Q:
What should our attitude be toward the unorthodox?
A:
And there is only one answer. Our attitude should be to do everything we can to make them Orthodox. Which means you must show them a friendly face. You must go out of your way to be kind to them and to attract them. But in your heart you must realize that those who are right now Orthodox, they are the ones who are the aristocrats. And don’t make any error about it. You cannot compare those whom Hashem loves with those who He will eventually love, or you hope that He will love one day.
So it doesn’t pay to be unfriendly to irreligious Jews. But that doesn’t mean you have to yield to them on any front. Whether it’s in the synagogue or in the community you don’t yield one iota. Certainly not! You have to stand up and battle for the principles of the Torah. You have to battle against the gays. You have to battle against every form of wickedness, even though they’re Jews. But whenever you have the opportunity, there’s no question that you have to show a פנים מסבירות – a friendly face. And your job is to try to win them over.
TAPE # 204 (February 1978)
