף במקום שצריך ליכנס להתיר עגונות ישבו רבותינו האחרונים שבעה נקיים עד שהוציא פסק

וגם בזה לא היה להם די והתנו ההיתר בהצטרפות עוד גדולים

וכאן עושים כאילו הוא דבר של מה בכך

ורשעים במחשך מעשיהם התירו ולא התירו

כאן בארץ ישראל כשרצו להתיר שני ממזרים הפכו את העולם

חובה גמורה על הרבנים וראשי הישיבות באמריקא לזעוק צעקה גדולה  על זה

והרי זהו אחריות עצומה על כל המשך הדורות באמריקה כי זה פתח לכל מיני רבנציקעש שיוכלו לעשות ככל העולה על רוחם

הכל בא מהקולדז וכו'

ואסור ללמוד אצל ראש הישיבה כזה וכמבואר ברמב"ם על הרב שאינו הולך בדרך טובה

Rav Feivel Cohen rules heter is worthless and Tamar needs to separate from new husband

update: Rav Shlomo Miller added his agreement Rav Feivel's letter

This is the psak din and halachic ruling written by one of the most senior poskim in the Litvish American world. This is written after he went through all the details, and ruled very clearly that she has a obligation to separate from her new husband and needs a get from the first one.

It's k'dai to note, that Rav Elyashiv respected him, and relied on him on many subjects.

Rav Yitzchok Scheiner: Retracting a psak of Mekach Ta'us and publicly acknowledging a mistake had been made

Attached is a letter from R Yitzhak Scheiner to gedolim that requested that he account on paper his interaction with Rav Elyashiv at the time when another prominent Rav wanted to be matir with mekach ta'us. 

He writes that he was a messenger from R Aharon Shechter and R Feivel Cohen, he went in to him with the son of R Sholomo Miller in the name of his father. 

The most important part of this letter is, that the Rav actually retracted with dignity even though he was of the opinion that he was absolutely right. He ends of the letter with a plea, that everything should be done to be מתקן this פרצה!!!

The point of my posting the letter is to show that major rabbis eg., Rav Belsky did not have a problem of publicly retracting his psak when there was a major rejection of his psak of mekach ta'us by many rabbonim - not just Rav Eliashiv. That was a case where Rav Belsky thought he was correct. In the present case there is no evidence that the Kaminetskys or Rav Greenblatt still think their heter is valid - they simply are refusing to publicly retract or criticize it - despite universal condemnation of the heter. 

Followup letter to Rav Aharon Feldman regarding the Open Letter to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

In correspondence with the spokesman of the וועד להצלת כלל ישראל , he sent me the following letter he wrote to Rav Aharon Feldman as a followup to the Open Letter to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah that I published today. When I asked him about identifying who he is he responded:

I do not fear publicizing my name. I do feel, though, that it may take away somewhat from the message we are attempting to convey. How many naysayers  will emerge from the woodwork dissecting our network, our Rabbis, and our leadership with claims such as "who licensed you to represent our nation?" or "your Rabbis don't have Daat Torah, only my Rabbi does" etc. etc. 

Perhaps sign it Abraham S. without my last name. Anyone really interested can call and/or email and find out whatever there is to know.

Feel free to edit as you see fit.

thanks,

AS 

           914-340-4210

guardianofthenation@gmail.com

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From: "Klal Yisroel" guardianofthenation@gmail.com
Date: Dec 30, 2015 11:44 AM
Subject: Follow up to conversation Friday Dec 25
To: raf@nirc.edu

Rav Feldman Shlit"a,

By way of introduction, we are a group of people, numbering as of the now in the hundreds, whom this tragedy has brought to the realization that כלל ישראל in the US is headed down a slippery slope and if drastic action is not taken immediately, will reach a point of no return in the near future ח"ו. Our ranks are swelling daily, with people from all walks of life joining. Chassidim, Misnagdim, Sefardim, Yeshivaleit, Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbanim, lawyers, doctors, professionals in all fields, are all part of our group.

I write this correspondence in response to the three objections you raised to the "Moetzes letter" in a conversation we had this past Friday erev Shabbos Vayechi. I will address them one by one;

   

 1) You stated you were unsure whether you had looked Reb Shmuel in the eye whilst questioning his involvement in the Tamar Epstein Heter, to which I respond; is poetic license a phenomena frowned upon by Halakha? To the best of my knowledge, and that of our organization's Vaad haRabanim , the opposite is true, as anyone with knowledge of the rich history of the פייטנים the Jewish Nation has had throughout the years will attest to. Indeed, even שופרא דשטרא would fall into this category. So please excuse the possible inexactitude of that particular articulation. My apologies!

