Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Other

Going to gehinom – or not!

Why do the chachamim explain the Torah in a way that makes Klal Yisrael judged more harshly than seemingly necessary. If we know that gehennom is not a good place to be and the rabbis learn the Halacha that causes more people to be over the aveirah then is it not the rabbis causing more people to go to gehennom. When we think of all the bad goyim in the world most of them have done physical harm to the Jewish people, not spiritual harm. Why when we explain the Torah or Halacha in such a strict fashion is it not causing spiritual harm to the Jewish people. (Sorry for asking the same question three times)

I think my question pops up in three main areas.

One: Understanding the a clear pusak:

…and a man must not wear a woman’s garment… (Deuteronomy 22:5)

On the simple level it means just don’t cross dress which can be understood why it’s an abomination however the rabbi understand it to include acting like the opposite gender. If the pusak would have said do not act like the opposite gender I could understand how that would include cross dressing however since it specifically says “do not dress” why would one think that if they pulled out one white hair amongst black hairs now they are over the aveirah? If they would have learnt the pusak the way it is written all those men who look into the mirror would not have to suffer the fires of gehennom.

Two: Making Gezara
We are not allowed to tan hides on shabbos. The rabbis include pickling uncooked food. Now included in picking is not salt fresh vegetables. Add on to that we are strict not to salt a plate of fresh vegetables. (Rabbi Cohen Halacha of Shabbos 2 page 371). So here you have a guy who puts salt on his lettuce thinking he is not doing anything wrong but he is over the derabbanim of of tanning.

Three: : Being Machmir
As one increases the size of kezayis one will decrease the amount of people who will have fulfilled the mitzvah of eating Matzah. This can show up with any number of mitzvahs so in the end a person can think they have been fulfilling a mitzvah their entire life only to find out they have not.

Thank you in advance for reading and responding to my question, Chaim

There are no hard and fast rules about white shirts. In general, a white shirt is considered to be a modest but respectable garment, and a person should wear clothing that is respectable.


Also, part of the day is spent standing in prayer in front of the Creator, and this certainly warrants respectable attire.


In any case, the main thing is not the external garments, but rather the spiritual ones, namely, a person’s thought, speech, and deed. Physical clothing is only a means to the end, the goal being purity of spiritual garments.

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