PART 2 THE SEMICHA CONTROVERSY

PART 2 

        THE SEMICHA CONTROVERSY

While the מהר"י בירב was Rav and Rosh Yeshiva in Tzfat,

the (מהרלב"ח (לוי בן

יעקב ן

חביב was the Rov in Yerushalayim 

which

​ ​

was a much smaller community than Tzfat. Most 

of the

​

Gedolim at that time

,

 lived in Tzfat.

The סמיכה that R.Y.B. introduced was based on the 

Rambam in פירוש המשניות on the 1st Mishna in Sanhedrin

and in the Yad Hl. Sanhedrin) who writes if כל חכמי א"י

are מסכים then we can reintroduce the סמיכה.

R.Y.B. didn't bother consulting with the חכמי ירושלים 

He held since רוב חכמי א"י were living in Tzfat and

when the Rambam writes  כל חכמי א"י he meant רוב is

good enough.

R.L.B.Ch. was upset that the חכמי ירושלים were not

consulted and their כבוד wasn't taken into consideration. 

He also held since the Rambam writes  כל חכמי א"י

then רוב is not enough.

In the last( סימן (קמז in שו"ת מהרלב"ח it is printed a 

5 part קונדרס* from both the מהר"י בירב & מהרלב"ח 

arguing about the legitimacy and merits of the סמיכה 

They ended up attacking each other personally.

The Machlokes was so intense that the מהר"י בירב

had to flee Eretz Yisroel to Damascus. The

authorities were told that he plans to revolt against the

Government with the introduction of the סמיכה

The סמיכה lasted  for only 4 generations The מהר"י בירב

was מסמיך the Bais Yosef who was מסמיך  R.Moishe 

Alshich who was מסמיך R.Chaim Vital who was the

last מוסמך in the world.

* Both מהר"י בירב &מהרלב"ח spell קונדרס with a Daled ד

instead a Tes ט