  

 2) I will address your third point before I get to the second one. Lest you suspect me of ignoring the words of Chazal in מסכת אבות פ"ה מ"ז and publicly declaring myself a גולם, this issue was also placed before the Vaad haRabanim. They all unanimously agreed that clarity of the message in so vital a correspondence, one that entails the משניות immediately following, i.e. the repercussions of המורים בתורה שלא כהלכה  in משנה ח'  about which it is written כי רבים חללים הפילה, the reason why גלות בא לעולם, גלוי עריות, etc., far outweigh the considerations of being perceived as a גולם. May that be part of my personal מסירות נפש for the הצלה of  כלל ישראל.

ארור מכה רעהו בסתר, EVEN IF Rabbi Kamenetzky is considered to be עושה מעשה עמך  and בכלל רעהו and that's a big if, is clearly not to be understood as someone who withholds his name whilst publicly attacking someone about whom לשון הרע is permitted, and if it is an instance where הלכות לשה"ר would not allow the attack to be made, disclosing the identity of the attacker makes not the slightest difference.

 3) As far as point number 2, that Reb Shmuel didn't lie to you, I am reminded of an episode I witnessed in Court when an attorney called the opposing litigant “a big fat liar". His opposite number objected. The judge sustained the objection on big and fat, however he overruled the objection on the word liar stating "if your client isn't lying somebody ought to teach me the new meaning of the word liar". I, as well as the hundreds of members of the group I represent, feel the same. Without delving into the exact definition of the word, if Rabbi Kamenetsky was not lying to you when he allayed your fears and reassured your esteemed self as well as Rav Schuchatowitz that he had no part in Tamar's heter, he wasn't exactly being truthful either. Was not the purpose of your trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia to ensure that the tragedy beginning to unfold in front of your eyes was fiction rather than truth? That it was surely impossible for a man of the stature of Rabbi Kamenetsky to allow this abomination to occur a couple of blocks away from the very room where you were sitting, engaging him in conversation. Were your greatest fears not dispelled by the Rosh Yeshiva's glib assurances? Did his slick tongue and persuasive talk not convince you that he was indeed innocent as hoped rather than guilty as suspected?

Surely you didn't leave that room still suspecting that Rabbi Kamenetsky was allowing an אשת איש to be מזנה on his watch, with his approval, for if suspicion still lurked in your mind how could you leave? No, you were convinced by Reb Shmuel's integrity and forthrightness as much as by his convincing words. Of course we were mistaken, how could we have even been חושד a גדול of such stature!

Rav Feldman, look yourself in the mirror. Do you still have those same thoughts and feelings? Or have they changed, at least somewhat? If they are different today than on that night in תמוז, how mistaken can our claim that Reb Shmuel lied be? If, however, your thoughts and feelings are the same today as they were then, perhaps you are being shielded, or maybe shielding yourself from the evidence that has come out in public, smoking gun after smoking gun, tying Reb Shmuel to this sordid affair, staining his hands and sullying his reputation for all eternity. Just some of the evidence;

1)       A letter written by his son, Sholom, sent to a number of Dayanim arguing for a Heter, ending with the following 

כל זה נכתב על ידי שלו' קמנצקי, והראתי את הדברים אל אאמו"ר הג"ר שמואל קמנצקי שליט"א, והסכים על הדברים, [וגם הוא שמע כל עדותו של הרופא המומחה יר"ש הנ"ל] וביקש ממני שאציע את הדברים לפני הגהר"ר נטע גרינבלאט שליט"א שהוא בקי בענינים אלו, הצעתי את הדברים לפני הגאון הנ"ל שליט"א ועבר על כל הנידון וגם על דברי שהצעתי לו, והסכים עם הדברים, וגם כתב תשובה להתיר האשה תמר תחי' לינשא, ושוב הצעתי את הדברים לפני אאמו"ר שליט"א ואמר: כדאי הר"ר נטע שליט"א לסמוך עליו להתיר אשה זו מכבלי עיגונה, והרשה לי לכתוב כן בשמו

2)      Another version of the same letter ending in

 ולכן כדאי ונכון להתיר העלובה הזאת לצאת מצרתה ומחבלי עיגונה, ומכיון שכעת אין הבעל מוכן לכתוב לה גט, אף שאין מן הצורך ע"פ דברינו הנ"ל, מותרת היא להנשא מטעם קידושי טעות.

