Interesting Psak: not voting 3 times

Someone asked Rav Benzion Hacohen Kook, rav of a community in Petach Tikva and dayan in Jerusalem, an interesting question about voting, or not voting.

The questioner asked, considering that a repeated behavior, doing something three times, is considered in halacha a vow of sorts that would require hatarat nedarim, a release of a vow, if one wants to change the behavior, so if someone did not vote in 3 consecutive elections, is he allowed to vote at all or is he obligated by a "vow" to not vote? And can this vow be released?

Rav Kook responded that Rav Elyashiv was asked a similar question once and his response had been that it only gets the status of a vow for the positive behavior of a mitzva, not for behavior that is prohibited.

Rav Kook added that because the gedolim have paskened that voting is an obligation, so someone who did not vote has performed a sin and this definitely does not need hatarat nedarim. And when Rav Kook asked Rav Elyashiv if the psak remains the same even when they have their rabbonim to rely on who are opposed to voting so for them perhaps it is a mitzva to not vote, Rav Elyashiv responded that the Chazon Ish was a big enough rebbe for everybody, meaning the others are battul to the Chazon Ish's decision that voting is an obligation.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------