Q&A: Desecration of God’s Name
Desecration of God’s Name
Question
Hello, honorable Rabbi,
I am Haredi, and I was wronged by a rabbi. I have no one to turn to because he is a rabbi, along with other reasons that cannot be specified. I thought about taking it public through the media, but there is a restriction that the Haredi mainstream uses a lot—namely, the desecration of God’s name that would be caused to the rabbi and to Haredim in general. So all the dirty laundry stays inside. Is it really true that any Haredi person can do whatever he wants and no one can do anything because of desecration of God’s name?
Answer
No, that is not true. Still, there are laws of slander and desecration of God’s name, and every such step should be weighed very seriously. What matters is whether it will help you or others (or whether it is just revenge), whether there is no other way, whether the facts are clear and well established, and whether it is clear that this was a forbidden act (and not only in your own opinion).