כ"ז נכתב ע"י שלום קמנצקי והראתי את הדברים אל אאמו"ר הגאון ר' שמואל קמנצקי שליט"א ואישר אותי לחתום על הדברים שאכן כנים הם

3)      Testimony from a prominent Dayan whom Reb Shmuel approached, in person, over 2 years ago, and implored him to assist in being מתיר Tamar to remarry without a Get ר"ל

4)      Testimony from a chavrusa of another Dayan who was sitting in the room when Reb Shmuel called begging the Dayan to add his signature to Rabbi Greenblatt’s היתר.

This is just some of the evidence in our possession irrefutably tying Reb Shmuel to this outrageous scandal, there is plenty more in our possession which, due to its sensitive nature we are not disclosing at the moment. If however the need shall arise, we will not hesitate to put it out in the public arena.

 בכבוד רב

 Abraham S.

Spokesman

וועד להצלת כלל ישראל

I publicly challenge any of Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky's supporters to defend his actions in a guest post!

This scandal is becoming sicker and more disgusting by the day. The Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter gave Tamar Epstein permssion to commit adultery by remarrying without a Get. The embarrassing defense of the heter has been "we are gedolim how dare you insult us by asking for an explanation" It doesn't conern them that many gedolim have publicly denounced what they have done as a direct assault on the kedusha of the Jewish people because "we are gedolim". 

Rav Aharon Feldman - who initially led the campaign against the heter - now has taken a detour. He attacks the public discussion of this scandal - especially on blogs. But more pathetic -  instead of the cogent arguments he used when he criticized the heter - he is now saying that public exposure of the scandal is itself worse then committing adultery?! An assertion that has no basis in halacha. ( yes I know BM 58 - but that is clearly not relevant see Rambam hilchos de'os 6:8)

Now a letter has been released with the signatures of some of the many talmidim of Rav Kaminetsky. But instead of addressing the serious charges - they simple repeat "he is a gadol". As if that is a valid excuse for any questionable behavior.

I hereby challenge any of the great rabbis (or even little ones) - who are either supporting Rav Kaminetsky and Rav Greenblatt or are remaining silent - to produce a coherent teshuva regarding the facts and halacha of the heter. No more "I am a gadol and therefore don't need to explain" defenses.

If a husband doesn't give a Get does he transgress Lifnei Ivair if his wife commits adultery?

The claim was made recently that Tamar's husband is transgressing the prohibition of lifnei ivair (putting a stumbling block before the blind) by not giving Tamar a Get when she is committing adultery with her second husband. The claim seems ridiculous but what evidence is there in this matter?

The first point is what exactly does the prohibition (Vayikra 19:14) include? The verse is understood to mean to not give something to another person who will sin with it.  (If the person would be able to commit the sin anyway it is not the Torah prohibition of lifnei ivair - but it is prohibited by rabbinic decree.) Thus a nazir should not be given wine. If the person is not going to say a beracha -do not give him food (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 169:2). If he is a drug addict - don't give him money that will enable him to buy drugs. It also includes a prohibition about doing something which causes a sin as a reaction - such as a parent hitting an adult child when there is a possibility the child will react by hitting the parent. Finally there is a prohibition of giving bad advice.

Second points is - what if there is a loss by not giving the person the object. For example, if your business partner comes to your house and asks for food but you know he will not say a beracha or wash on bread(Chullin 107b). While the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 169:2) says not to give food - however Rav Moshe Feinstein (OC 5 13) says that if you stand to lose money because of not giving him food - there is no prohibition against giving it. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach says that if it causes hatred - then the food should be given. Rav Moshe also permits it if not giving causes a chilul hashem. Clearly we see in a normal situation that if it causes a loss by not giving it to the sinner - then it is permitted to give. Other example include: If someone steals your car - there is no obligation to give him the car to prevent him from sinning. If a person says that he will eat a ham sandwich if he isn't allowed to cut off someone arm - there is obviously absolutely no obligation to save him from sin at that price.

Third point: In the literature about divorce, I haven't found anyone who says that there is an obligation to give a divorce in a case where the wife threatens to commit adultery. There are clearly rabbonim who are worried about that happening - but this is not expressed as a concern that there will be a violation of lifnei ivair. Similarly if someone threatens to violate Shabbos if he isn't given an expensive present - there is no requirement to give in to the extortion to prevent sin.

