[Avodah] Seeing G'zeiros Everywhere

[Richard Wolpoe]

As I use the term g'zeira with regard to

   1. an orgnanization,
   2. a community
   3. qhilla
   4. kashrus agency [KA]
   5. Regions [think Qitniyyos in Ashkenaz]

it means terms such as [but not exhaustively]

   1. Policies
   2. Standards
   3. Bans

Illustrations [afaik non are in standard halachic codes]

   1. Q:'hilla bans simchas costing more than $20K
   2. BD band members who believe world is older than 5770
   3. KA"s
      1. Ban using non mevushal wine in Restaurants
      2. ban bringing in outside foods
      3. ban using FRESh broccoli [See OK Vegetable guide]
   4. One Q'hilla prohibited me from using ther kashering  to kasher a
   becher for Passover because their minhag disallows kashering when a becher
   has been used for liquor or ber over the course of the year.  The Dayam
   specifically told me it was "only a minhag" and implied it was OK for me to
   kasher it ELSEWHERE - but I was not permitted to use THEIR kashering
   facilities since it failed to conform to THEIR local minhag
   5. In Teaqneck a shul banned collectors from collecting in the 'sanctuary
    and allowed them ONLY in the lobby

If you wish to come up with a different term than g'zeira for extra Halachic
Bans/standards/policies - gezundheit!  I am not going to quibble about using
another term

But Hanhagos and Taqqanos are imho just as taken anyway, and let's face it,
Bans/standards/policies when  based upon a "syag, why NOT use the term
g'zeira anyway?

As far as the pisqei Halachah which are perpetuatedfor non-Halachic reasons
EG

   1. Not overriding RMF's ps"aq on Eruv
   2. not Overriding RYDS"s p"saq on Megillah by women for women

Where there COULD be a new halachic p'saq but as a po,licy matter they
refuse to do that out of kavod for the Late Gadol, if you want a different
term than G'zeira for that policy FINE
Come up iwth one. But calling it p"saq is IMHO disingenuous when the p'Saq
is ONLY not to revisit the issue and to let an old p"saq stand.

Now if the issue WERE indeed re-opened from scratch and reviewed and the
same old p"saq  was upheld - that is NOT policy that is another p"saq!

Illustration:
Breuer's limits availim from taking the Amud on days w/o Tachanun as a
matter of policy not p"saq - or so I was told. Rav Breuer instituted it.
But later Rabbnonim perpetuated it as a policy.  The p"saq was to continue
to follow the old policy as a matter of policy.  they would NOT object to
OTHER shuls having a different policy.

So if you have a better term for local policy fine!   Go for it. come up
with a taxonomy for these bans/standards/policies that irritates you LESS
than g'zeiros

But the irony here is that many here are GOZEIR - IE IMPOSING - thou shalt
NOT use G'zeira as Rambam SA and Rema have used it Rather thou shalt use it
otherwise or else!  It's actually kind of funny to see that.

-- 
Shalom uVRacha
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nishma-Minhag/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20100101/70b61101/attachment-0002.htm>