Sneezing
[א] (Halacha 1150)
Question: What should one who sneezes say?
Answer: It is stated in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer1: 'The fourth wonder: from the day that heaven and earth were created, no person was ever ill; rather, if he was on the road or in the marketplace, he would sneeze and his soul would depart through his nostrils. Until Yaakov Avinu came and pleaded for mercy concerning this, and said before Him, "Master of all the worlds, do not take my soul from me until I instruct my sons and the members of my household," and He granted his request, as it says2 ויהי אחר הדברים האלה ויאמר ליוסף הנה אביך חלה ("And it was after these things, that it was said to Yosef, 'Behold, your father is ill'"). And all the kings of the earth heard these things and were astonished, for there had been nothing like it since the day heaven and earth were created. Therefore a person is obligated3 to say upon his sneeze, "Life," for this death was transformed into light, as it says4 עטישתיו תהל אור ("His sneezes flash forth light")'.
The Maharshal5 and other poskim after him cited a minhag to say the pasuk 'לישועתך קויתי ה' ("For Your salvation I hope, Hashem") after sneezing, as Rabbi Chaim Palagi wrote in his commentary Par Echad on Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer there: 'And the minhag is to say לישועתך קויתי ה', and the one standing next to him says to him, "A good life."'
And the Be'er Sheva6 wrote that this minhag stems from the words of Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer: 'And from here came the minhag to say upon one's sneeze לישועתך קויתי ה'. So it seems to me'.
And the Shelah7 wrote: 'Also included in this principle is a specific matter: that a person is obligated to praise Hashem for his sneezes, and this is mentioned in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer .. And I have heard that some say upon sneezing 'לישועתך קויתי ה', and it is fitting. And the intent of this praise to Hashem is: just as You have saved me now, so do I hope for Your salvation — similar to the bracha of HaGomel, where we say, 'He Who has bestowed good upon you, may He bestow upon you [all] good, Selah.''
The Maharzu, in his commentary on Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, wrote that there is a connection between this pasuk and sneezing, since Yaakov Avinu, who feared sneezing, is the one who also said this pasuk: 'And the one who sneezes himself says the pasuk לישועתך קויתי ה', and how beautiful is this minhag according to the words of the commentators on the plain meaning, that Yaakov said this pasuk when the illness weighed heavily upon him and he feared the sneeze'.
However, the Kaf HaChaim8 expressed reservations about the minhag, and wrote: 'As for what some are accustomed, when they sneeze, to say לישועתך קויתי etc., the chassidim and men of deed are careful not to say it, because when one sneezes he is preoccupied with the sneeze and cannot concentrate properly on the Name, and one who does not concentrate on the Name, his punishment is great .. and therefore they are careful not to say it, since refraining from action is preferable. However, if he says לישועתך קויתי השם without mentioning the Name Havayah, it is permissible.'
And in the Responsa Afarkasta D'anya9 he wrote: 'And why is it not the general practice to say לישועתך? And he found in the periodical Vayelaket Yosef, year 5671, siman 97, in the name of the Chasam Sofer, a reason for this: that out of habit one might say it, chas v'shalom, in the beis hakisei, and its root is found in the words of the Ramban z"l on the pasuk כי הקרה ה"א לפני. But his honor was not satisfied with this, for if so, other brochos too should not be said for this reason; end of quote .. But as for myself, I am always accustomed to say לישועתך. And so I have seen the peaceful and faithful of Israel accustomed to do, and thank G-d, the above-mentioned mishap has never happened to me10'.
> Thus we have seen that there is an ancient minhag to say, after sneezing, the pasuk לישועתך קויתי ה'11.
