Q&A: Is the Rabbi happy that people violate the Torah?
Is the Rabbi happy that people violate the Torah?
Question
Hello Rabbi.
A rumor has gone around in your name that since the Torah is not moral and was not meant to be, you would fight for allowing a priest to marry a divorcée. I wanted to understand your position. After all, according to your approach, a priest who marries a divorcée is bringing poison upon himself (for the sake of the analogy), so how does it make sense that you call that the moral thing to do? You are essentially encouraging, according to your view, giving poison to another person. For that matter, how is this different from a child to whom you would give unhealthy food without limit because that is what he wants? Here too, he thinks it is good for him, but you know it is not healthy for him, and therefore you would not give him what he wants.
Thank you very much.
Answer
It is not poison but a prohibition. When a person does not recognize the prohibition he is violating, it is preferable not to coerce him but to allow him to act according to his own understanding. See my article on causing a secular person to stumble into a transgression here on the site.
Discussion on Answer
What about “we coerce him until he says, ‘I want to’”?
Sounds like a very interesting article. I’ll look at it, God willing. Thank you very much.