[Avodah] Halacha vs. Policy - Poll re: Who To Marry

[Samuel Svarc]

On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 9:21 AM, Meir Shinnar <chidekel at gmail.com> wrote:
> WRT the discussion about RYK's psak, and whom it would actually apply
> to - as the person who it would apply to would not normally be asking
> she'elot - on another email list, several years back, there was a
> discussion by a RW member - who was vigorously championing the
> position that RYK rejected - that one should rather marry a non Jew
> than not keep taharat hamishpacha - and the nafka mina was whether one
> should try to be meshaddech two nonobservant Jews - or steer a
> nonobservant Jew towards a non Jewish mate - and this RW poster was
> insistent that it was preferable to steer the non Jew towards a non
> Jew, and was against much of the activity of others for Jewish
> shidduchim.

I fail to see what this adds to the discussion, besides confirming
that the "inexperienced student" that RYK referred to wasn't a figment
of his imagination. As this wasn't in doubt one wonders if the real
agenda was to somehow asscociate this mistaken position with the "RW"
(notice that you stressed the mistaken posters as RW, yet failed to
mention that RYK was RW as well.).

> Therefore, the question does (and did) arise, and has a nafka mina
> lehalacha for those who actually care about halacha
> (most of the people on the list were shocked by the position taken -
> but it is the extreme version of going by the book and determining
> what is the most extreme issur involved...)

True, but it is more a failing in 'm'halchie hap'sak and shimush' as
RYK makes clear and not so much as an over reliance on textual
knowledge. This is readily demonstrated by the fact that RYK brings a
proof to his position from another text, namely, Rambam (Hilchos
Issurei Bi’ah 12:7-8). Accordingly, if, as you have written, the
pimary issue is going by the book, then a little more "book knowledge"
would have helped. However, RYK blames the lack of shimush, IOW a lack
of mesorah and m'halchie hap'sak. And this is only logical, one needs
guidance in "how to learn", in what is a "good" sevara and what is a
"bad" sevara. This type of knowledge is only through mesorah.

KT,
MSS