JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, the head of the Eda Charedis, issued a surprising ruling that has sparked significant debate and carries broad halachic implications for many families. He stated that anyone who was in Jerusalem on Friday morning is prohibited from leaving the city during the day unless they return to Jerusalem before Shabbat.
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Rabbi Sternbuch explained this ruling during his weekly lecture to the “Teshuvos V’Hanhagos” kollel, based on the teachings of the Chazon Ish. The Chazon Ish wrote that a resident of a walled city (ben krach) may not leave the city in the middle of the 14th of Adar and remain outside the city until the 15th — as doing so would exempt them from the obligation of Purim altogether, since they were neither present in a regular city on the morning of the 14th nor in a walled city on the morning of the 15th.
Following this reasoning, Rabbi Sternbuch ruled that during a Purim Meshulash (a “Triple Purim,” which occurs when Purim falls on Friday in Jerusalem, causing the mitzvot to be spread over three days), someone who was not present in a regular city at dawn on the 14th and also wasn’t in a walled city on the 15th essentially forfeits the obligation of Purim entirely. Hence, leaving Jerusalem without returning before Shabbat would effectively exempt that person from fulfilling the mitzvot of Purim — an outcome he ruled as halachically forbidden.
Rabbi Shabtai Levi, the Rabbi of the Ramat Aharon neighborhood and head of the Halichot Moshe institutions in Bnei Brak, disputed Rav Sternbuch’s ruling. He maintains that residents who were present in Jerusalem at dawn on the 14th of Adar retain the status of ben krach (a resident of a walled city) with all the associated halachic obligations ,even if they travel to another city during the day.
The full ruling states:
A ben krach who was in Jerusalem at dawn on the 14th of Adar (this year, Friday) and intends to travel to a regular city during the day, where he will remain for Shabbat, should still read the Megillah in Jerusalem on the 14th (Friday) and give matanot la’evyonim (gifts to the poor). However, he is not obligated to hold a Purim feast on that day.
On Shabbat, while staying in the regular city, he should recite Al HaNissim during the night and day prayers, as well as in Birkat HaMazon (the Grace after Meals).
On Sunday, he is obligated to hold a Purim feast and fulfill the mitzvah of mishloach manot (sending gifts of food to friends), even though he is in a regular city and not in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Levi explained in detail his ruling in his Sefer Gidrei HaMoadim, Part 1, Chapter 4.
