Which Mitzvot Take Precedence?: Difference between revisions
From Halachipedia
→Personal Mitzvot versus Other's Mitzvot
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
* Yad Melachim p. 95 agrees with Rav Moshe and discusses the proof from Eruvin. Yalkut Gavriel Tzedaka 249:26 p. 39 quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Derech Sicha p. 509) that one doesn't have to chase this opportunity but if approached one should give a tenth of one's time to teach in line with Rav Moshe. Yisrael Arevim 16:22 quotes that Rav Shimon Schkop (Intro to Shaarei Yosher) gave one tenth of his time to teaching. Shaarei Mechila v. 2 p. 326 quotes that he heard directly from Rav Ovadia Yosef that he agreed with Rav Moshe and also commented that Rav Ovadia personally followed that ruling. Teshuvot Vehanhagot 5:281 agrees with Rav Moshe and quotes it from Rav Shneider as well.</ref> | * Yad Melachim p. 95 agrees with Rav Moshe and discusses the proof from Eruvin. Yalkut Gavriel Tzedaka 249:26 p. 39 quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Derech Sicha p. 509) that one doesn't have to chase this opportunity but if approached one should give a tenth of one's time to teach in line with Rav Moshe. Yisrael Arevim 16:22 quotes that Rav Shimon Schkop (Intro to Shaarei Yosher) gave one tenth of his time to teaching. Shaarei Mechila v. 2 p. 326 quotes that he heard directly from Rav Ovadia Yosef that he agreed with Rav Moshe and also commented that Rav Ovadia personally followed that ruling. Teshuvot Vehanhagot 5:281 agrees with Rav Moshe and quotes it from Rav Shneider as well.</ref> | ||
# Some permit deceiving someone else in order to get a mitzvah that is ownerless<ref>Shaarei Teshuva 482 quotes the Igeret Shmuel on Rut 4:5 that it is permitted to deceive another Jew into missing a mitzvah opportunity and doing it oneself. The Igeret Shmuel learns this from his interpretation that Boaz intentionally told Ploni hinted that he should not marry Rut since she is from Moav and potentially it is forbidden to marry a convert from Moav. Chazon Ovadia Yom Yov p. 368 quotes this and cites that the Maharam Aramah on Ovadia 1:10 explains why Yakov stole Esav's bracha in the same manner. </ref> and doesn't "belong" to any individual.<ref>Stealing a mitzvah that belongs to a person is forbidden and there is a penalty imposed by Rabban Gamliel to pay 10 gold coins (Chullin 87a).</ref> This only applies to stealing mitzvot that are personal, however, it is forbidden to deceive someone out of a communal mitzvah.<ref>Shaarei Teshuva 658:12 writes that it is only permitted to deceive someone to take a personal mitzvah, however, regarding communal mitzvot obviously the mitzvah should be given to the greatest individual deserving of the mitzvah.</ref> | # Some permit deceiving someone else in order to get a mitzvah that is ownerless<ref>Shaarei Teshuva 482 quotes the Igeret Shmuel on Rut 4:5 that it is permitted to deceive another Jew into missing a mitzvah opportunity and doing it oneself. The Igeret Shmuel learns this from his interpretation that Boaz intentionally told Ploni hinted that he should not marry Rut since she is from Moav and potentially it is forbidden to marry a convert from Moav. Chazon Ovadia Yom Yov p. 368 quotes this and cites that the Maharam Aramah on Ovadia 1:10 explains why Yakov stole Esav's bracha in the same manner. </ref> and doesn't "belong" to any individual.<ref>Stealing a mitzvah that belongs to a person is forbidden and there is a penalty imposed by Rabban Gamliel to pay 10 gold coins (Chullin 87a).</ref> This only applies to stealing mitzvot that are personal, however, it is forbidden to deceive someone out of a communal mitzvah.<ref>Shaarei Teshuva 658:12 writes that it is only permitted to deceive someone to take a personal mitzvah, however, regarding communal mitzvot obviously the mitzvah should be given to the greatest individual deserving of the mitzvah.</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. 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.</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. 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. 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.