TALIT AND MEZUZAH TO GENTILES

QUESTION:

A Christian minister is to participate in a joint service with us in the synagogue. He is eager to wear a talit as the rabbi does. May we give him one to wear? Also, a Gentile friend asked for a mezuzah to be affixed to his door. Should that be granted? (Asked by Rabbi Jay B. Goldburg, Des Moines, Iowa.)

ANSWER:

THESE QUESTIONS come up frequently in the increasing ecumenical meetings between rabbis and the Christian clergy. While in Reform Judaism we do not ascribe especial sanctity to ritual objects, nevertheless we should be considerate of their use. It is therefore of importance to consider the attitude of traditional Halacha on these questions.

The four questions asked are really two. The first two questions involve the lending of a talit to a Christian minister to wear during a joint service. The answer depends on the classification of the talit in the order of sanctity ascribed to the various articles of worship. Some articles, such as the mantle of the Torah and the ark in which the Torah is kept, are called “appurte nances of sanctity” (tashmishey kedushah). Other objects, such as a Succah and a lulav after the holiday, and fringes, are of a lower degree of sanctity. They are considered “appurtenances of a mitzvah” (tashmishey mitzvah).

The law has, naturally, a different attitude to the “appurtenances of sanctity” (such as Torah mantles, etc.) than it has to the “appurtenances of a mitzvah.” The general principle is stated quite clearly in the Talmud (Megillah 26b), namely, that when these objects are no longer to be used, they, respectively, must be treated differently. The principle is stated there tersely as follows: Appurtenances of a mitzvah can be thrown away. Appurtenances of sanctity must be hidden away (nignozin), i.e., kept in a special place or buried. The Shulchan Aruch, in Orah Hayyim 21, says that the threads of a talit no longer used or broken “may be thrown onto the ash heap because it is an appurtenance of a mitzvah and not inherently holy.” Of course, as long as the fringes are in the talit they should be treated respectfully. However, it will be noticed in Orah Hayyim 21:3 that it is permitted to go to the toilet wearing the talit, and Isserles adds that it is permitted to sleep in it.

If, therefore, the talit may be worn in all sorts of places, and if its fringes (when separated) may even be tossed onto the ash heap, there is no question that one may lend it to a Gentile minister who will handle it reverently. In fact, thus we will fulfill the basic mitzvah of acting “to follow the paths of peace” (mipney darche shalom). As you will see, the same principle is involved in the second question.

The second question is whether it is permitted to give a mezuzah to a Gentile to affix on his doorpost. Or if a Jew moves from his house or rents it to a Gentile, whether he may allow the mezuzah to remain on the doorpost. Actually, only a house inhabited by a Jew requires a mezuzah. Thus, for example, if a Jew rents a house from a Gentile landlord, he must affix a mezuzah. If a Jew rents a house to a Gentile tenant, the mezuzah, if there was one there, must be removed (see the discussion in Yore Deah 291:2).

The note of Isserles is of considerable interest in this matter. He cites a responsum by Maharil of Mainz (14th cent.) that even if the Gentile asks for a mezuzah to be affixed on his doorpost, we may not give it to him. It is of interest to note that even in the fourteenth century in the Rhineland, Gentiles occasionally would ask for mezuzahs to put on their doors. However this prohibition by Maharil was evidently not firmly based because Isserles, in the sixteenth century, contravenes it. He says: “If the refusal to give the Gentile the mezuzah would create ill will, we may give it to him.”

Thus we see that both the question of the talit and the question of the mezuzah are related in the question of ecumenical relationships. In Jewish law such relationships are stated in two ways: in a positive way “because of the paths of peace,” and in a negative way “to avoid ill will” (meshum evah).