Halachah and Shu"t. Polemic. Historic, sharp letter attacking those who are lenient in regard to agunos, by ...

Halachah and Shu"t. Polemic. Historic, sharp letter attacking those who are lenient in regard to agunos, by Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, av"d Vilna.

This letter was written on the backdrop of the rabbinical battle, and particularly of Rav Chaim Ozer, against the idea of solving the aguna problem by inserting a condition in the nisuin or by appointing a shaliach geirushin at the time of the nisuin. Rav Chaim Ozer reprinted the Ein Tnai B'Nisuin and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of America and Canada printed the L'Dor Achron kuntress.

Rav Ovadia Hedaya was leaning in favor of one of these halachic solutions and was about to print his opinion in his Shu"t Yaskil Avdi. In this letter, Rav Chaim Ozer sharply addresses the Union of Orthodox Rabbis in the United States and Canada and asks them to send Rav Hedaya a copy of the L'Dor Achron kuntress along with the request that he omit this subject from his sefer.

This effort was successful. Rav Hedaya published his long teshuvah on the subject ( Shu"t Yaskil L'Dovid section three, Even HaEzer siman 5 and 6), however he concludes with the statement that he received the L'Dor Achron kuntress with thousands of signatures opposing the solution, which means that the solution isn't applicable in our generation and everyone should distance themselves from it.

Scribal script and the signature of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski.

Vilna, 1938.

[1] letterhead, 22x19 cm.

Tears along the length and width of the fold, restored with tape, marginal tears not affecting text.