Which Mitzvot Take Precedence?: Difference between revisions
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===Giving Up One's Hiddur Mitzvah to Enable Someone Else's Mitzvah=== | ===Giving Up One's Hiddur Mitzvah to Enable Someone Else's Mitzvah=== | ||
# If a person has an opportunity to either fulfill a mitzvah in the most ideal fashion himself or help another person fulfill the mitzvah on a basic level but sacrifice his ideal mitzvah and only fulfill a basic mitzvah, it is preferable to do the basic mitzvah and enable another Jew's mitzvah.<ref>Magen Avraham 658:12 writes a case in which a person has a personal etrog that he could use for the mitzvah and another town doesn't have any etrog. If he could still borrow an etrog for someone in his town and fulfill his basic mitzvah he should donate his etrog to the other town.</ref> This applies whether he is enabling many people to do a mitzvah or just an individual.<ref> The [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=628&pgnum=166 Bet Yakov 114] posits that this is only true if his donation would enable many more Jews to fulfill a mitzvah, but if it is a choice between keeping his etrog or donating it to an individual who otherwise couldn't fulfill the mitzvah at all and him just borrowing, it is better to keep his own etrog. His logic is based on the answer of Tosfot Shabbat 4a that one can do a minor sin to help out a multitude of Jews. The Eliya Rabba 658:12 disagrees and thinks that it is always best to donate the etrog to enable another Jew's mitzvah even if it is an individual Jew as long as he could still borrow an etrog. He adds that this is only true if that individual wasn't negligent. Furthermore, regarding chanuka candles, the Magen Avraham 671:1 comments that it is better to give up some of one's oil for another Jew to fulfill the basic mitzvah even if that means he too will fulfill the basic mitzvah as opposed to him selfishly doing the enhanced mitzvah himself. Chemed Moshe 671:2 disagrees with the Magen Avraham's application in Chanuka because he holds it is in fact mandatory to light according to the number of the night. Chazon Ovadia Chanuka p. 23 sides with the Magen Avraham and quotes that most poskim agree with the Magen Avraham including Yad Aharaon, Chayei Adam 154:48, Moed Lkol Chay 27:48, Bet Ovad 671:5, and Mishna Brurah 671:6.</ref> | # If a person has an opportunity to either fulfill a mitzvah in the most ideal fashion himself or help another person fulfill the mitzvah on a basic level but sacrifice his ideal mitzvah and only fulfill a basic mitzvah, it is preferable to do the basic mitzvah and enable another Jew's mitzvah.<ref>Magen Avraham 658:12 writes a case in which a person has a personal etrog that he could use for the mitzvah and another town doesn't have any etrog. If he could still borrow an etrog for someone in his town and fulfill his basic mitzvah he should donate his etrog to the other town.</ref> This applies whether he is enabling many people to do a mitzvah or just an individual.<ref> The [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=628&pgnum=166 Bet Yakov 114] posits that this is only true if his donation would enable many more Jews to fulfill a mitzvah, but if it is a choice between keeping his etrog or donating it to an individual who otherwise couldn't fulfill the mitzvah at all and him just borrowing, it is better to keep his own etrog. His logic is based on the answer of Tosfot Shabbat 4a that one can do a minor sin to help out a multitude of Jews. The Eliya Rabba 658:12 disagrees and thinks that it is always best to donate the etrog to enable another Jew's mitzvah even if it is an individual Jew as long as he could still borrow an etrog. He adds that this is only true if that individual wasn't negligent. Furthermore, regarding chanuka candles, the Magen Avraham 671:1 comments that it is better to give up some of one's oil for another Jew to fulfill the basic mitzvah even if that means he too will fulfill the basic mitzvah as opposed to him selfishly doing the enhanced mitzvah himself. Chemed Moshe 671:2 disagrees with the Magen Avraham's application in Chanuka because he holds it is in fact mandatory to light according to the number of the night. Chazon Ovadia Chanuka p. 23 sides with the Magen Avraham and quotes that most poskim agree with the Magen Avraham including Yad Aharaon, Chayei Adam 154:48, Moed Lkol Chay 27:48, Bet Ovad 671:5, and Mishna Brurah 671:6.