Q&A: You Shall Surely Rebuke Your Fellow
You Shall Surely Rebuke Your Fellow
Question
How far does the obligation of rebuke go? Every time I walk down the street and see someone committing some transgression, am I obligated to rebuke him for it? (This is very hard, especially in the Land of Israel, where unfortunately there are so many secular Jews who violate the Torah, may God have mercy.)
Answer
Indeed, the obligation is to rebuke each person every time. But one should not say something that will not be heeded, and there is no need to rebuke when the rebuke will not help, and certainly not if it will cause harm.
Discussion on Answer
All the more so if he does not believe in God to begin with.
Even there, among secular people, there is at least an obligation to protest, no?
You make an assessment using common sense.
There is no obligation to protest at all.
Common sense is the view of the Torah! Is the Rabbi saying that in the present case there is no obligation to protest, or that in general there is no such obligation in any case?
The identification of common sense with the view of the Torah assumes a very particular concept of either the view of the Torah or common sense. In the usual definitions, it really is not the same thing.
I don’t think there is, halakhically, any obligation to protest beyond rebuke. But certainly there is no such obligation regarding someone who is not even in the game at all, so it is not relevant in his case.
And in a case of doubt whether it will help (and how do you know?)