Halachos of Daily Living

Halachos of Zeicher Lechurban

What
is the proper way for one to make a year round zecher l’Churban (a remembrance
of the destruction of Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash) in the construction
of one’s home?

One
who builds a new house should leave a part of the wall, facing the entrance
way, without plaster (Shulchan Aruch OC560:1 and Mishna
Berura s.k. 4)
or paint (Kovetz Ohr Yisroel 4, p. 89). The blank portion should preferably be at least
one amah by one amah, although Rav Belsky, zt”l said in
the name of Rav Moshe Feinstein that bidieved, an area of
a square amah is sufficient even if one side is less than an amah [e.g. 2
x ½ amos, which is an area of a square amah] (Piskei
Halachos,
Vol 1, p. 113, quoting Sefer Habayis, p. 215,
footnote 11). There are numerous opinions among the poskim as to
the size of an amah. Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l calculates
an amah as being 21¼ – 22 inches (Igros Moshe OC 1:36, YD 3:66:1).

Are there any situations in which one may be
lenient about leaving an unpainted and non-plastered area of the wall, facing
the entrance way, to commemorate the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash?

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (126:1) indeed
wonders why many people are lenient in fulfilling the requirement of leaving
an amah by an amah unpainted and non-plastered in their newly built
homes zecher l’churban. (See Aruch HaShulchan OC560:3, 4 for a
possible leniency.) Nevertheless, there is an opinion in the poskim which maintains that if one’s spouse does not want
the area exposed, then one may paint a spot measuring an amah by an amah in a
different color than the rest of the wall instead (Ohr L’tzion 3:30:1). However, Rav Belsky, zt”l maintained that this should not be done l’chatchilah (from the outset) (Piskei Halacha Vol. 1, p. 114).