[Avodah] 2 days yomtov

[Eli Turkel]

<<I am fuzzy about this.  makom shemagi'im went at least a 10 day hourney
BEYIOND the borders of EY.  So even if Eilat was NOT in EY  proper it would
still not have had a minhag avos to have 2 days of YT!>>

The accepted halacha is that 1 or 2 days yomtov depends only on EY and
not on where
the shelichim reached. Hence R. Elyashiv (and I heard RAL) pasken that Eilat has
a halacha of chutz la-aretz and requires 2 days yomtov. Needless to
say this is not
the minhag of most people who leave or visit Eilat.

BTW it is brought down that CI and the Brisker Rov kept 2 days in Israel because
they felt that the places they lived were nonexistent in Temple days
and so the shelichim
did not come to their town (or part of it for the Brisker Rov). This
is based on the
Rambam who seems to say it depends on the physical presence of shelechim.
In both cases their minhag was kept quiet as a personal chumra not to
be copied by
others as the accpted halacha is that it does not depend on where the
shelichim came
(did they come to Eilat?).
i.e. once a gezera was made it was made wholesale for all of EY and
all of chutz laaretz.

Of course the definition of EY for this is debateable, besides Eilat
how about the Golan,
even north of Acco and also Lebanon and possibly even Egypt.
I remember it became a question one year when the IDF was in Lebanon over a chag

kol tuv

-- 
Eli Turkel