[Avodah] R. Chaim Volozhiner and Putting on Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 10:52:24AM -0700, Daniel M. Israel wrote:
> Quoting Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org>:
>> On Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 06:05:18PM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
>>> Someone sent me the following:
>>> A famous story about R. Chaim Volozhiner, when asked why he didn't put on
>>> Rabbeinu Tam t'fillin: "The din says that unless one is a chosid, he
>>> shouldn't, because it's mechazei k'yuhara...."

>> Does this mean the Gra, who his talmidim (including RCV) called "HaGaon
>> haChassid" (sometimes "haGaon haChassid haAmiti", in true misnagid style),
>> *did* wear Rabbeinu Tam tefillin?

> Certainly his talmidim called him a chassid, but what makes you think he 
> would not have hesitated to call himself a chasid?

My point was that RCV thought his rebbe was a chassid, and that it's
appropriate for chassidim to wear R"T tefillin. It would therefore be
consistent if he actually saw the Gra in R' Tam tefillin.

BTW, it's not RCV's chiddush, it's the SA OC 34:3. It must not only be
a chassid, but someone well known to be one -- "mi shemuchzaq umfursam
bachasidus".


Lemaaseh, further CD Rom search turned up that the Vilna Gaon held that it
was pointless to wear R' Tam tefillin (Biur haGra 34:1 "uminhag"). Keser
Rosh (#13), R' Chaim Tiktiner's notes of things he learned from RCV (his
rebbe), repeats that the Gra said this was because there are numerous
different machloqesin about how to make tefillin (and something like
2^n possible combinations of opinions). Why stop at two pair?

Which means that RCV might have disagreed with the Gra about whether the
machloqes Rashi vs R' Tam is unique. Thus, haGaon haChassid miVilna not
wearing them was not a statement for those who hold there was a specific
"runner up" for meaningful-but-not-yotzei tefillin.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             When a king dies, his power ends,
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