</ref> | ||
# The poskim discuss how this concept differs from another known concept that a Jew should not sin in order to prevent another Jew from sinning (Shabbat 4a). Why isn't it considered sinning to aid another Jew to minimize one's mitzvah? Some answer that it is permitted to minimize one's mitzvah for another Jew's religiosity and it is only forbidden to sin in order to help another Jew.<ref>Shevet Halevi 6:36 from [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=43673&st=&pgnum=79 Sdei Chemed Aleph 257 Peot Hasadeh 57] writes that we say that a person should miss out on mitzvah in order to save his friend and the gemara was only saying you can’t sin to save your friend but to miss a mitzvah you certainly can. Shevet Halevi rules that way in order to say that you should go to do kiruv in a town without a minyan to help them avoid aveirot. Sdei Chemed quotes Nechmad Lmareh who disagrees. Mahari Ben Lev 4:4 is a proof for the Sdei Chemed and Shevet Halevi.</ref> Some answer that one can't sin to prevent another Jew from sinning, but one may sin in order to enable Jew to accomplish a mitzvah.<Ref>Chazon Ovadia Chanuka p. 24 explains why the Magen Avraham 671:1 isn't an issue of ''chateh bishvil she'tizkeh'' (Heb. חטא בשביל שתזכה; tran. sin in order to earn merit) based on the Mizrachi on Smag (Hilchot Shofar 54b) that it is permitted to teach children how to blow shofar on Shabbat even though it is a sin since it enables them to do a mitzvah and it isn't similar to sinning to prevent your friend's mitzvah. He supports this from the Ateret Yisrael Bdarkei Avot 237b, Ritva Eruvin 32b, Binyan Tzion 1:124, Limudei Hashem 4a, and Mishnat Chachamim 113b. He notes that this isn't unlike Tosfot Pesachim 59a and Tosfot Shabbat 4a. Chazon Ovadia (sh"t 2:46) quotes the Nodeh Beyehuda OC 3 who clearly disagrees with the Mizrachi as he rule that a person is forbidden to delay to make a minyan for those who are davening later since he should daven as early as possible and he should not sin to compensate for their negligence. Rav Ovadia notes that the Mizrachi would permit this since it is enabling them to fulfill a positive mitzvah.</ref> | # The poskim discuss how this concept differs from another known concept that a Jew should not sin in order to prevent another Jew from sinning (Shabbat 4a). Why isn't it considered sinning to aid another Jew to minimize one's mitzvah? Some answer that it is permitted to minimize one's mitzvah for another Jew's religiosity and it is only forbidden to sin in order to help another Jew.<ref>Shevet Halevi 6:36 from [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=43673&st=&pgnum=79 Sdei Chemed Aleph 257 Peot Hasadeh 57] writes that we say that a person should miss out on mitzvah in order to save his friend and the gemara was only saying you can’t sin to save your friend but to miss a mitzvah you certainly can. Shevet Halevi rules that way in order to say that you should go to do kiruv in a town without a minyan to help them avoid aveirot. Sdei Chemed quotes Nechmad Lmareh who disagrees. Mahari Ben Lev 4:4 is a proof for the Sdei Chemed and Shevet Halevi. (See Rashi Pesachim 95a s.v. shein and Likutei Halachot who might support this approach.)</ref> Some answer that one can't sin to prevent another Jew from sinning, but one may sin in order to enable Jew to accomplish a mitzvah.