What Is Bothering the Aruch Hashulchan? Women Wearing Tefillin
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What is Bothering the Aruch Hashulchan? Women Wearing Tefillin What is Bothering the Aruch Hashulchan? Women Wearing Tefillin Michael J. Broyde [email protected] Please note that this piece isn’t meant to be construed one way or another as the view of the Seforim Blog. Introduction In our previous article,[1] we focused on the view of the Mishnah Berurah concerning women wearing tefillin. In this article, we focus on the Aruch Hashulchan, whose approach is also complex, reflecting the complexity of the area. The Aruch Hashulchan (OC 38:6) states: נשים ועבדים פטורים מתפילין מפני שהיא מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא דשבת ויו”ט פטור מתפילין ואם רוצין להחמיר על עצמן מוחין בידן ולא דמי לסוכה ולולב שפטורות ועכ”ז מברכות עליהן דכיון דתפילין צריך זהירות יתירה מגוף נקי כדאמרינן בשבת [מ”ט.] תפילין צריכין גוף נקי כאלישע בעל כנפים ובירושלמי ברכות שם אמרו תמן אמרין כל שאינו כאלישע בעל כנפים אל יניח תפילין אך אנשים שמחויבים בהכרח שיזהרו בהם בשעת ק”ש ותפלה ולכן אין מניחין כל היום כמ”ש בסי’ הקודם וא”כ נשים שפטורות למה יכניסו עצמן בחשש גדול כזה ואצלן בשעת ק”ש ותפלה כלאנשים כל היום לפיכך אין מניחין אותן להניח תפילין ואף על גב דתניא בעירובין [צ”ו.] דמיכל בת שאול היתה מנחת תפילין ולא מיחו בה חכמים אין למידין מזה דמסתמא ידעו שהיא צדקת גמורה וידעה להזהר וכן עבדים כה”ג [עמג”א סק”ג וב”י ולפמ”ש א”ש[: Women and slaves are exempt from the mitzvah of tefillin since it is a positive commandment that is time bound since tefillin are not worn on Shabbat and Yom Tov. If they wish to adopt this as a stringency, we should protest. This is not comparable to sukkah and lulav from which they are exempt, but nonetheless recite a blessing. This is because tefillin require extra diligence regarding cleanliness, as it states in Shabbat (49a) that tefillin need a clean body like Elisha .In the Jerusalem Talmud (Berachot) it says that anyone who is not clean like Elisha should not wear tefillin. Even men must be careful [with cleanliness] when reciting the Shema and Amida which is why they do not wear them all day, as I noted in the previous paragraph. If this is so, then why should women — who are exempt [from the mitzva of tefillin] — place themselves under this great risk, since for them, [wearing tefillin] when the Shema and the Amida are recited is comparable to men [wearing tefillin] the entire day. Therefore, we do not permit them to put on tefillin. Even though it recounts in Eruvin (96a) that Michal bat Shaul did don tefillin, and the rabbis did not rebuke her, we should not extrapolate from this, since they knew that she was very righteous and could be careful. Slaves are in the same situation. [See the Magen Avraham 38:3 and the Bet Yosef; according to what I have written all makes sense.] There are a few problems with the Aruch Hashulchan that are immediately clear. Four come to mind as requiring resolution in order to understand the Aruch HaShulchan: · Why does he not cite the primary source for the halacha of rebuking women, which is the Pesikta? · What are the characteristics of women who can put ontefillin according to the Aruch Hashulchan or does he mean that Michal bat Shaul is unique? · Can all slaves put on tefillin? Can any? · What is the problem with the Magen Avraham and the Bet Yosef that he is seeking to answer? In short to understand the Aruch Hashulchan’s approach, one must first comprehend what is bothering him about other approaches. In this case, he tells the reader what is bother him when he notes in his final עמג”א סק”ג]] parenthetical note וב”י ולפמ”ש א”ש in which each word is abbreviate, but crucial to understanding, so we spell it out: [עיין מגן אברהם סעיף קטן ג ובית יוסף ולפי מה שכתב אתיא שפיר[: [See the Magen Avraham call note 3, and the Bet Yoesef, and according to what I have written all is logical.] In this note, Aruch Hashulchan is claiming that neither the Magen Avraham nor the Bet Yosef have properly solved the problem, and he thus doing so. This paper is an explanation of that. The Approach of the Bet Yosef: Bet Yosef (OC 38) quotes Tosafot, as well as the Pesikta to explain the reasoning behind Chazal’s recorded disapproval of Michal bat Shaul wearing tefillin. Bet Yosef states and elaborates: כתב הכל בו (סי’ כא) בשם הר”ם שאם רצו הנשים להניח תפילין אין שומעין להן מפני שאינן יודעות לשמור עצמן בנקיות עכ”ל ובספר ארחות חיים (הל’ תפילין סי’ ג) הקשה עליו מדאמרינן בריש פרק המוצא תפילין (שם) דמיכל בת כושי (פירוש בת שאול) היתה מנחת תפילין ולא מיחו בה חכמים. ולי נראה שטעם הר”ם כמו שכתבו התוספות (ד”ה מיכל) דאיתא בפסיקתא (רבתי פרק כב) שמיחו בה חכמים ופירשו הם דטעמא משום דתפילין צריכין גוף נקי ונשים אינן זריזות ליזהר והר”מ רצה לחוש לדברי הפסיקתא: The Kol Bo (21) writes in the name of the Maharam that if women wish to wear tefillin, we do not listen to them, since they do not know how to keep themselves clean. The Orchot Chaim (Tefillin 3) questioned this based on the Talmud in Eruvin 96a that Michal bat Kushi (daughter of Saul) did don tefillin and the rabbis did not rebuke her. To me, it appears that the view of the Maharam is like that quoted by Tosafot (sv michal) as it appears in the Pesikta that the Sages did rebuke her. They explained the reason to be that tefillin need a clean body and women are not careful about such matters. Maharam was concerned for the view of the Pesikta. The Bet Yosef is clear and simple. He thinks that there is a dispute between rabbinic sources about whether any women can ever wear tefillin. The Babylonian Talmud rules that Michal bat Shaul can wear tefillin, and she is a model for all other women; the Pesikta states that such is prohibited to all women, even to women like Michal bat Shaul. Some, the Bet Yosef claims, are concerned with the view of the Pesikta, which they think is normative. Following his rules to resolve disputes, Rabbi Karo in the Shulchan Aruch rules against the Peskita and like the Bavli, as such is the resolution favored by Rambam, Rif and Rosh. Rabbi Karo states simply: נשים ועבדים פטורים מתפילין, מפני שהוא מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא. Women and slaves are exempt from the mitzvah of tefillin since it is a positive time bound commandment. Nothing is codified to discourage this conduct; only an exemption is noted. The view of our Talmud is codified and nothing else is cited. According to Rabbi Karo, tefillin are like lulav, sukkah and shofar, which women need not, but may do, and is a mitzvah for them to do. The Peskta is rejected. The Approach of the Magen Avraham The Rema, however, adds the alternative: הגה: ואם הנשים רוצין להחמיר על עצמן, מוחין בידם. If the women wish to be strict for themselves, we protest. The Rema seems to be adopting the view of the Pesikta that we ought to protest such conduct, essentially prohibiting it. Much is unclear about the Rama, including why and does he mean all women (although logic inclines one to think that he means all women.) To explain the position of the Rama, Magen Avraham (38:3) write: מוחין כו’ – מפני שצריכין גוף נקי ונשים אינם זריזות להזהר אבל אם היו חייבים לא היו פטורין מה”ט דהוי רמי אנפשייהו ומזדהרי כנ”ל דלא כע”ת: We protest: Since they need a clean body and women are not particularly careful with cleanliness; but if they were obligated, they would not be exempt for that reason since they would accept the mitzvah upon themselves and they would thus be conscientious. Such appears to me to be the rule, and not like the Olat Tamid. The whole thrust of the Magen Avraham is to explain the view of the Pesikta in contrast to the Bavli. The Magen Avraham explains that the Pesikta rules once one is not obligated in donning tefillin, one is not careful to be clean and only those obligated are considered careful enough to wear tefillin. The Magen Avraham’s view is simple and central. The halacha follows the Pesikta’s view which is that the Rabbis made a decree that no one may don tefillin other than those who are obligated. Even Michal bat Shaul may not. The Magan Avraham explains the Rama as clearly residing in the camp which rules that the halacha follows the Pesikta against the Bavli. The whole thrust of the reasoning of the Magen Avraham is to reject the view of the Olat Tamid who argues that Rama is codifying only the rule that women who are not clean should be rebuked.[2] Understanding the Aruch Hashulchan The Aruch Hashulchan does not adopt either of these views. He thinks that the halacha is balanced between two textual imperatives, and he thinks that neither the Magen Avraham nor the Bet Yosef has balanced them correctly, since one accepts that the Bavli is completely correct and one that the Pesikta is the rule. Not so the Aruch Hashulchan: he accepts the ruling of the Pesikta as codified by the Rama that one needs to rebuke women who don tefillin, but he has to harmonize that ruling with the binding holding of the Babylonia Talmud, which is the center of his (and our) halachic universe that Michal Bat Shaul was not rebuked.