What comes first The Maharshal12 wrote: 'Whoever pleads for mercy for his fellow, while he himself needs that same thing, is answered first, as it says13 ויתפלל אברהם אל האלקים, וירפא אלהים את אבימלך, את אשתו ואמהותיו ("And Avraham prayed to G-d, and G-d healed Avimelech, his wife and his maidservants"). And it is written14 וה' פקד את שרה כאשר אמר וגו' ("And Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, etc."). Alternatively, it is derived from here, as it is written15 וה' שב את שבות איוב, בהתפללו בעד רעהו ("And Hashem restored the fortunes of Iyov when he prayed for his friends"). And for this reason it appears that one who sneezes, and his fellow says to him "Asusa," should first say, "May you be blessed," and afterward pray לישועתך קויתי ה'.
And the Magen Avraham16 cited it: 'One who sneezes and his fellow says to him "Asusa" should say to him, "May you be blessed," and afterward say לישועתך קויתי ה', for one who prays for his fellow is answered first. Yam Shel Shlomo, Bava Kamma ch. 8, siman 64.'
And the Knesses HaGedolah17 wrote: 'I saw that the Rav, Moreinu HaRav Rabbi Ashtruk ibn Shango z"l, was accustomed to make the bracha on the wine and drink a little, and afterward he would say to those at the table, "To your joy," and finish drinking. And I asked him the reason, and he said that it is not proper to place the honor of flesh and blood before the honor of Heaven. But to me it seems that there is nothing to this; on the contrary, it is proper first to say "To your joy" to those at the table and afterward to make the bracha and drink, because great is human dignity, for it overrides a negative commandment of the Torah. And so wrote the Rashal: one who sneezes, to whom they say "A good life," should first respond to the people, "May it be increased for you," and afterward say לישועתך קויתי ה'. Nevertheless, when I remember, my practice is like Moreinu HaRav Rabbi Ashtruk z"l'18.
> Thus we have seen that it is proper first to say the bracha back to one's fellow who blessed him, and afterward to say the pasuk לישועתך קויתי ה'.
Pulling the ear: In the sefer Otzar Kol Minhagei Yeshurun19 he writes: 'And as for what people say to a person who sneezes while the dead are being mentioned, "Pull your ear" (tzi zich far dem oyer) — I heard the reason from Mr. Yosef Tzvi Lichter, shochet u'bodek: because Adam HaRishon did not heed the voice of Hashem, Who commanded him, saying, "Do not eat from the tree of knowledge, for on the day you eat of it you shall surely die." Therefore they allude to this by pulling the ear, for the ear that did not listen brought death to the world, and from this we derive a moral lesson: to listen, to guard, and to do.'
Thus we have seen that there were those who were accustomed to pull the ear when they sneezed during a mention of the dead, and they gave a reason for the matter.
However, in the Responsa Mishneh Halachos20 he wrote: 'Now, saying "Asusa," which is for healing, we have heard of; but what is this pulling of the ear? One should not do so, for it is of the ways of the gentiles'.
Indeed, Rabbi Y. Mondshine21 wrote: 'I heard from the Gaon and Chassid Rabbi Yaakov Landa a"h that the Rebbe Rashab nishmaso Eden told him: What people say — that if one sneezes while speaking about a deceased person one should pull the ear — is not so; rather, every time one sneezes one should pull the ear (the Rebbe demonstrated to him that the pulling is done along the entire length of the ear from top to bottom, and not only on the earlobe. And according to Rabbi Landa, it is likely that the Rebbe showed this on his left ear).'
And in the sefer Yemei Melech22 he writes in the name of Rabbi Sholom Chaskind: 'Once the Rebbe שליט"א stood next to the Rebbe Rayatz and sneezed. His father-in-law told him that the minhag is to pull the ear upward and say לישועתך קויתי ה'; the pulling should be done with the hand on the side of the ear (which side, he did not say). Afterward the Rebbe שליט"א told me these things ..'.
[Regarding the Rebbe's own conduct, some have testified that they indeed saw the Rebbe practice this minhag (discreetly)23; on the other hand, some have written that they saw the Rebbe sneeze and not practice this minhag24.]
