29 Responses

1. According to reports, this avreich previously wouldn’t eat food from his father either, since his father’s parnassa used to purchase food in his home came from the same source as this inheritance that he refused.

2. any mekoros for this derech, if it sounds novel & you dont see gedolei yisroel doing it …the greatest tzadikim viewed accepting money from mechalel shabos as a way of giving them a zechus in a mitzva why deprive a yid of opportunity… imagine this avrech can support his family and give his father a share in olam haboh
   take this story with a ton of salt if its as told

3. dont nursing homes work on Shabbos as well? arent building supers working on Shabbos for buildings owned by frum landlords?

4. If Hashem decided that he should get the money he’ll get it a different way and this will stand as a zechus

   If he was supposed to lose this amount Hashem will make it that he lost the money already and this is still a zechus

   Yasher koach for being omed b’nisayon

5. Assuming that, in fact, the Halacha requires him to forgo the inheritance, this is an amazing Kiddush Hashem.

   I hope Rabbi Hoffman will write an article about this story to explain the Halachic position.

6. Wish had more understanding of this psak what was the chilul? Hotel Being open ? and regularly when have non frum partners and/or non jews thoses ‘Holy days’ can be subtracted from net profits, not sure why has to be total loss.

7. The question that bothers me is how would he even know in the first place that “some of the money was earned through chillul Shabbos”. I would wonder if, without hard evidence, suspecting a Jew (even a non-religious Jew) is itself a sin. And it further bothers me that (especially as the article itself calls the father Shomer Shabbos), and assuming (as seems from here) the inheritance is from his father, he seems to be insulting his father by making such a claim.

   So perhaps the problem is not the inheriting of assets that (maybe) came through chillul Shabbos. Instead, the problem may be that the inheritance is the businesses which are in partnership with Jews who are not Shomer Shabbos, and that such a business partnership would be exceedingly difficult to maneuver.

8. I have my doubts about this story. A person can benefit from another Jew’s chillul Shabbat at least
   בכדי שעישה and here the father and uncles were not the one swho violated it.

9. “The avreich sent a detailed letter to his father explaining the reasoning behind his refusal to sign the will and his father accepted his son’s decision with great admiration and pride.”

   And then everyone clapped.

10. I have two questions:

    !) By his not taking, what is gained? The money will simply go elsewhere. Perhaps he should take his share and dispose of by destroying, giving away to the poor, etc.?

    2) Why not take any of the money? Only 1/7th or 1/6th or 1/5th was earned via chillul Shabbat or other issurim. Let him dispose of only that fraction as suggested above. Pesak needs an explanation!!!

11. If Kollel Chazon Ish refuses tzedakah from nonobservant or less-than-fully observant Jews, then they and the young gentleman are being true to their values. However, if the Kollel does not look into the origin of their contributions, then this move by the young man’s part was based in fantasy and poor advice.

    Of course, if the young scholar wishes to forego the inheritance his father and uncles toiled for decades to amass, that is his choice. Just remember four things:

    1) There are many poor Jews who could have been helped with that money;

    2) Barring nonobservant or less-than-fully observant Jews from giving tzedakah prevents fellow Jews from fulfilling a mitzvah and keeps them from doing teshuvah;

    3) The will in this case comes from the young man’s father who is Shomer Shabbat; and

    4) Every single Jew with a job has had a client, customer, or close or distant associate that was not religious.

12. What does that mean, that he refused to “sign the will”? The heirs don’t sign the will.

13. Chasid Shotah.

14. This “nisht-in-shabbos-geredt” way of doing business on Shabbos originates from the ones making a Eulogy (Hesped) on a day that eulogies are not permitted, they say the caveat and proceed to eulogize.

15. Well he’s a much better man than me

16. This is fake News

17. How many yeshivas and setarim are supported by pe

18. Sounds like a lotta bee es

19. does he accept a government stipend to study at the kollel? because the government is no more shomer shabbat than his father’s business partners.

20. Why would anyone other than the maker of the will and the witnesses need to sign a will?
    Why would a beneficiary need to sign and why would his not signing exclude him from being a beneficiary?

    According to reports, this story is a tall tale, with a small kernel of truth at best.

21. As a matter this is not a kidush hashem,but actually the opposite of it.
    It proves that learning in KOLLEL and even being a big talmid chacham,does not preclude you having absolutely no common sense, and needing serious psychological help.

22. Chugibugi and others:

    Are you a Posek? Or a baal habayis? Because the Gemora says
    דעת בעל הבית הפוך מן התורה

    I’m no Posek so I’m withholding judgment.

23. What a waste.I would have taken the “tainted money” and fliped it around o use it in a good way.

    Help improvised families
    Pay down debt of yeshivas.
    Chatan and kala gemaech
    Cholim gemach

    It was all in Hashems plan for him to accept and do something good with it.
    More suffering because of his decision.

    Such a fool for a Frum Yid. Waste.

24. The article states: The avreich asked Rabbanim in Eretz Yisrael and France about accepting the money tainted by Chillul Shabbos and was told that despite the huge personal loss, he can’t accept the money.”

    …So anyone who expresses anything but utter admiration for this amazing avreich… JUST SHUT UP!!!!!!!

25. Brilliant way how to get all the schnoers off his back.

26. Reply to Avi K
    for your statement, think that the the Eagrea Dekallah write and many more (especially Rabbonim of Hungarian Gedolim) that money of Mechalleh Shabossim aare Poision to feed children with it –
    Thus you possibly could find Poskimm with some hetter but this is for the record (and don’t mix the chulent with Bekdei Sheyassi)
    And the Rambam writes ++ that Mechallel Shabbos Dinoh Kaakeem (so just dont talk nonsense (and Reb Hoffmann dont sound from this group Hy)

27. dont forget

    the same or even worse is taking from NYS witn common-core
    signing requirement !!!
    so this is HOT Subject

28. @sugya25 because it isn’t true

29. CHAZAL tell us that “KOL TALMID CHACHAM SHAIN BO DAAS NEVEILAH SERUCHA TOVA MIMENA ,any talmid chacham who has no brains ( common sense) his value is of a dead carcass .
    These so called RaBonnim who advised this poor fellow to give up this inheritance , are exactly what CHAZAL had in mind.
    I am 1000% percent sure had they themselves been the ones been left this Yerusha ,they would have grabbed it with both hands and feets.
    It’s very easy to be a holier than though on someone else’s CHESHBON.