My Response to slander against Rav Bar hayim

This is a response to this blog post and the two slanderous comments that followed.

http://kitniyos.blogspot.com/2007/04/pesachs-upside.html

"This is why even Sephardim are required to check rice three times for kernels of wheat."

Sefardim are not REQUIRED to do so, they have custom to do so. There is a difference.


"The Arizal taught us that when in comes to Pesach one should be as strict as possible."

And yet the Arizal himself ate Kitniot on Pesach.


"Although rice is examined many times, it still can be found to contain wheat. A religious Jew should therefore not eat rice on Passover. (p. 227)."

And yet the Rosh, the Tur, the Shulchan Aruch and Rav Yaakov Emden all say the opposite. That should hold a little more weight than Rav Culi, with all due respect.


"It must be pointed out for the sake of intellectual honestly that Rav Culi wrote this as an added praiseworthy stringency and not as a law for Sephardim. Nevertheless it says what it says. "


And the Chayei Adam outlaws potatoes. He says what he says.


"Rav Culi based this opinion on the Pri Chadash 467. The Pri Chadash was a commentary on the Shuchan Aruch written by Chachum Chizkeya da Silva, another leader of Sephardic Jewry who moved to Jerusalem at age 20 (in 1679). Here was a great Sephardi leader living in Jerusalem advocating that Sephardi Jews refrain from eating rice on Pesach."


And yet most did not, including the Rambam, Ramban and the Shulchan Aruch.

Doesn't that count for anything?


"I’ll close with a story that Rav Avrohom Blumenkrantz ZT"L quotes in his Pesach digest regarding the chumra of not eating at other people’s houses."


Rav Blumenkrantz was a well meaning, G-d fearing Jew. But his book led hundreds of thousands of Jews into complete neurosis for Pesach time.


"Rav Chaim visited the Chofetz Chaim on Pesach, and the Chofetz Chaim, who was known for his warm hospitality, did not even offer his guest a cup of tea, due to this practice. Apparently, this stringency was very common in many European circles."


It sure was, and yet we are not in Europe and therefore we no longer have to follow European customs.


Now let me respond to the comments which, unlike your article, were slanderous and evil.


"Don't waste time arguing with these pseudo-scholars."

To say Rav Bar Hayim is a pseudo-scholar shows that you have never spoken to him. He is a genius of unparreled brilliance.


Call him up sometime. His phone number is on his site.


"A quick look at David Bar-Hayim's (aka David Mandel) other site, http://torahlight.com/halacha.asp will suffice to display the man's incredible ignorance of basic halachic methodology."


Actually his halakhic methodolgy is flawless, you and all of his detractors have NEVER been able to answer his contentions, only slander him.


"Some of this is being explained on Hashkafah.com , where certain followers of Mandel have been making fools of themselves by defending some very silly positions taken by Mandel."


Refusing to eat peanuts on Pesah is silly, not Rav Bar hayim. And calling him Mandel is insulting a Gadol B'Torah.


"That he flip-flops between kulot / chumrot, ashkenazi / sephardi halachic authorities,"


Kind of like Rav yosef Karo did in the Shulchan Arukh, Right?


"and then by the way he argues with the accepted halachic authorities of our generation (eg. Rav Moshe, etc.) is simply more proof of his lack of perspective."


He is not the only one who disagree with certain piskei din of Rav Moshe. Rav Auerbach did too. So Did Rav elyashiv. So do many Chassidic Poskim. That is the way of the Torah SheBaal Peh, my friend.


"I wouldn't worry too much, though In about 5 years the common refrain when mentioning his name is likely to be; "oh, that whacko...Mandel ?!"."


Wrong, his teachings are so powerful and true, they can't fail to take hold. And calling him a
whacko is insulting, slanderous and evil.


"It's a real rachmanus though. All of his chassidim grew up without a mesorah and without a proper yeshiva background to teach them acceptable Torah methods of learning Halacha. Blind leading the blind..."


I grew up with a Yeshiva background and I know Halakhic methodology very well. His methodology is flawless and certainly acceptable according to the Torah.


How dare you call a Torah Giant like Rav Bar Hayim "Blind"?


He is not blind. You are.