Menachem Mendel

In this interesting responsum, Rabbi Yuval Cherlow explained why he didn’t tear his garment upon Rav Amital’s z”l death. Rabbi Cherlow was asked the following question.

Upon receiving an email last Friday about the death of Our Teacher Rav Amital zt”l, I rent my shirt (on the basis of my feeling and according to what I remember [that one rends their garment] on “bad tidings” and on [the death of] his main teacher).

At the funeral I saw that most of the students did not do so. I looked at the Rema on the Shulhan Arukh, YD 242:30-Hagah: At present, the central authority (rabbanut) is not dependent on whomever taught one pilpulim and hilukim (casuistry) that are common today, but rather only one who taught him practical halakhah and in-depth learning, and set him on the straight and truthful way. (Maharik Shoresh 169) In the Pnei Baruch 1:4.

Did I make a mistake, or perhaps the laws of mourning aren’t well-known?

Here is Rabbi Cherlow’s answer.

According to the plain halakhah it was appropriate to tear [one's garment].

Why didn’t I tear? I’ll tell you a story from my first year in yeshiva (this was thirty-five years ago, but it affects me until this day): They asked me to be the sheliah tzibbur [prayer leader] for minha. I started to approach the prayer lecturn, I put on a tallit, and since I learned in the Mishnah Berurah that the sheliah tzibbur should make a blessing on the tallit-I blessed. Rav Amital turned to me in a fury (פנה אלי בסערה), and reprimanded me (ונזף בי). He said that it is true that this is what’s written in the Mishnah Berurah, but ‘Your father didn’t do this [i.e. make the blessing], your grandfather didn’t do this, and I never saw anyone do this.’ Meaning, you have to also see what is the accepted behavior, and not be one of those who are questioning [behavior].

Not only this, but he is the one who impressed upon us the battle against external trappings, and the desire to do things as they are, and not because they seem like ritual acts. When it comes to a prominent halakhah, we do it without taking into consideration questions of the heart, and of course we try to direct the heart in the right direction, but they are dependent on each other. When it comes to other external things-the heart needs to accompany the truth. My mourning I keep inside, and I don’t let it out.

Posted on July 15th, 2010 under Customs, Jewish Law, Rabbinic Authority • RSS 2.0 feed • Both comments and pings are currently closed