[Avodah] Sukkah on Shmini Atzeret

[Mandel, Seth]

Yes, as I mentioned, there were a couple of families (including
Treibusch, from Rashi) who did not eat in the Sukka all the meals on
Shemini Atzeret. But, as I said, no one paskened that way nor allowed
anyone else to practice that. Saying that one family has a very strange
minhog does NOT mean that everyone should or even is allowed to do it.

From: Meir Shinnar <chidekel at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:50 PM
> It's been mentioned here a while back that rabbi dr chaim soloveitchik
> ... that it was the Minhag of rashi's family ( this is more than just
> some families....) through the ages not to eat in. Sukka on shmini atzeret
> (including the dayan of vilna on time of gra). This predates hasidut,
> even if not in standard books of psak, but by major figures

> I also wonder about calling the arukh hashulchan, whom Rav henkin Zt"l
> said was the accepted book of psak in lita, as a fellow traveler..

As far as the Arukh haShulhan goes, everyone agrees that he was a great
talmid chacham. However, everyone who knows his book also knows that
he tries to find justifications for some things that chasidim do that
are against established halokho, such as not eating in the sukka here or
going into a heated mikva on Shabbos. It has been suggested that perhaps
this was do to his friendship with the Tzemach Tzedek. Regardless of the
reason, there are enough of these cases (and the entire lack of any case
where he condemns quesitionalbe chasidic practices) to justify calling
him at the least a "fellow traveler." That does not mean he was not a
talmid chochom. As as for using his book to pasken, everyone also knows
that the "Shulkhan Arukh haRav" was the major other book used to pasken,
and he was much more than a "fellow traveler."

But the poskim knew about the cases where both books departed from
established psak to justify chasidic practices, and so you will not
find people like the Chayye Odom or Mishna Brurah bringing these cases
lahalokho.

Rabbi Dr. Seth Mandel
Rabbinic Coordinator
The Orthodox Union
Voice and Fax (212) 613-8330        e-mail mandels at ou.org