Bottom line, I have not found any examples in the literature that lifnei ivair is invoked to require someone  to suffer a loss in order to prevent another person from sinning. If someone has such a case - please let me know. Rav Moshe Feinstein compares it to tochacha. One does not have to be beaten up or even be yelled at in order to prevent someone from sinning - and surely you do not have to suffer financial loss.

The only defense being presented for the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter is to attack me personally

It is obvious at this point that the only defense being made for the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter for Tamar Epstein to remarry without a Get - is to attack me personally. It is incredible that the disgusting reality that a young man and woman are committing adultery as the result of the guidance of two major talmidei chachom - is being ignored. The reality of the gross misuse facts and a psychological report does not concern them nor the danger to the proper halachic observance of marriage and gittin.

What clearly concerns the supporters of the the Kaminetskys and Rav Greenblatt is , "How dare I insult gedolim?" How terrible it is for me to publicly agree with a wide range of gedolim condemning this heter. What a terrible person I am because I don't accept someones mistaken understanding of Daas Torah and comply with every word and imagined word that is claimed to have been said by a godol. How dare I write anything which offends anybody? How dare I provide legitimate sources and proofs which contradict gedolim?

I am giving notice that henceforth - I will not be publishing comments that personally attack my frumkeit, my editorial policy or anything else about me. I will no longer  be spending many hours defending what I am doing in the vain hope that the enraged supporters of the Kaminetskys and Rav Greenblatt actually might learn about the plague of corruption and lies that that his heter has set off.  

As in the Tropper scandal - when a similar approach was tried to defend Tropper - all complaints about what I am doing should be referred to Rav Moshe Sternbuch. While I don't want his precious time wasted - it is clear that there is no chance that anyone on a lower lever is capable of responding properly.

Rav Aharon Feldman's latest official letter regarding the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter

Update: I personally found Rav Feldman last 2 letters to be incoherent and lacking a basic lack of understanding of  what is going on. They are in such utter contrast to the first letter that if it weren't for his specific validation of the letters as being genuine - I would say (and did say they were written by a different person. 

While trying to decide the appropriate reaction to these letters, I received the following note from a major talmid chachom and posek. He is viewed in the Torah world as being Rav Feldman's clear superior in psak halacha and Torah knowledge. He has independently investigated the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter and has declared it worthless. This is his reaction to Rav Feldman's letter:

We are doomed.

May the good Lord have mercy on us.

I have searched and re-searched--I am looking for the bizayon haTorah.

There was bizayon haTorah here--but he's mixed up about who perpetrated it.

And to say that bizayon haTorah in this case is worse than aishes ish---

We are doomed,doomed,doomed.

Outrage over Tamar Epstein's Heter continues: Letter signed by Rav Chaim Konievsky and other gedolim against heter

;
Rav Chaim Kanievsky 

Rav Sariel Rosenberg 

Rav Yehuda Silman 

Rav Nissim Karelitz

Rav Chaim Wosner 

Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern 

Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein







Received this from Machon Taam V'Daas

This has appeared in a large number of Hebrew publications (Including a second version of the letter that appeared earlier)

bhol       .ladaat.info/     kooker     kikar

היהדות החרדית בארה"ב ובעולם סוערת בתקופה האחרונה בעקבות 'היתר' שניתן לאשה בארה"ב להינשא לשוק בלא גט פיטורין כדין מבעלה הראשון, בטענה שהקידושין הראשונים התבטלו מדין 'מקח טעות'. תקופה קצרה לאחר נתינת ההיתר, רב סידר לה קידושין בארה"ב עם יהודי.

כזכור, גדולי הפוסקים וראשי הישיבות פרסמו מכתבי מחאה חריפים כנגד ההיתר, כאשר את המאבק מובילים מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א, ואתו עמו הגאון הגדול רבי אהרן פלדמן שליט"א חבר מועצת גדולי התורה בארה"ב וראש ישיבת נר ישראל בבולטימור.

