Q&A: Coercion in Beliefs
Coercion in Beliefs
Question
Hello Rabbi,
You wrote in several places that today’s secular Jews have the status of “coerced in their beliefs,” and for that reason halakhic sanctions should not be applied to them (and not because of the category of a “captured child” or the like). But does a Jew who is “coerced in his beliefs” receive the privileges of “one who acts as your fellow” and “one who is with you in Torah and commandments”? For example, must one return his lost object, or honor secular parents? I’m asking on the level of principle in Jewish law, not on the practical or moral level.
Answer
“One who acts as your fellow” does not have to be someone who observes the commandments out of faith. If he is not wicked, then the obligations between one person and another do apply toward him.
Discussion on Answer
Like a captured child. “One who acts as your fellow” is not a cold description of his actions. There has to be culpability.
I didn’t really understand — in practice he is not “one who acts as your fellow,” and also not “with you in Torah and commandments,” so why would such obligations apply toward him?