Q&A: Non-Persuasion as Non-Obligation
Non-Persuasion as Non-Obligation
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Is it your view (and the view of the Jewish sources on this topic as you understand them) that a person who, after deep and thorough investigation, concludes that the evidence for the existence of God, together with the evidence for the revelation at Mount Sinai and for Judaism as a whole, is not convincing enough for him, and therefore chooses a lifestyle completely disconnected from Torah and commandments—does such a person: A. have any obligation at all, according to Judaism, to observe Torah and commandments? B. According to your understanding of the Jewish sources, will he be “held accountable” after 120 years? If his (sincere) claim to God judging him is: “Listen… I just wasn’t convinced…”?
If you know of sources worth looking into on this question, I would be grateful for references.
Thank you.
Answer
Clearly he does have an obligation, because the obligation is incumbent on every Jew. But if, to the best of his understanding, he did not do so, then he is exempt as someone acting under duress (like a child taken captive among non-Jews). Moreover, in my view he cannot observe commandments at all, because commandments require faith. See my article here: