Responsa zu Dewarim 12:3
וְנִתַּצְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־מִזְבּחֹתָ֗ם וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־מַצֵּ֣בֹתָ֔ם וַאֲשֵֽׁרֵיהֶם֙ תִּשְׂרְפ֣וּן בָּאֵ֔שׁ וּפְסִילֵ֥י אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם תְּגַדֵּע֑וּן וְאִבַּדְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־שְׁמָ֔ם מִן־הַמָּק֖וֹם הַהֽוּא׃
Und ihr sollt ihre Altäre niederreißen und ihre Säulen in Stücke zerschlagen und ihre Ascherim mit Feuer verbrennen; und ihr sollt die geschnitzten Bilder ihrer Götter niederhauen; und ihr sollt ihren Namen von diesem Ort aus vernichten.
נודע ביהודה מהדורא קמא
שוב ראיתי שגם מע"ל192מעת לעת? מעלתו בעצמו נתקשה, כיון שאין הבתים צריכין להיות שחורות עפ"י דין. א"כ, איך רשאי להשחירן? והרי דיו יבש חוצץ, כמבואר במסכת שבת דף ק"כ ע"ב193בבלי שבת קכ:
.......ורמי דרבנן אדרבנן, ורמי דרבי יוסי אדרבי יוסי, דתניא: הרי שהיה שם כתוב לו על בשרו, הרי זה לא ירחוץ ולא יסוך ולא יעמוד במקום הטינופת. נזדמנה לו טבילה של מצוה כורך עליה גמי ויורד וטובל רבי יוסי אומר לעולם יורד וטובל כדרכו ובלבד שלא ישפשף
The conclusion is that Rabbi Yosei prohibits indirect extinguishing, and the Rabbis permit it. The Gemara raises a contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and a second statement of the Rabbis; and it raises a contradiction between one statement of Rabbi Yosei and a second statement of Rabbi Yosei. As it was taught in a baraita: If one had a sacred name of God written on his skin he may neither wash it in water lest it be erased, nor may he smear it with oil, nor may he stand in a place of filth because it is disrespectful of God’s name. If an immersion of mitzva happened to present itself, he wraps a reed over God’s name and then descends and immerses. Rabbi Yosei says: Actually, he descends and immerses in his usual manner, even if it is not an immersion of mitzva, provided that he does not rub the spot and erase the name. Apparently, Rabbi Yosei’s opinion is more lenient than that of the Sages with regard to indirectly causing a prohibited outcome.
שאני התם דאמר קרא (דברים יב, ג) ואבדתם את שמם מן המקום ההוא לא תעשון כן לה' אלהיכם עשייה הוא דאסור גרמא שרי
The Gemara answers: It is different there because the verse says: “And you shall break down their altars, and you shall smash their pillars, and their sacred trees, and burn with fire, and the graven images of their gods you shall hew down and you shall destroy their name from that place. You shall not do so to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 12:3–4). From the prohibition: “You shall not do so,” Rabbi Yosei derives that actually doing so is that which is prohibited; indirectly causing that result is permitted.
אי הכי הכא נמי כתיב (שמות כ, ג) לא תעשה [כל]
מלאכה עשייה הוא דאסור גרמא שרי מתוך שאדם בהול על ממונו אי שרית ליה אתי לכבויי
The Gemara asks: If so, here too, with regard to Shabbat, it is written: “And the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your God, you shall not perform any labor” (Exodus 20:9). And here, too, one could derive: Performance is that which is prohibited; indirectly causing a prohibited action is permitted. The Gemara answers: Actually, Rabbi Yosei maintains there is no prohibition in indirectly causing a fire to be extinguished; however, since a person is agitated about his property, if you permit him to indirectly extinguish the fire, he will come to extinguish it directly
אי הכי קשיא דרבנן אדרבנן ומה התם דאדם בהול על ממונו שרי הכא לא כל שכן
The Gemara asks: If so, there is a contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and another statement of the Rabbis: If in the case of a fire, where a person is agitated about his property, nevertheless, the Rabbis hold that indirect extinguishing is permitted; here, in the case of erasing God’s name, all the more so it should be permitted to indirectly cause erasure of God’s name. Why did the Rabbis in the baraita issue a stringent ruling in this matter?
ותסברא האי גמי היכי דמי אי דמיהדק קא הוי חציצה אי לא מיהדק עיילי ביה מיא חציצה תיפוק ליה משום דיו בלחה דתניא הדם והדיו הדבש והחלב יבשין חוצצין לחים אין חוצצין מכל מקום קשיא
The Gemara rejects this: And how can you understand it that way? What are the circumstances of this reed with which God’s name is covered while immersing according to the Rabbis? If it is firmly attached, it is an interposition; if it is not firmly attached, the water enters and erases the name. The Gemara questions this: If the concern is with regard to an interposition, derive that it is an interposition in any case due to the ink on his skin. The Gemara answers: This is referring to moist ink that does not interpose, as it was taught in a baraita: With regard to blood, and ink, and honey, and milk on a person’s skin, when they are dry, they interpose during immersion; when they are moist, they do not interpose. The Gemara continues: Nevertheless, it is difficult: Why do the Rabbis require wrapping a reed around God’s name?
