Q:
Are we allowed to invite a non-shoimer Torah relative to our simchos?
A:
The question is: What place does he have in your simchah? If they come dressed properly and they behave, you can invite them in, but it’s good to have a sign on the table, “Make the bracha.” Put in English words, bracha B-R-A-C-H-A.
It happened already. Mr. Herman alav hashalom way back seventy years ago, I remember, he made a chasunah. At his chasunah, he had signs all over the place. In those days people didn’t keep it. He had signs, “Make a bracha, make a bracha, make a bracha.” The whole hall was full of signs, “Make a bracha.”
So if you bring them in and give them of course the proper places, they shouldn’t sit in the most important seats, and they shouldn’t be able to do anything that would be a contradiction to our principles, you can invite them.
But on the condition that they’re able to make a bracha. Otherwise, it’s a big question to give food to a person who won’t make a bracha. There’s a big shaaleh to give food to a person who won’t make a bracha.
(November 1995)
