Q&A: Is Ben Shapiro an Orthodox Jew?
Is Ben Shapiro an Orthodox Jew?
Question
Hello Rabbi. I listened to lectures by Ben Shapiro on Shezil to improve my English, and although he does define himself as Orthodox, I hear a lot of opinions from him that don’t sound that way to me.
He tells people who come to him to remain Christians, and that he supports them staying in their churches, for example.
Is that a legitimate thing to say? As I understand it, Christianity is idolatry, and by the mere fact that they remain there they are supporting heresy.
And more generally, how should one relate to Christians? Is it permitted to befriend them and speak to their hearts in their own language? To laugh with them about the holidays they celebrate, such as Christmas and Easter… From the outside it looks like you’re not objecting to the fact that he is engaged in outright idolatry.
Thank you and happy holiday
Answer
I have no idea who he is. I don’t know him. But why is that important?
If what you mean to ask is about the attitude toward Christianity, then ask that. Christians who are not Catholic are not idol worshippers, and even regarding Catholics, in my view it is very doubtful that this is their status. In any case, one’s attitude toward them depends on the social circumstances. There is basic human courtesy owed to people you come into contact with, and applying the instructions of Jewish law literally in every situation is foolishness. I don’t know of any halakhic decisor today who instructs people to burn churches or copies of the New Testament, or to lower them into a pit, or even to desecrate the Sabbath in order not to save them.
Do not be overly righteous, lest you become desolate.
Discussion on Answer
With and the father of all respect, I didn’t say that was what he asked. Read again (you can do it without respect too; the main thing is to read).
Ben Shapiro is a conservative figure (in the general sense—that is, not liberal; as a Jew he is Modern Orthodox), very popular and one of the shapers of American public opinion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Shapiro https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%A9%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95
With all due respect, the questioner did not ask whether one is obligated to burn their idolatry (assuming it is such), but only whether, when they ask, one should tell them to leave Christianity. That is a completely different question!