Lo Titgodedu

From Halachipedia

There is a prohibition of creating factions among Jews when some Jews practice one law and others follow a different law.[1]

Background and reason

  1. Some say that the reason for this prohibition is that when some Jews follow one law and other another, it gives the appearance as though there were two Torah's.[2] Others, however, explain that the reason behind this prohibition is not to cause dispute between Jews. [3]

Applications

  1. Many poskim hold that there is a prohibition of Lo Titgodedu regarding a difference of minhagim.[4]
  2. Some say that there is no prohibition of Lo Titgodedu when it comes to praying according to one's family minhag of davening in a shul which is davening according to a different minhag.[5]
  3. There is a long discussion of whether it is Lo Titgodedu for some people in one minyan to wear Tefillin on Chol HaMoed and others not to. See Wearing Tefillin on Chol HaMoed.
  4. Regarding the practice of standing during Kriyat HaTorah, see Shulchan Aruch 146:4 and Sh"t Betzel Chachma 5:1.

Sources

  1. ↑ Gemara Yevamot 13b derives this prohibition of not making factions in Israel from the Pasuk of Lo Titgodedu (Devarim 25).
  2. ↑ Rashi (Yevamot 13b)
  3. ↑ Rambam (Avoda Zara 12:14)
  4. ↑ In the Gemara Yevamot 13b, Reish Lakish is recorded as saying that there is no prohibition of Lo Titgodedu regarding minhagim, Rabbi Yochanan however seems to disagree. See the Magen Avraham 493:6 who discusses as to what the conclusion of the gemara was. Rama 493:3 and many others hold that there is a prohibition of Lo Titgodedu regarding minhagim. See Yabia Omer O.C. 6:10:6. Chazon Ovadia Sukkot p. 353 leaves it as a safek. See also Rambam (Avoda Zara 12:14) who implies this. See Rabbi Zilberstien's sefer on Parshat Reeh who suggests that this question depends on the underlying reason of Lo Titgodedu discussed above.
  5. ↑ Yalkut Yosef (Tefillah v. 1 pp. 399-403), Yabia Omer O.C. 6:10 (see also Yabia Omer E.H. 6:14:6 regarding the logic he presents about how the disputes between Ashkenazim and Sephardim are long standing and do not pose a question of Lo Titgodedu like two bet din's in one city).
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