</ref> | ||
# A person should not be a hog of mitzvot and claim them all for oneself if it is beyond what is normal for one person to do.<ref>Sukkah 52b tells about the son of Marta Bat Baytus, a very strong man, who wanted to take an extra large portion of a korban to the mizbe'ach and the rabbis did not let him because he should have shared it with others. Gevurat Ari Yoma 26b s.v. aval, Sfat Emet Sukkah 52b, and Meromei Sadeh Sukkah 52b all agree to this point that it is wrong to take more than a normal share of mitzvot. See Sfat Emet who says that the rabbis broke up the mitzvah of bringing the korban to as many parts as possible in order to facilitate as many people taking part in the mitzvah. However, at some point where multiple kohanim would carry a small piece of the korban that wouldn't be considered a mitzvah at all, they had one kohen do that job. Another aspect can be gleaned from Magen Avraham 147:11 who says that if one is unable to do the mitzvah of hagbah and gelila oneself one should honor someone else with the gelila and he should do the hagbah. This implies that it were to be possible to do it oneself one should do so in order not to give up a partial mitzvah that could easily be done by oneself.</ref> | # A person should not be a hog of mitzvot and claim them all for oneself if it is beyond what is normal for one person to do.<ref>Sukkah 52b tells about the son of Marta Bat Baytus, a very strong man, who wanted to take an extra large portion of a korban to the mizbe'ach and the rabbis did not let him because he should have shared it with others. Gevurat Ari Yoma 26b s.v. aval, Sfat Emet Sukkah 52b, and Meromei Sadeh Sukkah 52b all agree to this point that it is wrong to take more than a normal share of mitzvot. See Sfat Emet who says that the rabbis broke up the mitzvah of bringing the korban to as many parts as possible in order to facilitate as many people taking part in the mitzvah. However, at some point where multiple kohanim would carry a small piece of the korban that wouldn't be considered a mitzvah at all, they had one kohen do that job. Another aspect can be gleaned from Magen Avraham 147:11 who says that if one is unable to do the mitzvah of hagbah and gelila oneself one should honor someone else with the gelila and he should do the hagbah. This implies that it were to be possible to do it oneself one should do so in order not to give up a partial mitzvah that could easily be done by oneself.</ref> | ||
#If a person could either fulfill a rabbinic mitzvah that he already fulfilled previously and someone else who hasn't had an opportunity to fulfill it at all some poskim hold that he should sacrifice his mitzvah for that other person since enabling his mitzvah is biblical chesed and that trumps the rabbinic mitzvah.<ref>Michtam Ldovid OC 6, Chazon Ovadia (sh"t v. 2 p. 819). Chazon Ovadia quotes the Maharam Shik OC 322 that enabling someone to do a mitzvah is considered a chesed for the one enabling the mitzvah. This is also the opinion of the Michtam Ldovid. See Meiri Pesachim 4b s.v. hamaschir and Meyuchas Lritva Bava Metsia 29b s.v. salka daytach who agree that someone who lends out a sefer to be learned if another person learns from it the owner does not get a mitzvah of enabling a mitzvah when the second person learns Torah.</ref> | #If a person could either fulfill a rabbinic mitzvah that he already fulfilled previously and someone else who hasn't had an opportunity to fulfill it at all some poskim hold that he should sacrifice his mitzvah for that other person since enabling his mitzvah is biblical chesed and that trumps the rabbinic mitzvah.<ref>Michtam Ldovid OC 6, Chazon Ovadia (sh"t v. 2 p. 819). Chazon Ovadia quotes the Maharam Shik OC 322 that enabling someone to do a mitzvah is considered a chesed for the one enabling the mitzvah. This is also the opinion of the Michtam Ldovid. See Meiri Pesachim 4b s.v. hamaschir and Meyuchas Lritva Bava Metsia 29b s.v. salka daytach who agree that someone who lends out a sefer to be learned if another person learns from it the owner does not get a mitzvah of enabling a mitzvah when the second person learns Torah.</ref> | ||
