Page 56 - Tzurba M'Rabanan Volume1

54 · Hilchot Avoda Zara Ii Tzurba M’Rabanan

Israel up from the land of Egypt, but rather: As G-d lives, who ץראמ לארשי ינב תא איבה רשאו הלעה
lifted up and brought the children of Israel from the land of the םיארקנש םשב םישדחה ארקל ונרזח ,ןופצ
North,” was fulfilled, we changed to calling the months by their םשמו ונדמע םש יכ ריכזהל ,לבב ץראב
Babylonian names, to recall that “there we stood and from …י”שה ונלעה
there G-d brought us up”…

The poskim dispute whether there is a prohibition to use the secular date. The Chatam Sofer writes that it
is clear from this passage in the Ramban that one who uses secular dates should be rebuked. Moreover, the
Maharam Schick, a student of the Chatam Sofer, writes that there is a Torah violation to use the secular date.

a Responsa Maraham Schick, Yoreh Deah 171 | קיש ם"רהמ ת"וש 3 .
I received his letter in which I was asked regarding a tombstone אעק ד״וי
that someone erected against the will of the chevra kadisha (group תחא הבצמ ד”ע יתלאשנ ובו יתלבק ובתכמ
that prepares the deceased for burial) administrators, where the ארבחד םיאבגה ןוצר אלב שיא דימעהש
tombstone was written in a foreign language and the date was ןושלב תבתכנ אוהה הבצמהו אשידק
[engraved] according to the system which the gentiles count
based on the “Christian” [calendar]. His honor asked whether ומכ ןפואב אוה הנשה טרפ םגו ם”וכע
they may leave the tombstone there [as is], or whether to cover it ותלעמ לאשו ירצונהל םינומ ע”הואהש
with cement, especially the Christian date written in it, or perhaps וא םש אוהה הבצמה חינהל ןיאשר םא
to dispose of the tombstone… all this I wrote regarding the issue ןמזה וב בותכש המ טרפב טיטב וחוטל םא
of them changing the language (against the will of the gabbaim) …הצוחה הבצמה תא ךילשהל וא ירצונהל
to the vernacular, but what they did further by writing the date יונישש המ רבדה ףוג לע יתבתכ הז לכ הנהו
like the new [generation] according to the secular calendar, this ושעש המ לבא ז”על ןושלל הבצמה ןושל
is a double transgression. For this calendar is not aligned with the םישדחה ךרדכ םינשה רפסמ ובתכש דוע
calendar of Bnei Yisrael, and that which they concluded with תלפוכמו הלופכ הריבע הז ז”על ןושלב כ”ג
the year of the Christian [calculation]; is in my view a Torah םינווכמ םניא םהלש םישדחה רפסמד
violation. For it is written in the Torah in Parshat Mishpatim,
“the names of other gods you shall not mention,” and the Sages םינשה רפסמב ומייסש המו י”ב רפסמל
stated, and the poskim have written likewise, that it is forbidden אתיירואד רוסיא הז יתעדל ירצונה רפסמל
for one to say to another, “wait for me by a certain idol.” The fact םשו רמאנ םיטפשמ ’פב הרותב ירהש
that the Torah uses the causative verb, tazkiru [lit. you shall cause ןכו םימכח ורמאו וריכזת אל םירחא םיקלא
them to mention], implies that the prohibition applies even if one ןתמה וריבחל רמול רוסאד םיקסופה ובתכ
doesn’t mention the name of the idol explicitly. And it appears ליעפה ןושלב טקנדמו ’ינולפ ז”ע דצב יל
in my humble opinion that one who counts according to their שממ ריכזמ וניא וליפאש עמשמ וריכזת
calculation [i.e., based on the birth of that man] transgresses הארנ ’רפסמב הנומהו רוסיא ללכב אוה כ”ג
this violation of “the name of other gods you shall not םשו לע אוהה רוסיאב רבועד ד”נע יפל
mention.” For the verb “mention” applies both by mentioning it וריכזתד יהנד וריכזת אל םירחא םיקלא
orally and in print, as the Minchat Chinuch writes, nevertheless
since by mentioning their date it evokes certain thoughts, it תחנמה ’כש יאמ יפל בתכב וא הפב ונייה
appears that it is forbidden. For one should go after the reason ןורכזה לע הלוע ןינמה י”עד ןויכ מ”מ ךוניח
of the Torah law concerning not mentioning the name, and he אמעט רתב ליזד רוסאד הארנ הבשחמ
has also caused an [additional] prohibition that in this way, the לע עמשי אלד ז”פו ו”פ ’יס ךוניחה ש”מכ
time [i.e., the years] since the idol is mentioned… therefore, לש ןמז רכזינ ז”יעש רוסא םרג םגו ךיפ
[concerning] people who are walking in the cemetery and read תורבקה לע םיכלוהה םדא ינב כ”או :ז”ע

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