From rabbikaganoff.com
Question #1
“My husband’s name is Chayim Shelomoh, and an excellent
shidduch possibility was just suggested for my daughter. However, the
bachur’s name was originally Shelomoh, but as a child, he was ill and they added the name Chayim before Shelomoh. May we proceed with this
shidduch?”
Question #2: Must we turn down this shidduch?
“My wife’s name is Rivkah, and we were just suggested an excellent
shidduch for my son, but the girl’s name is Esther Rivkah. Must we turn down the
shidduch?”
Answer:
Both of these questions relate to rules that are not based on Talmudic sources, but on the writings of Rav Yehudah Hachassid, who prohibited or advised against many potential marriages that are, otherwise, perfectly acceptable according to
halachah. But before we even discuss the writings of Rav Yehudah Hachassid, let us discover who he was and why his opinion carries so much weight.
Who was Rav Yehudah Hachassid?
Well, to complicate matters a bit, there were two people in Jewish history who were called
Rav Yehudah Hachassid. These two individuals lived hundreds of years apart, and, to the best of my knowledge, had no known connection to one another, other than that they were both esteemed
Ashkenazic leaders in their respective generations. The Rav Yehudah Hachassid of the seventeenth century, famed as the builder of a
shul in the Old City of Jerusalem, now called the
churva shul, spearheaded the first “modern” effort to establish an
Ashkenazi community in the holy city. Although this failed attempt had political and practical ramifications that lasted until the middle of the twentieth century, I have never heard him blamed for the blocking of a potential
shidduch.
On the other hand, the much earlier Rav Yehudah Hachassid, whose writings and rulings will be discussed in this article, was a great
posek and
mekubal, whose
halachic decisions and advice have been extensively followed by both
Ashkenazim and
Sefardim.
Rav Yehudah Hachassid, who was born in approximately 4910 (1150), is quoted several times in the
Tosafos printed in our
Gemara (for example,
Tosafos,
Bava Metzia 5b, s.v.
Dechashid and
Kesuvos 18b, s.v.
Uvekulei). Rav Yehudah’s students included a number of famous
rishonim who are themselves
Baalei Tosafos, such as the
Or Zarua, the
Rokeach, the
Semag, and the
Sefer Haterumah.
Rav Yehudah Hachassid was the head of a select group of
mekubalim called the
Chassidei Ashkenaz. He authored numerous works on
kabbalah and was the author of the poem
Anim Zemiros, sung in many
shullen at the end of
Shabbos davening. Two works of his are intended for use by the common laymen, the
Sefer Chassidim and the
Tzavaas [the ethical will of]
Rav Yehudah Hachassid, and these mention the subject of today’s article.
The tzava’ah of Rav Yehudah Hachassid
I am not going to list everything in Rav Yehudah Hachassid’s
tzava’ah, but, instead, will simply cite some of the practices that he prohibits.
A man should not marry a woman who has the same name as his mother, nor should he marry a woman whose father has the same name that he has. Rav Yehudah Hachassid closes by saying: if people violated these instructions, one of the parties with the name in common should change his/her name — perhaps this will provide some hope. He does not specify what the harm is or what the hope is for.
Two
mechutanim should not have the same name.
Two
mechutanim should not make two
shidduchim, a son with a daughter and a daughter with a son.
One should not marry one’s niece, either his brother’s daughter or his sister’s daughter.
A father and son should not marry two sisters.
Two brothers should not marry two sisters, nor should they marry a mother and her daughter.
A stepbrother and a stepsister should not marry.
Two married brothers should not live in the same city.
Before we get everyone disturbed, I will share with you that many of these relationships prohibited (or advised against) by Rav Yehudah Hachassid are not recognized as binding by later authorities. For example, the
Chofetz Chayim’s first
rebbitzen was his step-sister: he married the daughter of his step-father, who had already married the
Chofetz Chayim’s widowed mother. Similarly, I know of numerous instances in which two brothers married two sisters, without anyone being concerned about it. And the
Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch mentions that one need not be concerned about pursuing a
shidduch in which the fathers of the
chosson and the
kallah have the same given name (
Shu’t Tzemach Tzedek, Even Ha’ezer #143).
Selective service
In most places, the only
shidduchin-related rule of Rav Yehudah Hachassid that has been accepted is that a man not marry a woman who has the same given name as his mother, nor should a woman marry a man who has the same name as her father. Why is this rule more accepted than any of the others?
Early
poskim note that the custom of being concerned about this was far more widespread than concern about the other prohibitions of Rav Yehudah Hachassid. They propose several reasons to explain why this is true.
One answer is because the
Arizal was also concerned about a man marrying a woman whose name is the same as his mother. Yet, there is no evidence of the
Ari or other authorities being concerned regarding the other rules of Rav Yehudah Hachassid (see
Shu’t Mizmor Ledavid of Rav David Pardo, #116, quoted by
Sdei Chemed, Volume 7, page 17;
Shu’t Divrei Chayim,
Even Ha’ezer #8).
Another possible reason is that the Chida writes that he, himself, saw problems result in the marriages of people who violated this specific prohibition of Rav Yehudah Hachassid.