בחשיפה ראשונית, מתפרסם כעת מכתבם של מרנן ורבנן גדולי ישראל שליט"א - מרן הגר"ח קניבסקי שליט"א, ומרן הגר"נ קרליץ שליט"א, ומרנן הגאונים רבי יצחק זילברשטיין שליט"א, ורבי חיים מאיר וואזנר שליט"א , שהוסיפו את חתימתם על מכתבם של הרבנים הגאונים רבי שריאל רוזנברג שליט"א ורבי יהודה סילמן שליט"א, שכתבו דברים חריפים ביותר כנגד ה'היתר'. (המכתב מצורף).

במקביל, בארה"ב פורסם בימים האחרונים מכתבם החריף של גדולי הרבנים בארה"ב וקנדה, אשר כתבו בתוך דבריהם שעפ"י מקורות חז"ל יתכן ש'היתר' זה עומד בעוכרינו וגורם לסכנה גדולה מחרב בני ישמעאל המונף על בני ישראל - "כהיום יש סכנה לכלל ישראל מחרב בני ישמעאל, ויש שואלים על איזה חטא בא צרות כאלו, ולא נביא אנוכי ולא בן נביא, אנא מתניתא ידענא, חרב באה לעולם על המורים בתורה שלא כהלכה, ואין לך מורים בתורה שלא כהלכה יותר מזה שמתירים אשת איש לעלמא בלי שום גט"

על המכתב חתומים הגאון הגדול רבי שלמה מילר שליט"א ראש הכולל בטורונטו, הגאון הגדול רבי אלי' דב וואכטפוגל שליט"א ראש ישיבת זכרון מנחם סאוט פאלסבורג, והגאון הישיש משה גרין שליט"א ראש ישיבה דמאנסי.

Tamar Epstein's Heter: Was Rav Greenblatt negligent for paskening solely on therapists' conclusion endorsed by Rav Kaminetsky? What is Psak?

 yybt sent me the following letter. It is clear from all of the rabbis protest letters that  Rav Greenblatt was severely criticized for issuing this psak and relying on it to marry Tamar to a second husband. Rav Greenblatt insists however that he did nothing wrong. Were Rav Greenblatt's actions clearly wrong and irresponsible? What was he required to do in establishing the facts.

Does the posek have a responsibity to ascertain that the facts are true or does a psak mean - "assuming the facts are true  - then this is the halacha?" 

If the latter is the answer - what happens when it is clear that the facts are not true - does that automatically invalidate the psak? Was Rav Greenblatt's heter always null and void because it was based on a lie? Or does it require a statement of retraction or nullification after he examines evidence that the facts are not true. 

If the posek does need to ascertain the truth of the facts  - when can he rely on experts and when does he need to know himself? 

If a posek declares the husband dead, is he in fact halachically dead - even if in reality he  is alive?

Additionally is there a different answer depending on the case? Are cases involving a gain to one person and a loss to another different than cases involving only the person himself? Or is it different when there might be a serious sin or great financial loss, but not for minor issues or insignificant financial loss? What if he knows the psak he received is wrong - can he rely on it anyway?

Finally, when a person sins as the result of relying on a psak - does he need to do teshuva? Does the posek who errs need to do teshuva? Or this to be viewed as an example of hashgocha protis and therefore the posek and the receiver of the psak are not responsible.

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 I think I might be part of the younger generation. But I always had this daas Torah dilemma, are you supposed to be totally mekabel or can you question respectfully?  I personally think there is a healthy balance,  meaning naaseh vnishma. First be mekabel and then try understanding.

But with this tamar heter I had a query.  There are 2 types of ways rabbanim answer shailas. One is whatever you ask that's what he answers. The other trys to probe every detail and is very careful to answer. I have seen and heard stories with both these approaches.

I have a very hard time questioning big talmidei chachamim. They actually know and I don't. And they have a life of experience and shimush. So with R Nata it's definitely like that since I know his gadlus and wouldn't doubt it. But I do have questions. It seems R Nata answered whatever was asked to him. Thats not as hard to understand. But I do have trouble understanding how R Nata could have married her off without properly investigating to know for sure she was able to marry bheter?!

To end off, Do rabbanim have to probe every detail to answer or is it the questioners responsibility?

I was thinking of that "famous " story of R Moshe on the bracha for pizza. Someone asked on bread with cheese and sauce and he poskened hamotzi, and the other asked on a cracker with sauce and cheese and R Moshe answered mezonos. By here it doesn't seen R Moshe asked further or investigated the matter. 

Also by the inyan of electricity R Shlomo Zalmon investigated thoroughly and R Elyashiv didn't so they came out with different psakim. don't think R Elyashiv himself studied electricity.