The 5 Towns Jewish Times reported a question recently posed to Rav Chaim Kanievsky regarding whether Jews in Miami should obey evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Irma, followed by his characteristically terse and rather oracular answer:
BREAKING VIDEO: Hagaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Tells Miami Residents To Leave Their Homes! ‘Sakanah!’
Hurricane Irma’s size and strength put the entire state of Florida on notice Tuesday, and residents and visitors prepared to leave in anticipation of catastrophic winds and floods that could reach the state by this weekend.
Throughout South Florida, officials readied evacuation orders and people raided store shelves, buying up water and other hurricane supplies. Long lines formed at gas stations and people pulled shutters out of storage and put up plywood to protect their homes and businesses.
Meanwhile, on Rechov Rashbam in Bnei Brak a question was posed as what residents of Miami should do. Should the residents stay or they should leave? Rav Chaim was explained about the recent storm in Texas, and the high number of deaths.
“There may be evacuation orders in Miami over Shabbos. Should they listen and leave, or should they stay?” – he was asked.
Rav Chaim responded with one word – “Sakanah!”
Watch the video below to see for yourself.
One might think that with such a brief (less than one minute) encounter, of which a video record is available, there would be little debate about what, exactly, was asked and answered, but one would be wrong. While the 5TJT describes R. Chaim’s response as “one word – “Sakanah!””, Matzav describes his answer as consisting of two words – “Chshash Sakana”:
“SAKANA”: R’ Chaim Kanievsky Asked About Evacuating Miami For Hurricane Irma (VIDEO)
Florida is hunkering down in preparation for Hurricane Irma, a record breaking Category 5 storm expected to make landfall in the next few days. Grocery shelves have been emptied, windows are being shuttered and emergency services are readying themselves for all possible scenarios.
In the Jewish community, another form of preparation is being taken into account. After Gov. Abbott of Texas was criticized for not calling for an evacuation before Hurricane Harvey, Florida’s Governor Rick Scott has warned that an evacuation order may be declared for parts of Florida in the next few days.
The question arose about how to deal with an order to flee that is issued on Shabbos.
The shayla made its way across the Atlantic Ocean, landing in Bnei Brak to be answered by the Godol Hador, R’ Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a. After listening to the halachic query, R’ Chaim was unequivocal. “Chshash Sakana,” he declared, with all its halachic ramifications.
Watch the video below to see the question being posed to R’ Chaim followed by his succinct answer:
Even more significantly, the JTA’s version of the episode (picked up by The Times of Israel – and Breitbart) goes so far as to claim that R. Chaim ruled that the danger of the storm justified violation of the laws of Shabbas:
Jews may travel on Shabbat to escape Hurricane Irma, haredi rabbi says
An influential Ashkenazi rabbi in Israel said Jews may travel on Shabbat to escape Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 storm that is expected to hit Florida over the weekend.
But some Jews in flood-prone areas are determined to ride out the storm, another rabbi said.
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, who receives thousands of followers annually at his home in Bnei Brak from haredi Orthodox communities around the world, issued the call in an interview with a follower. One of his aides filmed and posted his response online Wednesday.
Kanievsky’s ruling came as people in parts of three Florida counties faced mandatory evacuation orders Thursday and officials in two other counties issued voluntary orders to leave in advance of Irma.
The storm could create one of the largest mass exoduses in U.S. history as additional evacuations are announced. Orthodox Jewish law permits the violation of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, only in life-threatening or otherwise severe emergencies. …
[See the debate in the comments to the Matzav article over whether R. Chaim actually endorsed evacuation on Shabbas.]
R. Natan Slifkin is skeptical of the meaningfulness of the exchange between R. Chaim and his interlocuters:
Rav Chaim Kanievsky is 89 years old. He has spent virtually his whole life insulated from the outside world. He is a selfless person who has dedicated his entire life to the study of Torah (apart from a very brief period during the War of Independence when he served on guard duty). Many people, following the contemporary charedi notion of Daas Torah (in which the less a person knows about the world, the purer is his wisdom), believe that this makes him uniquely suited to give guidance.
