Q:
If I see a frum Jew who’s not so good, should I love him for being a Jew or hate him for the bad things that he’s doing?
A:
If you see a frum Jew who is doing something wicked, let’s say. Let’s say a frum Jew is standing in line in front of the movies. Of course he’s not a frum Jew. But suppose you see a Jew with a yarmulke standing in line in front of the movies.
So you say, “Ah, a yarmulke! Ah! That’s wonderful!” A yarmulke means oter Yisroel b’sifarah, You crown Yisroel with glory; and that tifarah, that glory, means you believe in Hashem. Anybody who wears a yarmulke, he’s demonstrating, “I believe in Hashem.” Even a small little yarmulkeh; so he’s a modeh b’miktzas, but he’s still one of ours. That already is very great. But it’s a pity that he’s taking that crown and he’s taking it into a stable full of manure, full of tzoah.
So you have two attitudes; here, he’s a meshugene or a shoteh; he’s wasting his money. Suppose a man stands in line for a chance to dip his head in a trough full of manure. Only four dollars today! A special! You get a headful of manure! So he’s a meshugene. It’s a pity on him. At the same time you should think he’s wearing a yarmulke too. So it’s a problem; you have to have both attitudes.
TAPE # 445
