[Avodah] yemach shmo

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 07:18:54AM -0800, Saul.Z.Newman at kp.org wrote:
: in relation to an off-list discussion where this expression was used about 
: an O rabbi  who espouses a doctrine that many other O rabbis would 
: consider foolish but not neccesarilly heretical,  i wonder if there are 
: parameters for the use of this expression about jews, frum or not.

I don't understand the full logic of the LR's applying this to
Mendelsohn. History of who he was and what he thought he was doing
aside, so I could focus on the general rule...

(Also, ironically for our conversation of "yemach SHEMO", Moses Mendelsohn
was named for his direct ben-achar-ben ancestor, R' Moshe Isserlis.)

His son Joseph Mendelssohn remained Jewish (he and Recha, the first two of
4 children, were the only ones who did). Was Joseph chayav to say Qaddish
11 months or not? Actually, if the father was definitely a heretic, maybe
it should be 12 months... What about remembering his father's yahrzeit?

The Rif obligates the mamzeir in kibud and yir'ah for his father, but
he may hit his father (until his father does teshuvah). The Rambam,
Chinukh and SA as well.

The Tur, Rosh and Rama do not require kibud until he does teshuvah. I
can't tell though if this is specific to this particular cheit, because
the parentage marks the son, or if they are saying there is no kibud
for a rasha. And thus, no qaddish.

If these memorial dinim are encumbant on the family of any Jew, how can
we ask that their efforts fail, erasing the person's memory? And if the
person should be forgotten, why would they have to violate that by saying
qaddish on their yahrzeit?

The Rama in particular, then, might say that since the descendents, if
any were still Jewish, would not have to memorialize his greatgrandson,
y"sh is appropriate. (If it's not about mamzeirus, but about the father
being a rasha.)

But the SA?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The purely righteous do not complain about evil,
micha at aishdas.org        but add justice, don't complain about heresy,
http://www.aishdas.org   but add faith, don't complain about ignorance,
Fax: (270) 514-1507      but add wisdom.     - R AY Kook, Arpilei Tohar