Once, when Rosh Hashanah occurred on Shabbos, R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev made the following argument to God:
-- Master of the universe, this year You are forced to inscribe Your people Israel for a good and peaceful year. Since it is, shabbos ha’yom l’Hashem, Shabbos today for Hashem, and writing is forbidden, how can you fulfill: b’rosh Hashanah yi’ka’seivun? On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed...? You have no choice but to inscribe each one of your children to life because pikuach nefesh dokheh shabbos, saving a life overrides shabbos…and writing then becomes permitted.
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2 comments:
Is writing on Yom Tov permitted?
Dear anonymous,
There are 3 ways of looking at this story/tefilah of RLY of B.:
1 - As they used to say in French, af a myseh, fregt men nit kayn kashos, or
2 - the word shabbos in pikuach nefesh docheh shabbos is the driver for RH ocurring on shabbos, or
3 - maybe that is why the story is so infrequently quoted, as cute as it may be.
ksiva v'chasima tovah!
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