Notes:
1 Ch. 52 ↩
2 Bereishis 48:1 ↩
3 And see the version in Yalkut Shimoni (Lech Lecha, remez 77): 'Therefore a person is obligated, upon sneezing, to give thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, that he was turned from death to life.' ↩
4 Iyov 41:10 ↩
5 Yam Shel Shlomo, Bava Kamma ch. 8, siman 64 ↩
6 Sanhedrin 107b ↩
7 Shaar HaOsiyos, the letter Hei - Hallel 7 ↩
8 OC siman 170, s"k 3 ↩
9 Vol. 2, siman 36, os 3 ↩
10 And see there, where he wrote: 'And also, it seems to me that a sneeze from above is not common in the beis hakisei. And perhaps a natural reason can also be given for this.' ↩
11 And we saw above that there is one who wrote not to say Hashem's Name ↩
12 Bereishis 20:17 ↩
13 Ibid. 21:1 ↩
14 Iyov 42:10 ↩
15 Siman 230, s"k 6 ↩
16 Shiyarei Knesses HaGedolah, Hagahos HaTur, OC siman 174, os 2 ↩
17 And see Chemdas HaYamim vol. 3, os 81 ↩
18 Siman 39 ↩
19 Vol. 12, siman 137 ↩
20 Kfar Chabad, issue 1028, p. 16 ↩
21 Vol. 2, p. 638 ↩
22 See the words of Rabbi Yekusiel Farkash in the Haoros HaTemimim pamphlet, Kfar Chabad, Kovetz 235, p. 77. R' D. Kurtz a"h likewise testified that he saw it, as we heard from members of his family. And see the biography of Rabbi Yaakov Lipskar (Teshurah from the Bar Mitzvah of the bochur Yaakov Shmukler, 2 Iyar 5781), p. 99, where it is related that at yechidus a child sneezed and pulled his ear with the opposite hand, and the Rebbe remarked that he should not pass his hand over his face, and that he must do this with the hand on the same side, and even demonstrated it. ↩
23 See the testimony of Rabbi Y. Mondshine there ↩
[א] (Halacha 1151)
Question: What do we wish someone who sneezes?
Answer: We saw in the previous halacha the words of Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer1: 'The fourth wonder: from the day that heaven and earth were created, no person was ever ill; rather, if he was on the road or in the marketplace, he would sneeze and his soul would depart through his nostrils, until Yaakov Avinu came and pleaded for mercy concerning this, and said before Him, "Master of all the worlds, do not take my soul from me until I instruct my sons and the members of my household," and He granted his request, as it says ויהי אחר הדברים האלה ויאמר ליוסף הנה אביך חולה ("And it was after these things, that it was said to Yosef, 'Behold, your father is ill'"). And all the angels of the earth heard these things and were astonished, for there had been nothing like it since the day heaven and earth were created. Therefore a person is obligated to say upon his sneeze, "Life," for this death was transformed into light, as it says עטישותיו תהל אור ("His sneezes flash forth light")'.
It is explained in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer that sneezing was connected to death (and because of this the one who sneezes 'says life', and as we saw in the previous halacha, the minhag is to say the pasuk 'לישועתך קויתי ה'; likewise) it is customary, and mentioned in the Talmud and in halacha, that the people who hear wish the one who sneezes wishes of healing2, and below we will see several situations in which it was ruled that one should not offer such wishes.
Question: May one wish good health in the middle of the seudah?
Answer: It is stated in the Talmud Yerushalmi3: 'They asked Ben Zoma: Why, when wine comes to them in the middle of the meal, does each one make a bracha for himself? He said to them: Because the throat is not free. Rabbi Mana said: This means that one who sneezes in the middle of eating — it is forbidden to say to him "Yeis"4. Because of the danger to life'.
And the Pnei Moshe explained: 'One who sneezes in the middle of eating: one who sneezed during the seudah — one should not say to him "Yeis," meaning, may he have healing and cure, because of the danger to life, lest he choke, since the throat is not free; for even regarding Amen they said that one should not answer during the seudah because of the danger.'
