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There is an injunction on returning to Egypt. Why was it and is it ignored? For example, how is it that the Rambam an even Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef lived there?

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ט מותר לחזור לארץ מצריים לסחורה ולפרקמטיה, ולכבוש ארצות אחרות; ואין אסור אלא להשתקע שם. ואין לוקין על לאו זה--שבעת הכניסה, מותר הוא; ואם יחשב לישב ולהשתקע, אין בו מעשה. He did it for parnassah – Hahu Gavra Apr 25 '12 at 21:00

2 Answers

The Yeraim answers that the ban only applies when leaving Eretz Yisroel for Mitzrayim.

The Ritva has another answer he says the ban only applies when most of the Jews live in Israel.

The Rabbeinu Bechaye says the ban on living in Mitzrayim only applied in the times of the Torah when the Egyptians were infamous for their immorality, latter it would not apply (especially seeing that they are Muslim)

The Sho’el U’meishiv says the ban only applies when the whole of Klal Yisroel returns to Mitzrayim.

The Divrei Shaul by Rabbi Yosef Shaul Halevi Nathansohn says it is only banned if we go back to Mitzrayim by the same route of 42 encampments that the Jews followed in the desert.

The Semag says since Sennacherib and the Assyrians sent away the original Egyptians the ban no longer applies.

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Rambam left Eretz Yisrael for Mitzrayim: "Following this sojourn in Morocco, he and his family briefly lived in the Holy Land, before settling in Fostat, Egypt around 1168. " from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maimonides – Yahu Aug 25 '10 at 3:27
Can you provide sources for these opinions? – Adam Mosheh Jan 31 '12 at 5:58
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That doesn't help because the rambam himself doesnt hold of any of these, so you werent really meyashev the stira you just brought other peoples opinions. – Hahu Gavra Apr 26 '12 at 4:00

The Rambam holds that it is prohibited (and put a post-script after his name as "someone who violates 3 commandments daily")

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Any idea what the other two were supposed to have been? – msh210 Oct 7 '10 at 14:47
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I have heard (though I can't find the source right now) that this last part, about the Rambam's signature, is a myth. (msh210: the "3 commandments" refers to the three times that the Torah forbids us to return to Egypt.) – Alex Oct 7 '10 at 14:52
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Found something about this, at halachayomit.co.il/DisplayRead.asp?readID=408 (based on the piskei halachah of R' Ovadiah Yosef): ובאמת שמרן הרב שליט"א הביא כמה אחרונים שסירבו להאמין לשמועה זו, ומהם בספר שבילי דעת שכתב, וכמה יתחמץ לבבינו על עדות זו שכתב הכפתור ופרח, יען כי בידינו כמה איגרות של רבינו הרמב"ם ולא מצאנו חתימה זו כלל ועיקר. וכן העידו כמה חוקרים שראו כתבי יד של רבינו הרמב"ם, ולא נמצאה חתימה כזו כלל. וכן דחו שמועה זו רבים מן הפוסקים כי שמועת שוא היא. – Alex Oct 7 '10 at 15:14
@msh210, I heard once (unsubstantiated, though, and it seems that some now call into question whether the signature ever existed) that one of the sins was not living in E"Y. – Seth J Apr 25 '12 at 21:09
@SethJ "Mekhilta on Parashat Beshalach announces: 'On three occasions the Torah warns against returning to Egypt." - vbm-torah.org/archive/metho67/18metho.htm – Shmuel Brin Apr 27 '12 at 0:08
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