Let them be 1
One of the important rules in assessing the validity of an existing practice is “let them be”, and it has two variants. The first variant assumes that people have an intuitive knowledge of what is right and what is wrong, and therefore the rabbis should accept the practice of the people as one which has been agreed upon by God Himself. The source of this statement is in Tossefta Pesahim, chapter 6, at the end of the story about the rise of Hillel to prominence. Hillel was able to provide an answer to a serious halakhic problem, but stumbled when asked about a minute detail – how should one carry the knife if the Eve of Pesah falls on Shabbat:
אמרו לו: רבי, שכח ולא הביא סכין מערב שבת מהו? אמר להן: הלכה זו שמעתי ושכחתי, אלא, הנח להן לישראל אם אין נביאים הן – בני נביאים הן. למחר, מי שפסחו טלה – תוחבו בצמרו, מי שפסחו גדי – תוחבו בין קרניו
They asked: Ribbi, if one forgot and did not bring a knife before Shabbat, what should he do? He said: I have heard this law but have forgotten it. Let the Israelites be, the Divine Spirit is on them, they may not be prophets, but they are the children of prophets. On the following day, those who brought a lamb stuck the knife in the wool, and those who brought a goat, stuck it between the horns.
In his commentary on the Talmud, Alay Tamar, R. Yisakhar Tamar explains that:
מנהג ישראל הוא ההכרעה בהלכה… שהאומה בכללה יש לה תחושה נבואית לכוון ההלכה לאמיתה בכל הלכה שלא הוכרעה בבי”ד
The practice of the nation is the halakhic decision… the nation, as a whole, has a prophetic ability to reach the true essence of Halakha in any case which was not decided by Beth Din.
This is an essential rule in our understanding of Psak halakha and the practices of the people, and it has been used extensively in halakhic literature. Here is a partial list of themes where this rule was applied to keep a common practice against the opposition of some Halakhic authorities (the sources appear at the end):
1. A lenient approach in defining Public Domain on Shabbat; 2. Praying at the Western Wall although we might be breaching on the boundaries of the Temple; 3. Squeezing or breaking suspicious tissue on a cow’s lung to declare it Kosher; 4. The general decision among Ashkenazi Jews to follow the rulings of R. Moshe Isserles and not R. Shelomo Luria; 5. Standing at the reading of the Ten Commandments and embroidering the Ten Commandments on the Ark’s curtains, though it might seem that we attribute more importance to them then the rest of the Torah.
6. Relying on Hevra Kaddisha and allowing the mourners to take a more lenient approach on certain issues; 7. Saying the words “Bar elahen” in Berikh Sheme. Those words translate as “son of god” and were opposed by rabbis who argued that they should be replaced by “Malakhaya Ilaey” – supreme angels; 8. Printing and drawing human images; 9. Answering Amen and hearing Megillah through a hearing aid; 10. Drumming on Shabbat with your fingers or cutlery.
11. Opening a huppah on Shabbat or stretching a Tallit over the children’s heads like a tent; 12. Warming on Shabbat food with liquids; 13. Chopping vegetables thinly on Shabbat; 14. Doctors performing on Shabbat unnecessary work, meaning that it is not directly related to saving life; 15. Telling a non-Jew to start a fire in the fireplace even though the cold is not at dangerous levels; 16. Saying a Berakha for a non-Kosher Etrog, for example when the Pitam fell off; 17. Reading Keriat Shema past its time with the community.
The wide range and the permissibility these laws offer, show us that we must respect the practice of the people, even when it seems to be against the established Halakha. This is not to say that all actions will be validated, but that care should be taken before denouncing them.
מקורות: 1. ישועות מלכו, או”ח, כא; 2. בית רידב”ז, לח; 3. דברי חיים, יו”ד, ב:כה; 4. עלי תמר, ברכות, א; 5. ישכיל עבדי, ב:סא; 6. עלי תמר ברכות ג; 7. קיצור של”ה, דיני ס”ת; 8. דברי מלכיאל, ג:נח; 9. עלי תמר, סוכה ה; 10. שלמת חיים, ד:י; 11. ילקוט יוסף שבת, ב:שטו; 12. שם שבת ג, שיח:נד; 13. אגלי טל, טוחן, כג; 14. ילקו”י שבת ד:שכט; 15. בגדי ישע, רעו; 16. שם, תרמה; 17. אשל אברהם, נח