But it goes even further. People consider even a word of blessing from him to be guidance. …
Last week there was another example of this, and it’s on video for everyone to see. Someone went to Rav Chaim and told him that there is a deadly storm headed for Miami, of a kind that has killed many people. They asked: Should people flee? And he replied: Sakanah! (“There’s a danger!”). And that was the end of the conversation.
This brief interaction is viewed very differently by different people. Some people genuinely see it as a demonstration of Divine Daas Torah. “Rav Chaim Kanievsky has ordered people to evacuate Miami!” Others see it as a tragic example of nothingness. He was told that there is a life-threatening danger, so he said that it’s dangerous. You can get the same answer from a five-year-old. …
But whatever one may think of the value of this particular interaction, it should be noted that there is strong precedent for consulting דעת תורה about the religious legitimacy of fleeing from natural disasters – see our previous citation of two classic responsa by prominent fifteenth century Rabbinic leaders – Maharil and Rashbash – in response to queries about the propriety of fleeing from outbreaks of plague.
As noted there, both responsa adduce the following bizarre aggadic passage as proof that “sometimes the messenger errs” – in other words, the argument for passiveness and submission to the Divine will fails since not everything that occurs is actually in accordance with the Divine plan; some tragedies are basically just unfortunate bureaucratic errors!
רב יוסף כי מטי להאי קרא בכי (משלי יג) ויש נספה בלא משפט אמר מי איכא דאזיל בלא זמניה אין כי הא דרב ביבי בר אביי הוה שכיח גביה מלאך המות אמר ליה לשלוחיה זיל אייתי לי מרים מגדלא שיער נשייא אזל אייתי ליה מרים מגדלא דרדקי אמר ליה אנא מרים מגדלא שיער נשייא אמרי לך אמר ליה אי הכי אהדרה אמר ליה הואיל ואייתיתה ליהוי למניינא אלא היכי יכלת לה הות נקיטא מתארא בידה והות קא שגרא ומחריא תנורא שקלתא ואנחתא אגבה דכרעה קדחא ואיתרע מזלה ואייתיתה א”ל רב ביבי בר אביי אית לכו רשותא למיעבד הכי אמר ליה ולא כתיב ויש נספה בלא משפט א”ל והכתיב (קוהלת א) דור הולך ודור בא אמר דרעינא להו אנא עד דמלו להו לדרא והדר משלימנא ליה לדומה א”ל סוף סוף שניה מאי עבדת אמר אי איכא צורבא מרבנן דמעביר במיליה מוסיפנא להו ליה והויא חלופיה1
When Rav Yosef reached this verse, he cried: “But there are those swept away without justice” (Proverbs 13:23). He said: Is there one who goes before his time and dies for no reason? The Gemara answers: Yes, like this incident of Rav Beivai bar Abaye, who would be frequented by the company of the Angel of Death and would see how people died at the hands of this angel. The Angel of Death said to his agent: Go and bring me, i.e., kill, Miriam the raiser, i.e., braider, of women’s hair. He went, but instead brought him Miriam, the raiser of babies.
The Angel of Death said to him: I told you to bring Miriam, the raiser of women’s hair. His agent said to him: If so, return her to life. He said to him: Since you have already brought her, let her be counted toward the number of deceased people. Apparently, this woman died unintentionally.
Rav Beivai asked the agent: But as her time to die had not yet arrived, how were you able to kill her? The agent responded that he had the opportunity, as she was holding a shovel in her hand and with it she was lighting and sweeping the oven. She took the fire and set it on her foot; she was scalded and her luck suffered, which gave me the opportunity, and I brought her.
Rav Beivai bar Abaye said to the Angel of Death: Do you have the right to act in this manner, to take someone before his time? The Angel of Death said to him: And is it not written: “But there are those swept away without justice” (Proverbs 13:23)? Rav Beivai said to him: And isn’t it written: “One generation passes away, and another generation comes” (Ecclesiastes 1:4), which indicates that there is a predetermined amount of time for the life of every generation.
