[Avodah] zoom minyan

[Chana Luntz]

RJR writes:

<<So why is a zoom "minyan" different than a woman putting on a tallit
without tzitzit? (I think you know the story I'm referring to) KT Joel
Rich>>

To be honest, I don't think that the sort of people allowing zoom "minyanim"
would have gone anywhere near the "woman putting on a tallit without
tzitzit".  I think the halachic mindset is completely different.

That said, the cases are distinguishable.

In the case of the woman putting on a tallis without tzitzis- there was no
real reason why she could not wear the tallit with tzitzis - ie fulfil the
mitzvah (except her rabbi told her not to), so why would you be satisfied
with second best.  In the case of the zoom minyanim, I don't believe anybody
is suggesting that these minyanim would be acceptable in circumstances where
real minyanim could meet.  The issue here is that pikuach nefesh and dina
d'malchusa dina are both prohibiting real minyanim.  In that sense, the
minyanim are like taking the posul esrog, in circumstances where there are
just no kosher esrogim to be had.  It is a form of zecher l'mitzvah, and it
avoids the torah of the mitzvah being forgotten.

The question regarding tzitzis is thus not really to this woman's case - but
why haven't men over the last couple of thousand years taking a blue dye and
made dyed tzitzis with something else, as techeles was not available -
zecher l'mitzvah?  The answer would seem to be the gemora's answer as to why
not use a pomegranate or a quince if no esrog was to be found, because
people would become convinced that actually this was the real thing, and not
take esrogim even if they were available.  Similarly if people had taken
some other blue dye (kla ilan) then it would have been even harder to
persuade them to switch when real techeles was available, minhag avoseihem
b'yadehem.

Shavuah tov

Chana