Customs Of The Communities: Maran & Sephardim, Rama & Ashkenazim

Understanding The Spiritual Weight of Halachic Authority

It is well known that the Chazon Ish zt”l, one of the towering sages of the modern era, possessed not only vast Torah knowledge but also profound insight into matters of health and medicine.

On one occasion, a man suffering from severe respiratory issues approached the Chazon Ish for guidance. His doctors had advised him to travel to the Swiss Alps, where the clean mountain air could potentially alleviate his condition. Unsure whether to leave Eretz Yisrael, the man sought the Chazon Ish’s halachic opinion.

The Chazon Ish listened carefully and responded unequivocally: he should not travel. Trusting in the sage’s ruling, the man returned home and shared the decision with his wife. However, she felt her husband may not have fully conveyed the urgency of his condition and chose to speak with the Chazon Ish herself.

Together, they returned. The woman described the severity of her husband’s condition in detail and emphasized the doctors’ warnings. The Chazon Ish smiled gently and reaffirmed his stance: the man should not leave Eretz Yisrael. He explained that the halachic issue was tied to the laws of treifah—a fatal internal injury that renders an animal non-kosher. According to Maran in the Shulchan Aruch, a lung puncture of this sort does not render an animal a treifah, indicating the condition is not life-threatening. Consequently, a person with the same issue is also not considered beyond hope.

Because Maran is the foundational halachic authority in Eretz Yisrael, the Chazon Ish ruled that the man must remain. However, if he were to travel abroad—outside Maran’s halachic jurisdiction—then the ruling might follow that of the Rama, who does consider the condition as treifah, implying the person would not survive. Therefore, the Chazon Ish concluded: he must remain in Eretz Yisrael.

The man accepted the ruling, remained in the land, and ultimately merited a long life, blessed with both health and success (Ateret Paz, vol. 5, p. 15).

A similar dynamic exists in the matter of eating fish with dairy. According to Ashkenazic tradition, based on the ruling of the Rama, there is no concern with mixing fish and milk or cheese (Darkei Moshe 87:4; Pitchei Teshuva 87:9). However, Sephardim, in accordance with the ruling of Maran Beit Yosef (Yoreh De’ah 87), avoid this combination due to concerns of sakana—danger.

This raises a puzzling question. If there is a true medical or spiritual danger in mixing fish and dairy, shouldn’t it apply to all Jews equally? And if there is no danger, why would Sephardim be stringent?

To understand this, we look to a profound lesson from Melachim II (Chapter 5). Naaman, the Syrian general, was afflicted with tzara’at and sought healing from the prophet Elisha. Elisha instructed him to immerse seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman objected, questioning, “Are not Amana and Parpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be purified?” Yet after his servants persuaded him, he followed the prophet’s command, immersed in the Jordan, and was miraculously healed.

Naaman’s mistake was assuming the water itself had healing power. In truth, the cure came through fulfilling the prophet’s directive. As Chazal teach: “Tzaddik gozer, v’HaKadosh Baruch Hu mekayem”—a righteous person decrees, and Hashem fulfills.

Likewise, when Maran ruled that mixing fish and dairy is dangerous, that ruling created a real spiritual consequence for those who follow his path. For Sephardim, it is indeed a danger. But the Rama ruled that there is no such risk. For Ashkenazim, who follow his psak, no such danger exists. The halachic authority one follows creates the spiritual reality (Ohr LeTzion, vol. 5, ch. 37, note 8).

This powerful idea underscores the importance of maintaining the minhagim and halachic mesorah of one’s community. Whether one follows the path of Maran or the Rama, each tradition carries spiritual weight and reflects a distinct relationship with Hashem’s Torah. The halachic authority we follow not only guides our behavior—it shapes the spiritual reality in which we live.

Rabbi Leeor Dahan, a graduate of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim/RSA, is a noted scholar and teacher, well-versed in halachah. He currently leads Kehilat Avodat Hashem in Hillcrest, Queens, inspiring his congregation to delve into Torah study and embrace its eternal teachings.

  By Rabbi Leeor Dahan