Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Contradiction In Rashi

The Gemorah in Sanhedrin (74b) asks why wasn't Ester obligated not to give up her life not to be with Achashverosh if everyone knew she was with him it is a sin done publicly which one must give up their life not to violate? The Gemorah gives two answers.  The Rishonim ask why didn't the Gemorah ask a more basic question; its giluy arious and one must give up their life for that? There are two basic approaches in the Rsihonim to answer the question. One way is that relations with a gentile is not considered arious (either for it has the status of relations with an animal or its excluded from אשת עמיתך (see Rabbenu Tam in Ketubot 3a and Melchamos in Sanhedrin.))  The other way to learn its that it has the exemption of קרקע עולם, since the woman is only passively violating the sin, she doesn't have to give up her life to avoid it.   
Rashi in Sanhedrin says והא אסתר פרהסיא הואי - ונבעלה לעובד כוכבים ולא מסרה נפשה לקטלא.  The beis Yosef says that Rashi was careful to explain the question is that she was living with a gentile, not that she was a אשת איש since she was married to Mordechai, for that would have no bearing here; even a אשת איש isn't prohibited מצד ערוה to have relations with a goy.  Therefore, he explains the question is because she is violating a sin in public by living with the gentile.  In other words, Rashi holds of the first approach.
However, Rashi in Yoma (82a bottom) says אף נערה המאורסה - אם יאמרו בעול ארוסת חבירך או תיהרג יהרג ואל יעבור אבל היא אינה מצווה למסור את נפשה דהיא אינה עושה כלום דקרקע עולם בעלמא היא וראיה לדבר אסתר:  The simple read is that he understands Ester was prohibited because of arious but didn't have to give up her life to avoid forcefully violating a sin passively.  However, that flies in the face of the Beis Yosef's learning of Rashi Sanhedrin?  

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