The Rishonim5 cited the words of the Yerushalmi, and these are the words of Rabbeinu Manoach6: 'And my father, my teacher z"l, cited on this matter a Yerushalmi in the chapter Keitzad Mevorchin, where it says: one who sneezes in the middle of his meal, it is forbidden to say to him "Zit," because of the danger to his life — that is, one should not say to him "Asusa," whereupon he responds to them "Life to the master" and the like, as is the common custom, for perhaps he will be endangered if he speaks, lest the windpipe precede the esophagus and he come to danger'.
Halachically, the Mechaber7 wrote: 'One may not converse during a seudah, lest the windpipe precede the esophagus; and even to one who sneezed during a seudah it is forbidden to say "Asusa"'.
However, the Prisha8 wrote, and the Eliyahu Rabbah9 cited it in s"k 1: 'However, we can say that this applied specifically to them, who would eat reclining on the left side; then the esophagus is above and the windpipe, with which one speaks, is below, and when one speaks the windpipe opens, and the food above it, which should enter the esophagus, falls and enters the windpipe, and he is endangered. This is not so nowadays, when we eat sitting upright, so there is not so much to be concerned about. For this reason I have not seen people being careful10. However, I have not found this distinction anywhere.'
And the Chida11 wrote: 'All my days I was pained by this, for we see elder Rabbanim who are not careful about this; and I would walk among the holy ones, the chassidim of our generation, and no one remembered to be careful about this; and the years of generation after generation speak for it — they would eat and no one was harmed, and the elders bear witness that they never heard from their elders that such a thing had happened. And it was in my heart like a burning fire. But this day I found in the sefer Eliyahu Rabbah, in the name of the Prisha, in his allotted portion, that in their times they reclined and harm was common, but nowadays we all sit upright, and right and left are equal, and in such a case there is no need for concern; until here the gist of his words. And a great man has said something that settles the mind, and it is logical to rule like him. And according to this, on the night when the festival of Pesach is sanctified, when one reclines, one must be especially careful to fulfill the words of the Sages.'
And in Shiyurei Bracha he wrote: 'However, the Rav himself already concluded that this distinction is not found anywhere. And I will add that, on the contrary, the opposite is evident, for they z"l already wrote that nowadays there is no reclining, as explained above in siman 167 .. and nevertheless they wrote that one may not converse during a seudah, which implies that it applies to us as well, who do not practice reclining. But what can we do, for there is no person who is careful about this, as the Prisha wrote.'
And the Shaarei Teshuvah12 wrote: 'And the answer of the Drisha on this requires further study, for it is implied in the Shas that when reclining on the left there is no such concern at all, see there; and if so, their reclining was on the left. One must therefore say that even if one reclines on the left there is a concern when speaking, because the voice goes out through the windpipe and the epiglottis opens through speech. And therefore one must say as we say elsewhere, "and nowadays, since the multitudes have trodden upon it," etc. — see Shabbos daf 129; and according to this there is no distinction between the nights of Pesach and the rest of the year in this regard.'
However, in practice the Pri Megadim13 wrote: 'And even nowadays, when we do not lean on the left, one may not converse; see the Prisha. And so is implied by the unqualified ruling of the poskim'.
And so wrote the Chesed La'alafim there: 'However, the implication and unqualified ruling of all the poskim indicates that this prohibition applies to us as well; and although many, even the wholehearted, as our eyes see, are not careful about this, nevertheless we have only the words of the Sages; as long as the reason of those who speak has not been revealed to us, the obligation rests upon us to prohibit it. And every person should be careful not to speak at least while the food is in his mouth, in order to fulfill the words of Chazal.'
> Thus we have seen that according to the strict letter of the law it is forbidden to offer wishes to one who sneezes in the middle of the seudah because of the danger; and although some wrote to justify the common practice of not being particular about this, many poskim14 wrote that even today one must be careful about this.
