Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita spoke out harshly against a growing trend in some communities to shave during Sefiras HaOmer for Independence Day. Rav Lau stated that doing so is contrary to halacha as there is no heter for doing so.
Rav Lau made his remarks during a shiur in a Beit Shemesh shul for ‘working chareidim’ who spend the national holiday dedicated to limud torah under the ‘בר בי רב’ program.
Rav Lau stated “When I was a child no one shaved for Independence Day. This is a new chumra of recent of recent generations”. He called on the tzibur not to adopt this practice and to adhere to the law of Sefiras HaOmer as one should.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
There are often differences of opinion among poskim, and it doesn’t mean that one is necessarily correct and one is incorrect. It says something, though, that he referred to shaving as a chumra. The heter is generally attributed to R Tzvi Pesach Frank zt”l. R Tzvi Yehuda zt”l was mattir. There is a machlokes, even among those who mattir music, as the inyan of not having live music during part of S’fira is probably considerably more recent.
With all respect, Rav Lau is “chief rabbi” but his psak is not binding on yidden who hold differently. This is exactly the type of issue where one should go by the psak of his local rav or posek since there are many chashuve rabbonim who hold it is mutar to shave for yom h’atzmaut.
well obviously would one shave for July 4th? Yom Haatzmaot is a purely SECULAR holiday, the medina is 68 years old (who knows if it’ll get to 100) while not shaving on sefira is much older.
I tend to ignore Yom HaAtzmautz
There are those who shave for Shabbos.
Tom haatzmaut is not a secular holiday. It is the first moment since the Maccabees we redeemed our land and declared firmly that it is ours. A Hebrew slave who wants to remain a slave, even to a most benevolent master beyond the shemitta year has his ear pierced at the doorpost and the whole thing is while permitted by the Torah is still not the right way to go. we have still a long way to go, but we now know that the creation of Israel was a step towards redemption. There are now more yeshivot in Israel than at any point in the diaspora, and the majority of the Jewish people will be here within 7 years or so. Religious public is now around 30%, both dati and Haredi, and the traditional are about 40%. Everyone’s speculations about what the Geulah supposed to look like is just a speculation,but we see with our own eyes how secular and anti-religious Israel of the Zionist pioneers has become is becoming day by day more a world centre of Torah. Therefore we should be thankful for the beginning, because it already contain the seeds of the redemption.
I and all in my community shave for Yom Ha’atzma’ut.
I and the vast majority in the larger Dai-Leumi community ignore Rav Lau. Very nice man, but he’s a little person in big shoes
סייג לחכמה שתיקה – It is not necessary to state that there are some poskim among the DL that are Mattir this. It clearly states in the article that Rav Lau was speaking to ‘working chareidim’. If they are Chareidim they are מחויב to follow the psak of the Chareidi Poskim that they go to for every other שאלות. It is Asur to pick and choose who to go to for specific שאלות. Chazal say, עשה לך רב. Pick one Rav and follow him on all the way.
Rav Lau was probably just clarifying that none of today’s Chareidi Poskim are mattir such a thing.
#2 is right … and … wrong. Of course one should generally rely on one’s own Rav or Posek. However in this case Rav Lau is the “Gadol HaDor” for the community who “celebrate” this holiday, the national religious community, as Rabbi Lau if the Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel whose founding the 5th of Iyar commemorates. Therefore his ruling should be accepted by all those who support the state and celebrate its founding and continued existence.
For those of the Jewish faith, Rabbi Lau is stating the plain halacha, of which there was no doubt regardless.
For those of the Religious Zionist faith, however, they obviously have their own Torah, despite Rabbi Lau’s words to them.
Wow. Yes because our local rabbis and ourselves know better than the little man in big shoes who happens to be the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi and therefore posek HaDor. But what does he know. After all he probably found the title in a cereal box. And who cares that the Torah says to listen to the Chachamin…No wonder we don’t have Beit HaMikdash.
To #9.
To my knowledge, Lau is not the “gadol haDor” to anyone and the latter is something I would know about. As others have said, he is an ehrliche yid, a big talmid chacham and most importantly, a humble and self-effacing rav. However, he is not anywhere near the upper tier of gadolim alive today for any group of chareidim, working or otherwise.
all who are matter please ame 1 or 2 rabbis and references so we can know which rabbis
#9
Rav Lau is not “Gadol HaDor” for the religious zionist community, which has its own poskim, Rabbonim, and Roshei Yeshiva.
Rather, he is a minor person with a famous name who was the choice of the haredi politicians that elect the Chief Rabbi and seek out candidates who will do what they are told and not be taken seriously. That way, they won’t be a threat to haredi power.
In the course of time nationalism begot an offspring and named it Religious Nationalism. The choice of name seems to indicate that they are not satisfied with the adjective religious; they must supplement it with another ideology, nationalism. It is stated that the Torah of the L-rd is perfect, and we have been admonished ?You shall not add,? and whosoever adds detracts. Indeed Religious Nationalism has confused our camp. Until now only these observing the Torah were considered Jews. Whosoever denied the Torah was by law an apostate, and had no connection with us. Now a new ideology contends that even a heretic belongs to us, as long as he possesses a national consciousness. The Torah warns us ?It is forbidden to join with the wicked even to perform a mitzvah ? but they argue that by associating with the wicked we will influence them to mind their ways. They consider themselves wiser then the Torah. In fact, combining with the wicked has resulted in what the Torah foresaw. Instead of improving the wicked, those who joined them became loyal followers and the free-thinkers, and now direct all their energy and power against the Torah leadership. This is how the bridge between the religious and the free-thinkers was constructed. Generally speaking, people come and go on a bridge. On this bridge people only go, we see no one coming back?
-Rebbe Elchonon Wasserman (somewhere between the late 1930?s-early 1940?s)
Although Eretz Yisroel is important, without Tora we could not survive as Jews, even if we possessed Eretz Yisroel, and so we must first concern ourselves with remaining Jews, and then worry about the Holy Land for Jews
-Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman
Another article and accompanying comments that would seem to be more suited to Israel National News, not YWN.
Can you enlighten me with the source that one must ask all his questions to one Rav?
עשה לך רב in singular?
קנה לך חבר – is it אסור to have more than one friend?!
Avreimi Rav Lau is in no way a gadol hador and was not appointed by the dati leumi community he was appointed by the charedi and that sfardi Deri guy, in order to keep the Chief Raabanit in their clutches.As it had been with the past 2 Chief Rabbi’s, one of whom is on his way to jail for stealing and bribe taking. The dati leumi community wanted other real gedoloim and I don’t mean Rav Stav. Rav Lau really represents no one he has no yeshiva and no real talmidim.
I shave most days.
Such blasphemy!
We should be mevatel ALL halochos and minhagim of sfira for the sake of this day.
Out with the old. In with the new!!