By COLlive reporter
A letter signed by Rabbi Yechiel Kalmenson stipulates that his support of the construction of eruvin in large cities does not pertain to one particular neighborhood.
In a typed letter dated late Shevat 5782 and bearing his signature, Rabbi Kalmenson says that his public calls and ruling have been interpreted as “mixing in on the issue of the Eruv in Crown Heights.”
His support has included being one of the 16 signatories of a letter stating that an Eruv in a metropolis was not against the view of Chabad Rebbes.
In a new halachic analysis, published last week on COLlive.com, Rabbi Kalmenson explains in detail how the concept of a city too large to be enclosed in an Eruv didn’t exist today.
He explained how this was in accordance with the views of the Alter Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe himself, based on rulings of the rishonim and achronim.
He said that it was clear that his writing “has no connection whatsoever, or taking a position, regarding the Eruv in Crown Heights.”
He added that the reasoning of rabbonim of the neighborhood and members of the Crown Heights Beis Din on why a local Eruv should not be constructed is not against the opinion of the Rebbes.
Why write this article in such a way as to imply that the Rabbeim speak in favor of an eiruv in large metropolitans? The Rebbe wrote “yadua daiti” against. This was seemingly not because of the Shishim Ribui, but because of other valid reasons laid out by the Rebbe very clearly. The Kuntres is not controversial in any way. The Kuntres clarifies that although the Alter Rebbe writes to be personally machmir and go by the opinion that a major highway makes a reshus harabim, that practically we can make an eiruv in an area that’s less than shishim ribui,… Read more »
Why do you think that you know better?
I see everyone quoting from the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch that in our times there is NO Reshuh Harabim Mideoraisa.
Listen to this Sicha (link below) – where the Rebbe seems to say that this has in fact changed in our times…
https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/554143/jewish/12-Tammuz-5745-Sicha-4.htm
begin listening at 28:15 minutes into the sicha