--------------
Notes:
1 Ch. 52 ↩
2 See the Alei Tamar on the Yerushalmi there, who wrote that an additional reason for the wish is the words of the Gemara in Brochos (57b): 'Six things are a good sign for a sick person .. sneezing, as it is written, עטישתיו תהל אור ("His sneezes flash forth light")'. And he wrote that this is why we find two kinds of wishes: according to Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer the wish is "To life," and according to the reason given in the Gemara the wish is "To health." (But in practice we find that the wish for health is not said only to a sick person, so it is difficult to attribute the matter to the words of the Gemara in Brochos.) Regarding the two wishes, see also below the words of the Radal in note 4 on the words of the Yerushalmi. And in Mekor Chaim (Bachrach) there he wrote: 'The matter of Asusa, as will be explained below .. and it seems to me that in its plain meaning it is because it is a sign of a bad condition, an excess of moisture in his brain, and a good sign that nature has strengthened itself to expel the excess; for if they were held back, great illnesses would be produced, such as paralysis and severe coughing. And in several places in Italy they say so also about a sneeze from below. And therefore our Sages z"l said that sneezing is a good sign for a sick person, and perhaps the same applies to a sneeze from below; and the pasuk, in any case, is merely an asmachta.' ↩
3 Brochos ch. 6, halacha 6 ↩
4 See the Radal there, os 18, who wrote: 'Therefore a person is obligated etc. upon his sneeze, "Life." And so it is in the Yerushalmi, chapter 6 of Brochos: one who sneezes in the middle of his meal, it is forbidden to say to him "Zit" — this is the version of the Aruch, and he explained it as "life" in the Greek language. And so the Aruch cited, under the entry "atash," from the Yelamdenu, to say "A good life." But our version in the Yerushalmi there is to say to him "Yeis," meaning an expression of "Asusa," as we are accustomed, and as taught in the Tosefta, chapter 8 of Shabbos, and cited in chapter 8 of Brochos [53b]: one does not say "Marpei" in the beis medrash etc. And in the Yalkut, Lech Lecha [77, s.v. Shivah], the version, in the language of Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer here, is: a person is obligated upon sneezing to give thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, that he was turned etc.' And see the Rashba, Brochos 46a, and the Rosh, Brochos ch. 6, siman 34, whose version of the Yerushalmi reads: 'It is forbidden to say to him "Asusa," because of the danger to his life.' ↩
5 See the Rashba and Rosh in the previous note. Tur OC siman 170 ↩
6 Hilchos Brochos ch. 7, halacha 6 ↩
7 Shulchan Aruch OC siman 170, se'if 1 ↩
8 OC there, s"k 1 ↩
9 There, s"k 1 ↩
10 And see Maamar Mordechai s"k 1: 'See in the Prisha the distinction he drew between one era and another, *and it is correct, to justify the common practice'*. And see also Mekor Chaim (Bachrach) in Kitzur HaHalachos. And see what the Aruch HaShulchan wrote there, se'if 2 ↩
11 Birkei Yosef there, s"k 1 ↩
12 S"k 1 ↩
13 Eshel Avraham there, s"k 1 ↩
14 See also Kitzur Shulchan Aruch siman 42, se'if 5 ↩
[ג] (Halacha 1152)
The Beis Medrash
Question: Is it permitted to respond "Marpei" / "Asusa" in the beis medrash?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Brochos1 says: 'Our Rabbis taught: They were sitting in the beis medrash and a light was brought before them. Beis Shammai say: Each one makes the bracha for himself; and Beis Hillel say: One makes the bracha for all of them, because it says: ברב עם הדרת מלך ("In the multitude of people is the King's glory"). Granted, Beis Hillel explain their reason; but Beis Shammai, what is their reason? They hold: because of the interruption of the beis medrash. It was also taught so: those of the house of Rabban Gamliel would not say "Marpei" [= to a person who sneezes, to whom people customarily say "Asusa." Rashi] in the beis medrash, because of the interruption of the beis medrash'.
