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Does Shalach Manos require a Messenger and why?

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The Binyan Tzion, questions if you are Yotzei the Mitzva of Mishloach Manos if you bring it yourself, since Mishloach implies that you must send it with a Shaliach. Others like the Eishel Avrohom and Rav Shlomo Kluger hold that you are certainly Yotzei if you bring it personally. Sending it is a leniency that the Anshei Knesses HaGedola allowed. Moreover you can only make a Shaliach for something that you can do yourself. If you can't give Mishloach Manos by yourself you wouldn't be able to make a Shaliach.

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Great point again – SimchasTorah Mar 18 '11 at 21:37
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Your last point is paradoxical. If the Hachamim enacted it to be done specifically through an agent then it would work through an agent. It is a mitzvah dirabanan and the rule of kol detikun rabanan k'ein d'oraisa tiknu is only regarding a mitzvah modeled after an actual d'oraisa concept. On a Yomtov celebrating Torah Shebaal Peh it is appropriate to have a mitzvah that is complete hiddush and not modeled on a di'oraisa. – Yahu Mar 20 '11 at 19:08

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