He said to him: I shepherd them, not releasing them until the years of the generation are completed, and then I pass them on to the angel Duma who oversees the souls of the dead. Rav Beivai said to him: Ultimately, what do you do with his extra years, those taken away from this individual? The Angel of Death said to him: If there is a Torah scholar who disregards his personal matters, i.e., who overlooks the insults of those who wrong him, I add those years to him and he becomes the deceased’s replacement for that time.2
This possibility of erring messengers is invoked by halachic authorities in another context. As discussed below, there is considerable debate over the theological correctness of the liturgical phrase “לוקח נפשות במשפט”, and various aharonim grapple with the implication of the above aggadah that not all deaths are necessarily just:
חדושי אנשי שם
ק”ל דהא כתיב יש נספה בלא משפט וכעובדא דרב ביבי בפרק קמא דחגיגה ואנו אומרים אותו על המדה התמידית ומדאורייתא שהוא לוקח נפשות במשפט ואם לפעמים על המעט יש נספה בלא משפט אין ראוי מפני זה להמנע מלאומרו כי המקרה אינו תמידי ולא מדאורייתא:3
מכתם לדוד
ואיכא למידק דאמאי לא קאמר דטעמא הוי משום דאמרינן בפ”ק דחגיגה יש נספה בלא משפט וכו’ יעו”ש ולהכי לא מצינן למימר לוקח נפשות במשפט ואמאי אייתי מההיא דמסכת שבת דאינה מימרא מוסכמת וי”ל דמהתם אין ראיה כלל דמלאך המות הוא דעבד הכי ולאו שהקב”ה אמר לו להמיתו כמעשה הנזכר שם משא”כ ההיא דשבת משמע שהקב”ה מרשהו להמיתו הגם דאין בו חטא ואיך מצינן למימר לוקח נפשות במשפט והר”ר יונה והרא”ש ז”ל כתבו שאין למוחקו יעו”ש. ומרן ז”ל בשו”ע או”ח סי’ קפ”ט ויו”ד סי’ שע”ט נראה שלא הכריע לא כהרי”ף והרמב”ם ולא כהר”י והרא”ש אמנם רמ”א ז”ל התם סי’ שע”ט כתבו אמנם כתב ג”כ כי כל דרכיו משפט והוא טעם נכון ודוק. שוב ראיתי להרב פר”ח ז”ל שהביא ראיה מההיא דפ”ק דחגיגה ולענ”ד אין ראיה כמ”ש.4
משרת משה (עטייה)
ולענ”ד יש להביא עוד סעד לסברת בה”ג ודעמיה מדאמר בפ”ק דחגיגה בדף ד’ ע”ב ויש נספה בלא משפט ואייתו עובדא דמרים מגדלא שער נשייא וכו’ ופירש”י ז”ל דיש כלה ואין עון בידו ולא היה משפט לספות עיי”ש וא”כ אפוא כיון דאשכחן מקרא מלא דיבר הכתוב דיש נספה בלא משפט וזימנין שכיח דאזיל בלא זימניה ובלי עון ונקנה בחליפין א”כ היאך נאמר לוקח נפשות במשפט.