[In the Tosefta Shabbos2 it is written: 'One who says "Marpei" — this is of the ways of the Emori. Rabbi Lazar son of Rabbi Tzadok says: One does not say "Marpei" because of the interruption of Torah study. Those of the house of Rabban Gamliel would not say "Marpei" because of the ways of the Emori'3].
> Thus, according to the words of Beis Shammai, and so was the practice in the beis medrash of Rabban Gamliel, one does not respond "Asusa" in the beis medrash, because of the interruption of the beis medrash.
The Rambam4 wrote, and the Tur5 cited it: 'One does not sleep in the beis medrash, and whoever dozes in the beis medrash, his wisdom becomes torn into shreds; and so said Shlomo in his wisdom: וקרעים תלביש נומה ("and drowsiness clothes one in rags"). And one does not converse in the beis medrash except in words of Torah alone. Even to one who sneezed, one does not say "healing" in the beis medrash, and needless to say other matters; and the sanctity of the beis medrash is more stringent than the sanctity of batei knesses.'
The Lechem Mishneh remarked on his words that seemingly they follow only the view of Beis Shammai and not the view of Beis Hillel, and these are his words: 'And seemingly it is implied that this "it was also taught so" follows Beis Shammai, and the halacha is not so; and so it is implied from the words of Rav Alfas, who did not cite this "it was also taught so." But according to the words of our teacher [the Rambam], it seems to me that although the halacha certainly follows Beis Hillel, who say that one makes the bracha for all, since the halacha follows Beis Hillel everywhere, even so they do not disagree with Rabban Gamliel; for it is possible that Beis Hillel agree that one does not say "Marpei" and "Asusa" because of the interruption of the beis medrash, but here, because there is a mitzvah, on account of ברוב עם הדרת מלך, we are not concerned about the interruption of the beis medrash. And what they said in the Gemara, "it was also taught so," means that we are concerned about a slight interruption of the beis medrash such as this, so that you should not say that certainly their reason was not this, since we are not concerned about the interruption of the beis medrash; and therefore it says "it was also taught so," that Rabban Gamliel said that we are concerned about an interruption of Torah such as this — but not that Rabban Gamliel disagreed with Beis Hillel, for it is unreasonable to say that Rabban Gamliel would abandon Beis Hillel and act like Beis Shammai; rather, it is certainly as we have written. And so one must say according to the words of the Tur, who ruled in Hilchos Talmud Torah like this "it was also taught so" and like the words of our teacher, while in Tur Orach Chaim he ruled like Beis Hillel in siman 298.'
> That is, according to the words of the Lechem Mishneh, the reasoning of the interruption of the beis medrash is agreed upon by all, and even according to Beis Hillel one should not respond "Asusa" in the beis medrash; and the entire dispute between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel is only regarding the bracha on the light, where, against the reasoning of the interruption of the beis medrash, there is the reason of ברוב עם הדרת מלך.
[It is written in the Maharil6: 'I observed in the Maharil, when we sat before him to learn, that if he sneezed and some of the bochurim said "Asusa," he did not answer them anything; and likewise, if they sneezed, he did not say "Asusa" to them, and the reason is that words of Torah heal'. Thus the Maharil added that not saying "Asusa" during learning is not only a negative matter because of the interruption of learning, but also because words of Torah heal.]
However, the Eliyahu Rabbah7 wrote to resolve it in a different way: 'However, it seems to me to resolve it by first noting that from the Rambam and Tur it is implied that the reason for the prohibition is the sanctity of the beis medrash, and this is puzzling, for in the Baraisa the reason is stated explicitly as the interruption of the beis medrash. Rather, it seems to me to resolve the above, for it is also difficult regarding the house of Rabban Gamliel — how did they act like Beis Shammai? Rather, it seems to me that they hold that even according to Beis Hillel it is forbidden because of the sanctity of the beis medrash, and what it says, "it was taught in accordance with Beis Shammai," refers to the reason taught, because of the interruption of the beis medrash; but according to Beis Hillel there is another reason, because of the sanctity of the beis medrash'.
