Elad, Israel – The inauguration of the Sabbath in Elad has recently become the tensest hour of the week, following a disagreement between the city’s Sephardic rabbi and its Ashkenazi rabbi.
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The two cannot agree on the exact time for inaugurating the Sabbath. Even the leaders of the Orthodox public, Gedolei Yisrael, were involved against their will, but a solution has not been found.
The roots of the disagreement go back a long way: the Ashkenazi rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Grossman, has always maintained that the Sabbath enters 30 minutes before the sun sets, while the Sephardic rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Malka, puts it at 20 minutes. According to Halacha (Jewish law), every city is supposed to set additional time before sundown on the eve of the Sabbath. Most places allow for 20 minutes, but the Ashkenazi rabbis in Elad have refused, since the city was established, saying that a special window of time must be allowed for, as in places like Safed and Bnei Brak (30 minutes), and almost like that which is allowed for in Jerusalem and Petah Tikva (40 minutes). The Safardis acted according to their tradition, and added just 20 minutes, even when the sirens of Elad sounded according to the Ashkenazi system.
This sort of dispute only alienates those that are “not yet frum”. If we want to engage in effective kiruv, we have to avoid this sort of machlokes.
Rabbi Grossman said this is a case of “pikuah nefesh” (Saving a Life), because as soon as Shabbat comes in the roads are filled with pedestrian worshipers rushing to the synagogue as the latecomers speed through the streets on their way home
watch where you walk just like every other day of the week
lame excuse
Hidur shabbos = Derabonan, Machlokes and chillull hashem = Issur Deoraisa, sometimes people unfortunately get carried away with the real torah principals and priorities.
To comment 1
I agree with your point but forget about kiruv, this is insane! i would find it funny if it wasn’t so sad.
also the phrase “engage in effective kiruv” what does that mean? f u care about another yid you can bring him closer to hashem. We need to do our part and not give up because of a fight in eldad. that would be like saying “there are so many people giving orthodoxy a bad name so how can we reach out to anyone” anyway lets make sure we show our children alot of love, so if they become a rabbi, the community wont have to deal with these things.
With all the problems Israel faces today, this is what they argue about?? I am at a loss for words.
If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny. It sounds like Chelm or something out of Gulliver’s Travel!
Some of us actually work and have jobs and an extra 20 minutes means a lot. To the rest of you that are supported by others start Shabbos when you want. Don’t dictate it to others.
wow ! 30 minutes is not e’lad more then 20 ! maybe compromise ! how about o 25 minutes ?! or perhaps 20 minutes winter time and 30 minutes in the summer !? (only problem in a “iber” year who gets “adar baiz” ? sefard ?or nusech ashkenaz !? )
Must do like the minhag whatever it is. In France in the summer the latest time everybody accepts Shabbos is 8:30 even though sunset is much later
The obvious solution is to have two city gates, one for Sefardim and one for Ashkenazim. Maybe the “modern” and secular contingents will want their own gates as well.
I just love our new custom of using wailing air raid sirens to announce Shabbos. so peaceful and relaxing sounding! What a wonderful new minhag!
What’s the big deal? There was no violence over there. Open up any page of the Talmud and you will find at least one Machlokes. I don’t think anybody who was truly religious got turned off by those disputes, so why should they now. Frankly, in a certain sense I was happy to read about this Machlokes, it shows us that B”H Torah is going strong and that people still care about Halacha and Minhagim. As long as it’s only on paper and doesn’t turn to violence it is perfectly fine. It seems like most of the posters here never opened a Sefer and never learned a little Jewish History, had they, they would of seen that this was literally part of Jewish life in every generation.
As an oleh chadash from L.A. to El’ad, if such a b’shem shamayim makhlokes – over the pros & cons of moving an entire community in the direction of mehadrin min hamehadrin Torah observance – makes “the inauguration of the Sabbath in Elad… the tensest hour of the week”, I didn’t know it until my brother referred me to this article… and my heartfelt feeling that El’ad is indeed k’gan eden, is magnified.