ואגב הוקשה לי בסוגייא דשבת דאמאי לא פריך על ר’ אמי דאמר אין מיתה בלא חטא מהאי קרא דיש נספה בלא משפט והאי עובדא דמרים שהיתה מזמן בית שני ומשו”ה סיפר לו לר’ ביבי מה שאירע כבר כמ”ש התוס’ בד”ה הוה שכיח גבי מלאך המות וכו’ עיי”ש והש”ס בהסכמה עלו ופירשו להאי קרא כי האי עובדא ואמרו אין כי הא דר’ ביבי וכו’ וא”כ במה כוחו דר’ אמי לומר אין מיתה בלא חטא. ואין לומר דס”ל לר’ אמי בפי’ האי קרא כמ”ש רש”י ז”ל בפי’ משלי בסי’ י”ד עיי”ש חדא דמה לנו בפי’ רש”י כיון דהש”ס פי’ איפכא ורש”י בתחילה פי’ הפשט ואח”כ איהו גופיה סיים דרבותינו פירשו במס’ חגיגה וכו’ עיי”ש. ובמ”ש אנן בעניותין בקונטרס זכות אבות בפ”ב משנה ח’ בס”ד. ועוד דאף את”ל דפליג עלה ומפרש האי קרא בגוונא אחריתי מה יתרץ בהאי עובדא דסוף סוף אשכחן דיש נספה בלא חטא ולא מטא זימניה וגם דאם איתא הו”ל למסדר הש”ס להודיענו האי פלוגתא בפי’ האי קרא ולימא דלפום שיטה זו אזלא לה לעלמא האי בכיה דר’ יוסף דהוה בכי כי מטי להאי קרא על דאיכא אינש דאזיל בלא זימניה אלא לאו דמוכח דהש”ס תפס במושלם בפי’ האי קרא הכי ורב יוסף מדקא בכי משמע שהבין הקרא הכי ואייתו עלה בש”ס לומר היכי דמי ור’ ביבי ג”כ כד בעי מיניה דמלאך המות אית לכו רשותא למיעבד הכי השיבו ולא כתיב ויש נספה בלא משפט וגם מן השמים יוכיחו מדשתקו ולא א”ל ולא מידי משמע דהסכימו להאי עובדא דמלאך המות והפסוק עצמו העיד דיכול להיות כהאי גונא והוא מוסכם והדרא עלן דאמאי לא פריך אליבא דר’ אמי מהאי מילתא ולכאורה צריך יישוב. …5
My weekly column for this past פרשת האזינו:
Parashas Haazinu (32:4) contains the declaration: “The Rock! – perfect is His work, for all His paths are justice; a G-d of faith without iniquity, righteous and fair is He.”
This conviction of the universality of Hashem’s justice is expressed in (some versions of) the language added to the Blessing after Meals (birkas ha’mazon) in the home of a mourner. Our text of the Talmud (Berachos 46b) includes the phrases “[He] takes souls with justice … for all His paths are justice”. There is a Geonic-Sephardic tradition, however, that deletes these references to justice, since the Talmud elsewhere (Shabbas 55a-b) records a debate over the proposition that “there is no death without error [cheit] and there is no suffering without iniquity [avon]” and apparently concludes by endorsing the opposing view that “there is death without error and there is suffering without iniquity” (Halachos Gedolos cited by Tosafos Berachos ibid.; Rif and Rambam as understood by Beis Yosef OC end of siman 189; Beis Yosef himself). The Ashkenazic tradition, on the other hand, defends our text, arguing that despite the Talmudic conclusion that “there is death without error”, it nevertheless remains the case that “all His paths are justice”, “and He knows why He does so” (Rabbeinu Yonah to Berachos ibid.; Tosafos ibid.; Rema YD 379:1). Furthermore, the Meiri insists that despite the apparent conclusion of the Talmudic discussion, the theologically normative view is nevertheless that “there is no death without error and there is no suffering without iniquity” (and cf. Abudraham, Hilchos Berachos, Shaar 9).
An additional objection to the phrase “[He] takes souls with justice” is based on the text of Proverbs (13:23) “and some are consumed without justice”. The Talmud (Chagigah 4b-5a) understands this to mean that lives are sometimes ended unjustly. In support of this theologically provocative stance, the Talmud cites a remarkable anecdote of the underling of the Angel of Death confusing his master’s description of his target and taking the life of the wrong woman by mistake (cf. Mishras Moshe and Michtam Le’David to Rambam Hilchos Berachos 2:8)! Some explain that justice is the norm, and its absence a rare aberration, and we may therefore declare that “[He] takes souls with justice” since this is generally the case (Chidushei Anshei Shem, Berachos ibid.).
My weekly parashah lecture, on the same topic, is available at the Internet Archive.
- חגיגה ד:-ה [↩]
- The William Davidson Talmud ibid. [↩]
- חדושי אנשי שם על הרי”ף ברכות לד: בדפי הרי”ף [↩]
- מכתם לדוד ברכות ב:ח [↩]
- משרת משה (עטייה) הלכות ברכות ב:ח [↩]