> That is, according to the words of the Eliyahu Rabbah, both according to Beis Shammai and according to Beis Hillel one should not respond "Asusa" in the beis medrash; but according to Beis Shammai this is because of the interruption of the beis medrash, whereas according to Beis Hillel it is due to the sanctity of the beis medrash, and according to this, according to Beis Hillel one should not respond even at a time when people are not learning.
> Thus we have seen that in the beis medrash of Rabban Gamliel they did not respond "Asusa," and it is explained in the Gemara that the reason for this is as in the words of Beis Shammai, "because of the interruption of the beis medrash." And the Acharonim disagreed as to how the Rambam and the Tur understood the view of Beis Hillel: some understood that Beis Hillel agree with the reasoning of Beis Shammai regarding the interruption of the beis medrash, and some understood that according to Beis Hillel one should not respond "Asusa" because of the sanctity of the beis medrash. In the next halacha we will see how the halacha was ruled in practice
Notes:
1 53a ↩
2 Ch. 8, halacha 2 ↩
3 According to our version of the Tosefta, the reason of the house of Rabban Gamliel for not responding "Marpei" is not as in our Gemara, that it is because of the interruption of the beis medrash, but rather that they held that responding "Marpei" is of the ways of the Emori. However, see the Hagahos HaGra, whose version of the words of the Tosefta is like our Gemara ↩
4 Hilchos Talmud Torah ch. 4, halacha 9 ↩
5 YD siman 246 ↩
6 Likutim [107] ↩
7 OC siman 151, s"k 1 ↩
[ד] (Halacha 1153)
The Beis Medrash/Beis Knesses
In the previous halacha we thus saw that in the beis medrash of Rabban Gamliel they did not respond "Asusa," and it is explained in the Gemara that the reason for this is as in the words of Beis Shammai, "because of the interruption of the beis medrash." And the Acharonim disagreed as to how the Rambam and the Tur understood the view of Beis Hillel: the Lechem Mishneh wrote that Beis Hillel agree with the reasoning of Beis Shammai regarding the interruption of the beis medrash, and the Eliyahu Rabbah wrote that according to Beis Hillel one should not respond "Asusa" because of the sanctity of the beis medrash.
Question: How was the halacha ruled?
Answer: The Mechaber1 wrote: 'One does not converse in the beis medrash except in words of Torah. Even to one who sneezed, one does not say "healing" in the beis medrash. And the sanctity of the beis medrash is more stringent than the sanctity of the beis knesses.'
And the Prisha2 wrote, and the Shach3 cited it: 'And it is possible that this applied specifically in their days, when they did not look up from their sefarim, and all the more so did not converse; but nowadays, when people are not careful about this in any case, they say "healing", and this is easily understood.'
However, the Taz4 took issue with the Prisha: 'He should not have written this, inventing a leniency from his own heart. For although we find in OC siman [70] such a reasoning regarding a chosson who recites Krias Shema nowadays, since other people too do not concentrate, that is because something good results from it, namely that he recites Krias Shema; this is not so here, where something unseemly will result from it, for the listener will think that since it is now permitted to say "healing," the strap has been loosened, and he will also engage in idle talk — and we are already warned about this, under the punishment of coals of broom, chas v'shalom. Therefore one should not pay heed to this to be lenient; on the contrary, the Rav should warn about this, and they will learn a kal vachomer to the prohibition of idle talk; and whoever increases the honor of the Torah is himself honored and praised.'