אלא אמר רבא בר רב שילא היינו טעמייהו דרבנן דקסברי אסור לעמוד בפני השם ערום מכלל דר"י סבר מותר לעמוד בפני השם ערום דמנח ידיה עילויה
Rather, Rava bar Rav Sheila said that this is the reasoning of the Rabbis: They hold that it is prohibited for a person to stand before the name of God while naked, and therefore there must be a barrier between one’s naked body and the name. The Gemara asks: Is that to say by inference that Rabbi Yosei holds that it is permitted to stand before the name while naked? The Gemara answers: No, he does not allow doing so; however, he does not require that the name be covered with a reed. It is sufficient for one to place his hand over the name
? וא"כ, הרי אין הבית רואה האויר, שהדיו שהשחירן בו חוצץ בין הבית ובין האויר!?
.......ורמי דרבנן אדרבנן, ורמי דרבי יוסי אדרבי יוסי, דתניא: הרי שהיה שם כתוב לו על בשרו, הרי זה לא ירחוץ ולא יסוך ולא יעמוד במקום הטינופת. נזדמנה לו טבילה של מצוה כורך עליה גמי ויורד וטובל רבי יוסי אומר לעולם יורד וטובל כדרכו ובלבד שלא ישפשף
The conclusion is that Rabbi Yosei prohibits indirect extinguishing, and the Rabbis permit it. The Gemara raises a contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and a second statement of the Rabbis; and it raises a contradiction between one statement of Rabbi Yosei and a second statement of Rabbi Yosei. As it was taught in a baraita: If one had a sacred name of God written on his skin he may neither wash it in water lest it be erased, nor may he smear it with oil, nor may he stand in a place of filth because it is disrespectful of God’s name. If an immersion of mitzva happened to present itself, he wraps a reed over God’s name and then descends and immerses. Rabbi Yosei says: Actually, he descends and immerses in his usual manner, even if it is not an immersion of mitzva, provided that he does not rub the spot and erase the name. Apparently, Rabbi Yosei’s opinion is more lenient than that of the Sages with regard to indirectly causing a prohibited outcome.
שאני התם דאמר קרא (דברים יב, ג) ואבדתם את שמם מן המקום ההוא לא תעשון כן לה' אלהיכם עשייה הוא דאסור גרמא שרי
The Gemara answers: It is different there because the verse says: “And you shall break down their altars, and you shall smash their pillars, and their sacred trees, and burn with fire, and the graven images of their gods you shall hew down and you shall destroy their name from that place. You shall not do so to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 12:3–4). From the prohibition: “You shall not do so,” Rabbi Yosei derives that actually doing so is that which is prohibited; indirectly causing that result is permitted.
אי הכי הכא נמי כתיב (שמות כ, ג) לא תעשה [כל]
מלאכה עשייה הוא דאסור גרמא שרי מתוך שאדם בהול על ממונו אי שרית ליה אתי לכבויי
The Gemara asks: If so, here too, with regard to Shabbat, it is written: “And the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your God, you shall not perform any labor” (Exodus 20:9). And here, too, one could derive: Performance is that which is prohibited; indirectly causing a prohibited action is permitted. The Gemara answers: Actually, Rabbi Yosei maintains there is no prohibition in indirectly causing a fire to be extinguished; however, since a person is agitated about his property, if you permit him to indirectly extinguish the fire, he will come to extinguish it directly
אי הכי קשיא דרבנן אדרבנן ומה התם דאדם בהול על ממונו שרי הכא לא כל שכן
The Gemara asks: If so, there is a contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and another statement of the Rabbis: If in the case of a fire, where a person is agitated about his property, nevertheless, the Rabbis hold that indirect extinguishing is permitted; here, in the case of erasing God’s name, all the more so it should be permitted to indirectly cause erasure of God’s name. Why did the Rabbis in the baraita issue a stringent ruling in this matter?
ותסברא האי גמי היכי דמי אי דמיהדק קא הוי חציצה אי לא מיהדק עיילי ביה מיא חציצה תיפוק ליה משום דיו בלחה דתניא הדם והדיו הדבש והחלב יבשין חוצצין לחים אין חוצצין מכל מקום קשיא
The Gemara rejects this: And how can you understand it that way? What are the circumstances of this reed with which God’s name is covered while immersing according to the Rabbis? If it is firmly attached, it is an interposition; if it is not firmly attached, the water enters and erases the name. The Gemara questions this: If the concern is with regard to an interposition, derive that it is an interposition in any case due to the ink on his skin. The Gemara answers: This is referring to moist ink that does not interpose, as it was taught in a baraita: With regard to blood, and ink, and honey, and milk on a person’s skin, when they are dry, they interpose during immersion; when they are moist, they do not interpose. The Gemara continues: Nevertheless, it is difficult: Why do the Rabbis require wrapping a reed around God’s name?
אלא אמר רבא בר רב שילא היינו טעמייהו דרבנן דקסברי אסור לעמוד בפני השם ערום מכלל דר"י סבר מותר לעמוד בפני השם ערום דמנח ידיה עילויה
Rather, Rava bar Rav Sheila said that this is the reasoning of the Rabbis: They hold that it is prohibited for a person to stand before the name of God while naked, and therefore there must be a barrier between one’s naked body and the name. The Gemara asks: Is that to say by inference that Rabbi Yosei holds that it is permitted to stand before the name while naked? The Gemara answers: No, he does not allow doing so; however, he does not require that the name be covered with a reed. It is sufficient for one to place his hand over the name
? וא"כ, הרי אין הבית רואה האויר, שהדיו שהשחירן בו חוצץ בין הבית ובין האויר!?
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