[Avodah] shemitta

[Moshe Feldman]

On 5/19/07, A & C Walters <acwalters at bluebottle.com> wrote:
> Also, those who say that by avoiding the "difficulties" of the mitzvah, it
> should be fakert, a person should look for them, and enjoy them, let's not
> forget shitas Tos; (beshem R' Chaim) Kesub. 110b that because of the
> difficulties of shmitta etc, one is potur from yishuv E"Y. There is, also,
> no mitsvah to find mitsvahs; we have enough that are hard enough; I am
> struggling with what I am mechayiv, and probably not doing that properly -
> why look for more! (Of course, if someone is capable of doing them all
> properly, then why not add on a bunch more; it is more schar, but I speak
> for myself, that I have enough)

Your reliance on R. Chaim Cohen is misplaced.  First, the Pischei
Tshuva to Even HaEzer 75:3 cites the Maharit that these words were
written by a talmid to'eh.  Second, RCC states simply that in his day,
people could *not* fulfill the mitzvos ha'tluyos ba'aretz ("ein anu
yecholim l'hizaher"), and in mentioning the punishment for violating
those mitzvos, RCC implies that his point is that one shouldn't make
aliyah if that will lead one to *violate* aveiros which will cause one
to be punished.  He is not saying that we shouldn't look for more
mitzvos, just that we shouldn't put ourselves in a position where we
violate aveiros.

Kol tuv,
Moshe