Rav Chayim Sanzer adds that one should be concerned about this particular practice only because
klal Yisroel has accepted as custom to pass up these marriages. To quote him: If the children of Israel are not prophets, they are descended from prophets, and there is an innate understanding that these
shidduchin should not be made.
The responsum of the Noda Biyehudah
No discussion of the instructions of Rav Yehudah Hachassid is complete without mentioning a responsum of the
Noda Biyehudah, the
rav of Prague and
posek hador of the eighteenth century. The
Noda Biyehudah (
Shu’t Even Ha’ezer II #79) discusses the following case: A
shidduch was suggested for the sister-in-law of a certain Reb Dovid, a close
talmid of the
Noda Biyehudah, in which the proposed
chosson had once had his name changed, because of illness, to the name of the girl’s father. The
Noda Biyehudah replied to Reb Dovid that generally he does not discuss questions that are not based on sources in Talmud and authorities. Nevertheless, he writes that he will break his usual rules and answer the inquiry.
First, the
Noda Biyehudah points out a very important
halachic principle: No
talmid chacham may dispute any
halachic conclusion of the
Gemara, whether he chooses to be lenient or stringent, and anyone who does is not to be considered a
talmid chacham. Upon this basis, the
Noda Biyehudah notes that we should question the entire
tzava’ah of Rav Yehudah Hachassid, since the work forbids numerous practices that run counter to rulings of the
Gemara. To quote the
Noda Biyehudah, “We find things in Rav Yehudah Hachassid’s
tzava’ah that are almost forbidden for us to hear.” The examples the
Noda Biyehudah chooses include:
One should not marry one’s sister’s daughter. However, the
Gemara (
Yevamos 62b) rules that it is a mitzvah to do so.
Rav Yehudah Hachassid prohibited a father and son from marrying two sisters, yet we see that the great
amora Rav Papa arranged the marriage of his son to his wife’s younger sister (
Kesubos 52b).
Another example is that Rav Yehudah Hachassid writes that two brothers should not marry two sisters, yet the
Gemara (
Berachos 44a) writes approvingly of these marriages. Furthermore, the
amora, Rav Chisda, arranged for his two daughters to marry two brothers, Rami bar Chamma and Ukva bar Chamma (ibid.).
Explaining Rav Yehudah Hachassid’s concern
The
Noda Biyehudah continues: “However, out of esteem for Rav Yehudah Hachassid, we must explain that in his great holiness, he realized that the
shidduchin he was discouraging would all be bad for his own descendants. Therefore, Rav Yehudah Hachassid’s comments do not conflict with the
Gemara, since he was writing a special ruling for individuals that should not be applied to anyone else. Therefore, Reb Dovid does not need to be concerned about his sister-in-law proceeding with this
shidduch.
The
Noda Biyehudah presents an additional reason why Reb Dovid does not need to be concerned: Rav Yehudah Hachassid’s concerns apply only to birth names or names given to sons at their
bris, but do not apply to any name changes that take place afterwards. The
Noda Biyehudah rallies proofs that adding or changing a name because of illness can only help a person and cannot hurt. In addition, the
Noda Biyehudah reasons that if someone was an appropriate
shidduch because of his birth name, changing or adding to his name cannot now make this
shidduch prohibited.
Marry a talmid chacham
Aside from the other reasons why the
Noda Biyehudah feels that this
shidduch can proceed, he adds another rule: It is more important for someone to marry off his daughter to a
talmid chacham, which the
Gemara says is the most important thing to look for in a
shidduch, than to worry oneself about names, a concern that has no source in the
Gemara.
At this point, let us examine one of our opening questions:
My husband’s name is Chayim Shelomoh, and a
shidduch was just suggested for my daughter of a
bachur whose name was originally Shelomoh, but as a child, he was ill, and they added the name Chayim before Shelomoh. May we proceed with this
shidduch?
According to the
Noda Biyehudah, one may proceed with the
shidduch, even if the younger Chayim Shelomoh does not qualify as a
talmid chacham and even if they are descended from Rav Yehudah Hachassid, since the name Chayim was not part of his birth name.
Stricter approaches
On the other hand, there are other authorities who are more concerned about violating the instructions of Rav Yehudah Hachassid and do not mention any of the above
heterim (quoted in
Sdei Chemed Volume 7, pages 17- 20;
Kaf Hachayim, Yoreh Deah 116:125). These authorities supply a variety of reasons why the arguments of the
Noda Biyehudah do not apply. As far as the
Noda Biyehudah’s statement that Rav Yehudah Hachassid could not have banned that which is expressly permitted, or even recommended, in the
Gemara as a mitzvah, some respond that, although at the time of the
Gemara there was no need to be concerned about the
kabbalistic problems that these concerns may involve, our physical world has changed (
nishtaneh hateva), and there is therefore, currently, a concern of
ayin hora (quoted by
Sdei Chemed page 19).
In conclusion
I leave it to the individual to discuss with his or her
posek whether or not to pursue a particular
shidduch because of an identical name or one of the other concerns raised by Rav Yehudah Hachassid. Of course, we all realize that the most important factor in finding a
shidduch is to
daven that
Hashem provide the appropriate
shidduch in the right time.
