Q&A: Heretical Books
Heretical Books
Question
Hello.
I bought the Rabbi’s trilogy. I arranged with my friend to bring it to me abroad.
My friend was so shocked by the books that he went and burned them and doesn’t want to pay me for the financial loss, claiming that they are literally heretical books.
I would like to answer a fool according to his folly…
What does Jewish law say in a case like this? (The story happened in Bnei Brak)
Thank you
Answer
Sue him in a religious court or in civil court.
This happened to me too with a reading book that I lent to a student in the Haredi yeshiva in Yeruham, and the supervisor confiscated it from him. I told him to tell the supervisor that if he didn’t pay me, I would sue him. He paid.
Discussion on Answer
Same as above.
I haven’t bought the trilogy, but if these really are “sex books,” I’m very interested and willing to pay double for them too. Are there pictures as well?
Doron,
I didn’t know you were that desperate.
That’s common knowledge.
Careful, ISIS-types ahead of you!
And speaking of one thing leading to another on the same subject:
What do you call someone whose checkbook fell out of his pocket? — “Minus books are dropping from his pocket.”
Best regards, Cartas Minotaurus
A practical solution for the future: buy the digital version.
In the book ‘Gate of the Courtyard’ it brings the prohibition [that has been forgotten?] against taking books out of the Land of Israel to abroad.
Bottom line, it’s forbidden.
If so, the one who burned them so they wouldn’t be taken abroad prevented a prohibition. And he was performing a commandment, and a person is pleased that a commandment be done with his money. If so, there’s no basis to sue him, since he acted lawfully.
Nonsense. After all, that person is not doing me any favor by performing that commandment with my property. Let that ‘righteous man’ do this great commandment with his own money.
Changing the subject entirely:
I saw a certain book in the library at Merkaz HaRav (I don’t remember the name) that raises many difficulties and refutations against the book Vayoel Moshe by the rabbi of Satmar, and in the introduction he writes that he asked Rabbi Aviner whether the book Vayoel Moshe is a heretical book; see there for Rabbi Aviner’s response at length.
What do you think of that book?
Why would those be heretical books? Not every fool is a heretic. It’s quite a stupid book, and tendentious on levels not previously known.
Assuming they really are heretical books, what’s the law?