[Avodah] Lifnei Iver/Kanaus

[Daniel Eidensohn]

R' Micha Berger wrote:
>
> Qana'us means acting w/out a beis din -- Pinechas is the exemplar, no? So,
> if one believes kana'us is appropriate, than one should be taking the
> law into their own hands.
> ...
>
> So, unless someone has the purity of soul of Pinechas, I would think
> qana'us is a non-option.
>
> Which makes me wonder if the advice was given lemaaseh, or if the
> statement was one of halachic theory.
>
>   
Igros Moshe E.H. IV #63 page 124 - "Just as one is required to ask a 
posek concerning all dinei Torah this also is true for giving tochacha 
and kana'us. It is necessary to ask a posek and not to make a ruling for 
oneself."

The case of Pinchas involves a halacha l'Moshe (AZ 36b/ Rambam Issurei 
Biah 12:4) and can not be generalized to other cases of kana'us.

I once asked the Tanker Rav about Pinchas and he explained it with a 
story about the Baal Shem Tov. "The Baal Shem Tov was once sitting with 
chassidim - and he was constantly ridiculing and embassing one of them. 
Later he was asked how why he did this and replied simply that he knew 
there was a decree from Heaven that this chasid was to die. He also knew 
that publicly embarrasing someone is considered murder. He embarrassed 
the chasid to save him from death. The chasidim replied that it was nice 
that he was saving the chasid but that his actions had cost him his olam 
habah (Avos 3:11). He replied that he was willing to give up his olam 
habah to save his fellow Jew. The Tanker Rav said only a person with 
such ahavas Yisroel - without any regard for himself - can be a kanoi. 
He doesn't ask beis din because the only thing that matters is helping 
klal yisroel and he is not concerned with the consequences for himself."

The Shomer Emunim Rebbe told me that according to  Derech Mitzvosecha 
that one can only be a kanoi if it doesn't provide pleasure or excitement.

gemar chasima tova

Daniel Eidensohn