The late supreme rabbinic leader of Sefardi haredim Rabbi Ovadia Yosef passed away about 16 months ago. Some of the halakhic (Orthodox Jewish law) rulings he issued after his last book was published have now been released in a new book called Shulchan Yosef. One of them provides a sad, if unintended, commentary on the state of haredi Judaism today.
Above: Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the late supreme rabbinic leader of Sefardi haredim, passed away about 16 months ago. Some of the halakhic (Orthodox Jewish law) rulings he issued after his last book was published have now been released in a new book called Shulkhan Yosef. Yeshiva World has a brief list of just a few of these newly released rulings, one of which immediately stood out.
A woman is not supposed to be alone ("yichud" in Hebrew and Yiddish) with a man who is not her husband, child or father. But there are certain exceptions to this law that exist. One of them is that if the woman's husband is in town and could – in theory, at least – come home at any time, then a woman can if necessary, be alone with another man. This often happens when a relative who is not her father or son visits from out of town or the like.
Yosef was asked a question about this leniency of “the husband is in town” for yichud, and responded by ruling that if the husband is in town but is in jail, the leniency is ineffective and cannot be relied on. (Even HaEzer #46).
A sad, if unintended, commentary on the state of haredi Judaism today – especially when you realize how many leaders of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party Yosef founded are now in prison or have been.