The Alter Rebbe5 cited the words of the Shulchan Aruch as halacha, as well as the words of the Eliyahu Rabbah: 'And therefore it is forbidden to engage in idle talk in the beis medrash, just as it is forbidden in the beis knesses; and even to one who sneezed, one does not say "healing" in the beis medrash, even not during the time of learning6, and needless to say during the time of learning, for which the punishment is great, as the Sages said, that he is fed coals of broom.'
Question: Does this law apply in the beis knesses as well?
Answer: In the Ateres Zekeinim7 he wrote: 'One who sneezes: in the beis knesses one does not say "healing" to him (Maimoni, Talmud Torah 4:9).'
And so wrote the Chesed La'alafim8, and so it is in the Ben Ish Chai9: 'To one who sneezes in the beis knesses, one does not say "A good life" or "Healing."
However, the Eliyahu Rabbah10 took issue with the Ateres Zekeinim: 'And now I have looked and have not found where it is so in the Maimoni; on the contrary, since he wrote this law in chapter 4 of Hilchos Talmud Torah, and likewise in the Tur YD and Shulchan Aruch siman 246, regarding the beis medrash, it is implied that in the beis knesses it is permitted, for they wrote on it that the sanctity of the beis medrash is more stringent than the sanctity of the beis knesses .. And furthermore, the Kesef Mishneh and the Beis Yosef wrote there that its source is from the Shas, chapter Eilu Devarim, and there it is stated that those of the house of Rabban Gamliel would not say "Marpei" because of the interruption of the beis medrash; if so, from where do we derive the beis knesses? And it is forced to say that it is also an interruption of tefillah. And furthermore, even regarding the beis medrash the Shach wrote there11 in the name of the Prisha that this applied specifically in their days, when they did not look up from their sefarim, and all the more so did not converse; but nowadays, when people are not careful about this in any case, they say "healing"; and although the Taz there was stringent, that is because of the honor of the Torah, see there .. And either way, it seems that one may be lenient in the beis knesses, even when engaged in tefillah, at a point where it is permitted to interrupt.'
On the other hand, the Pri Megadim12 wrote: 'As to whether to say "Asusa" in the beis knesses, see YD [siman] 246, se'if 17, in the Taz13 and the Shach there, and see the Eliyahu Rabbah here. And as for "those of the house of Rabban Gamliel would not say 'Marpei' in the beis medrash because of the interruption of the beis medrash" — one should not say that in the beis knesses it is permitted; one might have said that in the beis medrash of the Rabbis it is permitted lechatchila, so it teaches us that it is forbidden, and all the more so the beis knesses; see se'if 1 [in the Hagah] in the name of the Ran.'
> Thus, according to the view of the Ateres Zekeinim and the Pri Megadim, one should not respond "Asusa" in a beis knesses either, and so ruled the Acharonim; but according to the view of the Eliyahu Rabbah, the law that one does not say "Asusa" stems from the sanctity of the beis medrash, whereas in a beis knesses, whose sanctity is lesser [and especially since even regarding the beis medrash some wrote to be lenient], it is permitted to respond.
> Thus we have seen that some wrote that nowadays it is permitted to respond even in the beis medrash, but according to the view of the Alter Rebbe this law applies today as well. And we have likewise seen that the Acharonim disagreed as to whether this law also applies in a beis knesses
Notes:
1 Shulchan Aruch YD siman 246, se'if 17 ↩
2 S"k 36 ↩
3 There, s"k 16 ↩
4 YD there, s"k 6 ↩
5 Hilchos Talmud Torah ch. 4, halacha 11 ↩
6 In the source references of the first printing it is written: 'See Eliyahu Rabbah siman 151' ↩
7 Siman 151, s"k 2 ↩
8 OC, Laws of the Sanctity of the Beis Knesses, se'if 5 ↩
9 Year 1, Vayikra, se'if 11 ↩
10 There, s"k 1 ↩
11 OC, Mishbetzos Zahav there, s"k 4 ↩
12 S"k 6 ↩
13 S"k 16 ↩
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