Q:
Are we responsible to spread the word of Hashem and the Torah even if it might cause chilul Hashem and blasphemy?
A:
It depends.
The Mesillas Yesharim says, if it’s something that you must do, if it’s your obligation as a Jew and you can’t avoid it, then you should do it no matter what. You won’t eat something that’s questionable just because you want to find favor with people. It can’t be helped.
I was once passing by a playground. Medical students were playing ball inside a playground of a college. It was Shabbos and the ball flew out of the playground.
So one of the medical students shouted at me, “Throw it over to us, please.” I can’t throw the ball on Shabbos into their playground. So I said “I can’t” and passed by. And he said, “Thank you” – sarcastically.
I can’t help it. I’m sorry, my friend, I have to be loyal to Hakodosh Boruch Hu more than to you. I can’t help it.
However, I was passing by in the middle of the week, a different place. A little boy’s ball rolled into the street. He was standing there; he didn’t know what to do. So I crossed the street and picked up the ball and brought it back and gave it to him. And the mother was watching. I gave it to the little boy. His mother said to the little boy, “Say thank you.”
Whenever you get a chance, make a kiddush Hashem. Certainly!
Now, the Mesillas Yesharim adds something; he says that if it’s something that’s lifnim meshuras hadin, an extra strictness, a chumra, that you can avoid doing because it’ll cause a certain resentment among others, then you should try not to do it now.
And he says that’s chassidus. Chassidus means don’t look at the act itself – look at the results. If the results are going to be negative, then you should forgo that strictness you wanted to fulfill.
So once more, if it’s something you must do, then יעבר עלי מה הוי עז כנמר – be as bold as a leopard. Don’t care what they’ll say about you.
I was once traveling in Europe on the train. It was morning. I was passing through Germany. So I put on my tefillin. I was a bochur; I didn’t have a tallis yet. I put on my tefillin. And the people there didn’t know what it was all about. The Germans didn’t know what it was all about! There was a Jew from London in the same car. He was so embarrassed. He saw me put on tefillin and he wanted to find a crack in the floor to hide himself. Who cares?! I have to put on tefillin. I couldn’t wait. It can’t be helped.
But suppose it’s not tefillin. Suppose it’s a matter, let’s say, of doing things, shaking yourself by davenen. So you don’t shake when you daven. In order to make a good impression, stand and daven like a ramrod, stiff. Why not? If it’s anything that’s lifnim meshuras hadin, that might cause a negative result, so skip it, the Mesillas Yesharim says. And that’s chassidus. If the effect is better to skip it, so better skip the chumra in order to make a good effect. That’s the rule in general.
(February 1989)
