If anybody was skeptical about Rav Aviner's recent psak that even a person in mourning, sitting shiva, needs to get up to go vote on election day, and I know people who were skeptical about the psak saying it was just because he is such a politically involved rav who believes int he medina and considers it a mitzva to be involved, it seems like not only was he right, but there is not even a machlokes on the matter.
According to Yeshiva World, The haredi gedolim have come out with the same psak saying the mourners need to get uo during shiva to go vote. Rav Ovadia Yosef even added that voting for Shas will be an aliyah for the neshama...
I ownder if they hold that if you are going to vote Ichud Leumi or Liberman?
ReplyDeleteIs is voting or voting to give my personal party power which is the mitzva?
I am still not convinced. These dudes are just as and probsably even more political as R' Aviner just at the other side of the spectrum.
Rafi, I lost both of my parents so I know what it means to sit shiva. I can't even imagine anyone being able to go out and vote during this week. I found it terribly offensive when people started talking about politics in the shiva house - it really is petty when compared to life and death.
ReplyDeleteRav Spektor just sent out a similar psak (we have an avel in the community who presumably asked the question). He wrote that the avel can go out to vote after dark, preferably by car. He should go straight there and back and should take mishnayot or tehillim with him to read le-iluy the niftar. He held that voting is a davar hashuv, a davar he-avad and a mitzva.
ReplyDeletehow can an avel learn mishnayot during shiva?
ReplyDeleteit seems like not only was he right
ReplyDeleteRav Aviner was "right" when he made his psak. He's an Adom Gadol and Talmud Chachom. He didn't need validation from the Chareidi poskim.
As far being able to vote during Shiva. Look, everyone mourns differently, but it does not take the greatest of mental faculties to put a piece of paper in an envelope. (Yes, I have been an avel.)
And keep in mind that most of the things we do during Shiva are minhagim. There are many, less important reasons for which avelim can leave the Shiva house.