[Avodah] Al petach beito mabachutz

[Michael Kopinsky]

On 12/31/06, Zev Sero <zev at sero.name> wrote:
> A & C Walters wrote:
> > I wrote:
> >>> The fact that originally there was a din to light outside is
> >>> irrelevant; chazal were mevatel it
> > 
> > My source is Shu"t Dvar Yehoshua
> 
> Who's he?

Shut Dvar Yehoshua was written by Rav Yehoshua Menachem Mendel Aharonberg, 
AB"D of Tel Aviv-Yaffo.  The book was published in 5730.

(Interesting:  On the title page he writes, "Lo l'halacha ponim, v'lo 
l'maaseh onim, ela l'pilpul miskavnim."  Is it normal to have such 
disclaimers in a sefer Shu"t?)

 
> > "after the sealing of the talmud which was beshas sakono, chazal
> > were oyker the mitsvah of lighting outside
> 
> What's his source for this assertion?

He does not say that the time of the of the sealing of the talmud was
sakanah. (This is unlike what A & C Walters said he said.) He agrees that
from shas it is mashma that you should light outside (Shabbos 21b "Amar
Rava, Mitzvah...").  However, from the fact that Meseches Sofrim, which
was written during the days of the Geonim, does not say "tefach hasamuch
l'rh"r", but rather "tefach hasamuch l'pesach", it must be that by that
time, the ikkar din of lighting outside had been mevutal.  (This proof is
long and complicated, and I have not done it justice here. Ayein sham.)  
Also, from the fact that already during the days of Rashi and Tosafos, who
did not live long after the Geonim, they already didn't know how the ikkar
din was supposed to be, it must have been that it was mevutal long before
their days.  Also, the Or Zarua writes, "I don't know why we don't light
outside bazman hazeh when there's no sakana."  Now, the Or Zarua was a
Gadol Hador, and if he had the power to reinstitute the practice, he
certainly could have, so it must be he (the Or Zarua) held that it was
misbatel in the days of the Geonim and could/should not be reinstituted.

(I'm not agreeing with his arguments - in fact, I have several kashas on 
each of them - but just conveying what he says.)

> > For a list of rishoinim that say:

Just to clarify, the Dvar Yehoshua does not list them.  A&CW must have 
gotten the list from elsewhere.