Hi,
I am a sofer and have been asked by my parents who have moved into a new house (within the year) to write mezuzos for them. I have gotten a little behind in my work schedule and fear that they will not be ready, as I had promised they would be, by the time they leave eretz yisrael, where they will be visiting us for pesach. Without going into too much detail, not having the mezuzos ready by the time they head back to America will cause great familial stress, tension and fighting. With this being said, is there any heter for me to be able to finish the project over pesach itself?
Thank you for your time and chag kasher v’sameach.
Answer:
It is in general forbidden to write mezuzos on Chol Ha-Mo’ed (545:1, 6). However, if the consequences of not having the mezuzos ready will be severe, it is permitted for you to write them over Chol Ha-Mo’ed.
The reason is that the concept of “davar ha-aved” is not limited to financial loss alone, but also includes other losses, physical, spiritual, and emotional. We find that even the suffering of an animal is considered a davar ha-aved with regard to milking cows on Chol Ha-Mo’ed, and this will certainly apply to human anguish.
Of course, this assumes that there is no other way of averting the anguish of the situation involved.
Best wishes.
