Q:
Do we excuse the atheists because they were brought up wrong?
A:
The answer is that we can excuse very many people on the grounds of ignorance; they weren’t informed after all. And the truth is that it’s going to be deducted from their responsibility.
And yet, if a person failed to recognize the Creator the fact that it wasn’t his fault is not going to be much help.
I’m sorry to say that truth but I must. Because the success of our lives is in achieving the awareness of Hashem. If a person is an atheist, even though it’s because nobody told him otherwise, nevertheless he is still an atheist. And an atheist will not go to Olam Habah. It’s out of the question.
Like Reb Chaim Brisker said, “Nebach an apikores is still an apikores.” It won’t help him.
However, there are so many opportunities in life that stimulate people’s minds that really there is no excuse. Every atheist heard that there are other sides of that question and he should have investigated. It’s a matter of such great importance and he should have investigated therefore. After all, what would he lose if he looked into the emunah? If it’s true, then chas v’shalom he’s taking the worst risk that ever could be taken.
Would a person who believes in atheism be afraid that he’ll be punished with Gehenom for being a ma’amin? What would he lose? If he thinks that his end is a hole in the ground, he’ll get it anyhow.
So how could a person be so reckless as not to think, “Maybe, maybe, maybe… Maybe I’m wrong.” After all, for so many generations our nation has been proclaiming the truth of Hashem, so how can a Jewish boy or a girl – even if they’re brought up in an adverse environment – how could they afford to ignore their nation?
The truth is, it’s nothing but wickedness. And don’t give them any kind of limud zchus at all; because if you’ll see how many of them have joined other religions so you see that they have no excuse, the fact they weren’t told. Who told them to join other religions?
I was walking on Kings Highway near the train station. Suddenly out of the door came a whole group of young men with long robes, bald heads, and long pigtails falling down their back. Krishnas. Was there one Irishman among them? Was there a single Italian among them? No. A bunch of Jewish boys.
So why did they go to such extremes? Couldn’t they investigate their own faith?
The answer is the yetzer hara tries to drive people to the other extreme. No! We’ll fight back against the truth. And there’s no excuse.
And that’s why there really is no limud zchus on atheists. All the yordei Gehenom will cry out to Hashem, but in vain. Because Hakodosh Boruch Hu will say, “You had a world in where there were so many good people. Why didn’t you associate with them? Why didn’t you ask?
“Why didn’t you investigate? Why didn’t you open your eyes and ask a question, ‘Why is it that this apple which was hanging on the tree for so many months and it was green, why did it turn red when it became ripe and sweet?’
“Couldn’t you ask that question? ‘Why did it turn red when it’s ripe and sweet?’
“And why when it’s ripe and sweet, it finally falls off the tree?’”
That’s a question to ask. And nobody can answer that except in one way.
You never bothered to ask that question?! It means you didn’t want to see the answer yourself.
Why is it when you finish the apple, the seeds remain uneaten? Around the seeds, there’s a shield of plastics that protect the ovary where the seeds are. You see the plan is that seeds should not be eaten.
Why do you spit out the seeds? What’s in the seed? Miracle of miracles. The seed has all the plans for the future apple tree and these plans would fill 10,000 thick tomes! The biggest library couldn’t hold the information that’s in one seed.
That’s an accident? It doesn’t cause you to think of the Creator? Then you have to know there’s no such limud zchus. Everybody is held accountable for not discovering the Creator on his own.
And I want to add one more thing. And even the frumme are held accountable too. It’s not enough. “ותהי יראתם אותי מצות אנשים מלומדה,” the navi said. “Their fear of Me was only mitzvos trained into men without thinking.” A Jew has to be a thinking Jew. יראת ה’ ראשית חכמה. It’s a wisdom to fear Hashem. הן יראת ה’ היא חכמה – behold yiras Hashem is a wisdom. We have to learn to think of Hashem.
When people just live with mitzvos, but they don’t believe in the Metzaveh, they don’t have any awareness of Hashem, then these people should know that even though it’s an achievement, but it’s a very small achievement compared to what is expected of them. The purpose of all mitzvos is to make us aware of Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
The purpose of our free will is to think about Hakodosh Boruch Hu. That’s the achievement of life. וכל החיים יודך. The purpose of life is to see the greatness of Hashem. That’s our success and that’s our preparation for eternity.
TAPE # 841 (September 1991)