Question:
I have heard that Ha-Rav said that it is forbidden to say "May his name be
blotted out" for an evil Jew, even if he opposes the Nation and Land of
Israel. Is this correct?
Answer:
One must certainly fight against such ideas, but this does not mean that it is
permissible to say "May his name and memory be blotted out." I did
not invent this. It is said in the name of the Sochachover Rebbe, the author of
"Avnei Nezer." The proof is quite simple. If a man dies childless,
his wife must marry the brother of her deceased husband. This is called
"Yibum." The Torah says that the reason for "Yibum" is so
that "his name is not erased from Israel" (Devarim 25:6). But what
should I care if his (the evil Jew's) name is erased? If I say "may his
name and memory be blotted out," what is the problem if his name is erased
from Israel? There is no halachah, however, which eliminates the need to
perform "Yibum" for a sinning Jew (Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha-Ezer
157:3). This therefore means that I must be concerned that his name not be
erased from Israel. It is true that he is a sinner, but there is a solution: He
can repent. This is based on what Beruriah said to Rabbi Meir in the Gemara in
Berachot (10a). Rabbi Meir had evil neighbors who had caused him much distress,
and he prayed that they should die. His wife said: "Doesn't it say in
Tehillim (104:35), 'Let sins cease and let the wicked be no more.' It does not
say 'Let sinners cease,' but 'Let sins cease.' You should pray that they
repent, not that they die." In fact, he prayed for them to repent, and
they did. Therefore, we should not say "may their names and memories be
blotted out," but we should pray for them to repent.
