Interesting Psak: handling currency printed with images of women

This is a bit unusual. I don't normally come across piskei halacha from Rav Gamliel Rabinovitch. Even though he is a tremendous talmid chochom and is surely an expert in halacha, he is known more for his involvement in kabbalistic and mystical issues, along with mussar and hashkafa, rather than piskei halacha.

Kikar is bringing a psak halacha publicized from Rav Gamliel Rabinovitch regarding the use of the new Israeli currency bills that bear the images of women - famous poetesses - Rachel the Poetess (Blobstein/Bluewstein) and Leah Goldberg.

Rav Gamliel was asked if the bills can be used or if they should be avoided out of concern of one looking at erva and being caused to stray because of it...

Rav Gamliel concluded that dealing with these bills is permitted for a combination of a number of reasons, though he adds that it would be better if the bills had the images of tzaddikim printed on them, such as the former bill with the image of the Rambam..

Rav Gamliel details 5 reasons it is ok:
1. People are generally not gazing at these pictures no the bills or coins. They glance at the bill as they give it over or take it from someone else. The prohibition of looking is really gazing at the image of a woman and not just a casual glance.
2. Most people handling money are too busy with what they are doing - depositing, withdrawing, purchasing, etc. and are "tarud" distracted by what they are doing and are not having prohibited thoughts about the women on the bills.
3. Most people did not see these women while they were alive and never really saw their full image.
4. the women on the bills died many years ago and the issue is far less serious with dead women as it does not really cause improper thoughts.
5. the images are not clear, the color dyes are weak and not colorful in a way that draws attention to it.

Rav Rabinovitch also points to the fact that the gedolei yisrael used to use the 10 shekel bill that had the name of a woman on it, and in Europe the gedolei yisrael used currency that had the image of the Queen of England on it, and nobody made a big deal.


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