<Ref>Chazon Ovadia Chanuka p. 24 explains why the Magen Avraham 671:1 isn't an issue of ''chateh bishvil she'tizkeh'' (Heb. חטא בשביל שתזכה; tran. sin in order to earn merit) based on the Mizrachi on Smag (Hilchot Shofar 54b) that it is permitted to teach children how to blow shofar on Shabbat even though it is a sin since it enables them to do a mitzvah and it isn't similar to sinning to prevent your friend's mitzvah. He supports this from the Ateret Yisrael Bdarkei Avot 237b, Ritva Eruvin 32b, Binyan Tzion 1:124, Limudei Hashem 4a, and Mishnat Chachamim 113b. He notes that this isn't unlike Tosfot Pesachim 59a and Tosfot Shabbat 4a. Chazon Ovadia (sh"t 2:46) quotes the Nodeh Beyehuda OC 3 who clearly disagrees with the Mizrachi as he rule that a person is forbidden to delay to make a minyan for those who are davening later since he should daven as early as possible and he should not sin to compensate for their negligence. Rav Ovadia notes that the Mizrachi would permit this since it is enabling them to fulfill a positive mitzvah.</ref> | ||
# A person should do kiruv to teach people about Torah and mitzvot even if that means missing out on davening with a minyan.<ref>Shevet Halevi 6:36 based on the based of chateh bishvil she'tizkeh.</ref> | # A person should do kiruv to teach people about Torah and mitzvot even if that means missing out on davening with a minyan.<ref>Shevet Halevi 6:36 based on the based of chateh bishvil she'tizkeh.</ref> | ||
#There is a discussion if it is necessary to spend money in order to stop another Jew from sinning.<ref>[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=907&pgnum=419 Chazon Ovadia (sh"t v. 2 p. 419)] quotes and seems to accept the Mahari Vayil 157 who proves from Sanhedrin 73a that you only need to spend to save someone’s life but not to stop him from sinning. See Yad Eliyahu 30:3.</ref> | #There is a discussion if it is necessary to spend money in order to stop another Jew from sinning.<ref>[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=907&pgnum=419 Chazon Ovadia (sh"t v. 2 p. 419)] quotes and seems to accept the Mahari Vayil 157 who proves from Sanhedrin 73a that you only need to spend to save someone’s life but not to stop him from sinning. See Yad Eliyahu 30:3.</ref> | ||
===Sacrificing One's Mitzvah Altogether for Someone's Mitzvah=== | ===Sacrificing One's Mitzvah Altogether for Someone's Mitzvah=== | ||
# If someone could either fulfill a rabbinic mitzvah or enable his friend fulfill a biblical mitzvah he should enable his friend to fulfill a biblical mitzvah.<ref>Chazon Ovadia (sh"t 2:46) writes that it is preferable to give up one's kezayit of matzah for afikomen to enable another Jew to fulfill the basic mitzvah of eating one kezayit since his deoritta mitzvah is more important than your derabbanan mitzvah. Although we generally not allow a person to sin to help his friend, here since the outcome of his friend's mitzvah is much greater than his fulfillment it is permitted (Tosfot Shabbat 4a, Magen Avraham 254:21). He quotes Minchat Elazar 2:38 who says the same about giving up one's matzah for the second seder to enable someone to eat matzah at the first seder.</ref> | # If someone could either fulfill a rabbinic mitzvah or enable his friend fulfill a biblical mitzvah he should enable his friend to fulfill a biblical mitzvah.<ref>Chazon Ovadia (sh"t 2:46) writes that it is preferable to give up one's kezayit of matzah for afikomen to enable another Jew to fulfill the basic mitzvah of eating one kezayit since his deoritta mitzvah is more important than your derabbanan mitzvah. Although we generally not allow a person to sin to help his friend, here since the outcome of his friend's mitzvah is much greater than his fulfillment it is permitted (Tosfot Shabbat 4a, Magen Avraham 254:21). He quotes Minchat Elazar 2:38 who says the same about giving up one's matzah for the second seder to enable someone to eat matzah at the first seder.</ref> | ||
