In his address to a shloshim event for Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L, former Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger addressed the new marriage registration law.

Rabbi Metzger stated “I am certain that if Maran would have heard of the passing of the so-called Tzohar Marriage Registration Law he would have been angry,” warning the new law will have disastrous results. He rejected the notion of creating “competition” on such a critical matter, for he says this translates to leniencies and compromising Halacha chas v’sholom.

Rabbi Metzger addressed Maran’s hashkafa of “כח דהיתרא עדיף”, stating it is not how many rabbis prefer to say a preference should always be given to being lenient. He explains the late gadol hador had the entire Torah before his eyes, including poskim over the generations and he used his vast knowledge to search for a halachically sound heter whenever possible, and not chas v’sholom to embark on a path of leniencies lacking solid Halachic foundation. Rabbi Metzger stated the leniency could be exercised by one as great as Maran, who possessed such an understanding of Torah.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)