Q&A: Responsibility of a Private Individual for a Reality Far Bigger Than Him
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Responsibility of a Private Individual for a Reality Far Bigger Than Him
Question
How much should a single person act in order to correct a distorted reality, even though it is clear that he has no chance of changing it {and more than that, he may himself be harmed}?
If the Rabbi addressed this question in one of his columns, I would also be glad if you could refer me there.
Thank you
Answer
I don’t have an answer to the question of how much. This is a general question, and there are many different situations. How do you expect me to answer such a question? In several places I have distinguished between guilt and responsibility, and argued that although no single individual is guilty, there can still be responsibility. Search here for “guilt and responsibility.” Stalin.