HaGaon HaRav Dov Lior was asked if a kohen is permitted to travel to Eilat. The rav is quoted saying that unless a kohen has a compelling reason to do so, l’chatchila he should avoid visiting the southern port city.
Rabbi Lior explains the Tzitz Eliezer holds that since Shlomo conquered it, the city is part of Eretz Yisrael. The rav adds the Shev Yaakov holds since we are all ‘tamei meis’ there is no prohibition for kohanim to visit outside of Israel since there are tamei anyway.
Most of the poskim however are not in agreement adds the rav, citing the Aruch HaShulchan and Piskei Teshuvah (יורה דעה שעד) and he reiterates that kohanim should avoid travel to Eilat if at all possible.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Eilat is chutz laaretz.
I read this post 4 times and still cant figure out what it says please rewrite it.
Based on some of the activities there’s its probably advisable for leviyim and yisroelim to avoid eilat too.
Are cohanim forbidden to leave Eretz Yisroel? Then Cohanim from chutz l’aaretz should not go to Yeshiva there if they will be forbidden to return home.
Tum’as eretz ho’amim. Chachomim were gozeir to not leave EY b/c of tumah. But it’s mutar for a mitzvah, like to get married. I don’t know if it applies to a kohen who just happened to be in EY temporarily. Incidentally, even for a yisroel, there’s an inyan of not moving to chu”l, but there the heterim are easier, like for parnasah, da’ato lachzor, etc.
But if that’s the case, then how does he hold by yom tov sheini? Since it’s chu”l you need yt sheini, or since it’s a city of EY Jews in the desert you don’t? Or maybe it was founded as a city of European Jews in the desert?
Why is Eliat any worse than Boro Park (okay, worse than Manhattan)?
Because it is more like Las Vegas.