Parashat Beshalach
Question
When Hashem told Moshe where to go in the desert as Bnei Yisrael were leaving Mitzrayim, the Torah writes:
"ויְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר" (ב) "דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיָשֻׁבוּ וְיַחֲנוּ לִפְנֵי פִּי הַחִירֹת בֵּין מִגְדֹּל וּבֵין הַיָּם לִפְנֵי בַּעַל צְפֹן נִכְחוֹ תַחֲנוּ עַל הַיָּם".
And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, speak to Bnei Yisrael, and they shall turn back and encamp before Pi HaChiros, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Tzafon; opposite it you shall encamp by the sea.
There is a halacha that one may not tell a person to meet at a place of avodah zarah, as this gives importance to that place. As it is brought in tractate Sanhedrin 73b that one may not say to his friend, “meet me next to the place of Avodah Zarah”
This is the quote of that Gemara.
"דתניא: ושם אלהים אחרים לא תזכירו - שלא יאמר אדם לחבירו שמור לי בצד עבודה זרה פלונית".
If so, the question is, how can the pasuk say that Hashem told Moshe to instruct Bnei Yisrael to travel to Baal Tzafon and encamp opposite it? Doesn’t this go against the above Halacha?
Answer
First, I would like to present the approach of the Daas Zekeinim MiBa’alei Tosafot, and then, Be’ezrat Hashem, we will delve into this subject and have a deeper understanding.
He brings this question in the name of Rabbeinu Yehudah, However Rabbeinu Yehudah does not provide an answer, but rather leaves it as a tzarich iyun.
The Daas Zekeinim himself gives two explanations to answer this question.
The first is that we find that the halachot that were given to Am Yisrael are not binding to Hashem, like we find that Hashem sits in judgment on Shabbos even though we are not allowed to do so according to Halacha, so the same too with regard to this Halacha even though it would be forbidden for us to do so, it is permitted for Hashem.
The second answer is, since it took place before Mattan Torah the prohibition was not yet in effect.
This is a quote of the Daas Zekeinim MiBa’alei Tosafot;
"נכחו תחנו. תמה להרב רבי יהודה היאך אמר לו שיחנו על הים לפני בעל צפון והא אמרינן אסור לאדם לומר לחבירו המתן לי בצד ע"ז פלונית צ"ע.
ולי נראה דדוקא לאדם אבל להקב"ה לא שהרי מצינו שהקב"ה יושב ודן את כל העולם אפילו בשבת ואפילו בר"ה ויום הכפורים אף על פי שלישראל אסור (וכה"ג כתב רש"י ז"ל בר"ה (דף ל' ע"א) ד"ה א"נ דאבני בליליא וכו' ה"מ בנין בני אדם וכו' יע"ש).
ועוד נ"ל דעדיין לא נתנה התורה אין לחוש אף על פי שכבר הוא כתובה ומונחת לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא".
However, the actual question needs to be understood, since the Gemara in Mesechet Sanhedrin, page 63, writes that if the name of an avodah zarah was once used in the Torah, this prohibition does not apply.
The Gemara brings a story that Ulla arrived in Bavel and stayed overnight in a place called Kolnovoh (which was the name of an Avodah Zarah). When he met Rava, Rava asked him, “Where did you sleep?” He answered, “In Kolnovoh.” Rava then asked that this is the name of an avodah zarah, and one may not mention such a name.
Ulla answered that since it is a name that is already mentioned in the Torah, it is permitted to mention it. This is a quote from the above Gemara:
ענה לו עולה כל עבודה זרה הכתובה בתורה מותר להזכיר שמה.
This question on the Daas Zekeinim MiBa’alei Tosafot is brought by the Or Sameach Hilchot Avodah Zarah (perek 5 halcha 11)
"לכן אמר השם יתברך (שמות יד, ב) לפני בעל צפון נכחו תחנו כו', אף על פי שאסור לאמר שמור לי בצד עו"ג כו', דכתוב בתורה מותר להזכיר, ויעוין תוס' עה"ת, ותמוהים".
We can maybe answer this question in two ways.
Either the Gemara is speaking specifically about mentioning the name of an Avodah Zarah. If the name is mentioned in the Torah, one may mention it in conversation. However, it would still be forbidden to use it as a direction or a landmark, since by doing so one is showing importance to the Avodah Zarah.
Or, we could say that the question of the Daas Zekeinim MiBa’alei Tosafot; is how it was permitted to instruct Am Yisrael to encamp opposite Baal Tsafon, since at the time it was before the name was written in the Torah. How, then, did Hashem mention the name in the first place.
In practice:
Hagaon Harav Fried says that today we consider a church to be a place of Avodah Zarah. Therefore, one may not say, “Please meet me at that place,” and even when giving directions, one may not say, “At that church, turn right.”
On behalf of the entire Sheilot team, we wish you a wonderful Shabbos
