ולא תשאו עליו חטא (קרח יח:לב)

You shall not bear a sin…

The Shinover Rav zt’’l was honored to be ‘Mesadar Kedushin’ at a wedding in a foreign city. The Rav arrived in the town an hour before the chuppah. He went to the Beis Medrash to meanwhile learn.

The shamesh of the shul, a notable and reputable Yid, was in the middle of cleaning the shul at the time, and a boy was disturbing him from cleaning. The shamesh told the boy to leave the Beis Medrash. But the boy didn’t listen, and the shamesh slapped the child, and he started crying.

When the Shinover Rav arrived at the chasunah, the city’s Rav honored him with Mesadar Kedushin. The Shinover Rav asked who are the “Eidim Kedushin” (witnesses), and the Rav answered that we only take right-worthy witnesses, such as the shamesh of our Beis Medrash.

The Shinover Rav proclaimed that he couldn’t proceed with the ceremonies if the shamesh were an “eid-witness.” The people assembled asked the shamesh what happened. Why is the Shinover Rav adamant that you can’t be a witness?

It took a few minutes for the shamesh to realize why. Perhaps the reason was that he slapped a child. The city’s Rav agreed that he wasn’t worthy of being a witness at a chuppah until he asked the child for forgiveness. (He needed to wait for the child to become an adult, eligible to be considered as halachic forgiveness.)

Filed under Parshas Korach |