Is It Better Off Not Telling Your Secular Family The Truth? (6 Minutes)

1:14It's not an intentional sin. So it's a lesser punishment. It's still a punishment, 100% a punishment. But it's a lesser punishment. Now, what happens is that sometimes you have rabbis out there or people who call themselves rabbis, but according to the Torah, they're considered heretics. When I say, listen, I know this guy. He drives every Shabbat, he goes to casinos, he's married to a non-Jew, he's this, he's that. If I tell him about Shabbat, he's not going to do it. So what's the point of telling him? At least when he's making the sin, it's accidental, it's shogeg. It's shogeg. And he donates a lot of money. And he donates a lot of money to the Beit Knesset. His name is on the Beit Knesset. But the point here is, If I tell him, and he knows, and he still sins, then it's considered intentional. It's called mezid. What about the rabbis who tell you it's okay that he drove because he would have gone to the beach if not drive to shul? Same question, same answer. So the rabbi is thinking, or even the regular Jew, the friend, his brother is driving on Shabbat.

2:31or his friend, his roommate, is driving on Shabbat, and he doesn't tell him. He thinks, even if I tell him, he's not going to listen. He's still going to violate Shabbat. So I might as well not tell him, because if I don't tell him, perhaps in Shamayim it will be considered accidental. But if I tell him, then it's intentional, and that's a bigger punishment. Wrong. Wrong. Now, there is a concept called Tinok Shenishba, which refers to someone who doesn't know that they're Jewish. They were born into a family, like many people, unfortunately, during the Holocaust. A lot of Jewish parents gave their babies away to non-Jewish families to save them from being killed by the reshaim, the Nazis. And they raised them as non-Jews. So some of these people grew up and didn't even know they were Jewish. This happened. Or perhaps in Russia or Ukraine, you weren't allowed to practice religion. So a lot of the new generations didn't even know what Judaism is. They heard what Jewish is, but they don't know what it actually means. That's considered Tinok Shenishba, like a baby that's lost. That's different. That is considered accidental. But someone who lives in America...

3:45where there's six million Jews, a bunch of whom keep something, most don't, but everyone knows what Judaism is. You've seen black and whites, you've seen the Hasidic guys, you know what Shabbat is, you've heard what Shabbat is, you've heard there is something called a Shabbat. Someone lives in Israel, every two seconds you see someone with a black hat, black and white, everyone knows. People know what Judaism is; they may not know the real laws, but they know what it is. They're not considered... They're considered 100% Jewish and they are obligated to learn. So now, let's delve further into the halachic implications. It is crucial to understand that every Jew has the responsibility to engage in Torah study. The Mishnah, specifically Pirkei Avot, emphasizes the importance of this obligation. In cases where someone unintentionally transgresses a commandment, the necessity of informing them becomes apparent, so they gain the opportunity to correct their actions. This principle holds firm throughout Jewish law and tradition. As we continue our learning, it's important to note the distinctions made by the Chazal, our Sages. By someone saying, listen, if I don't tell him, it's accidental. But if I tell him and he still violates it, then it's considered intentional. This is 100% wrong. Why? Proof. We always need proof in our generation. Baruch Hashem, we have proof. Not only from the Oral Torah, but the foundation of the Oral Torah. What is it? Before the Gemara, what came? Mishnah. Chazak U'Baruch. This is Mishnah. Pirkei Avot.

4:50Ethics of Our Fathers, Mishnah Pirkei Avot, Chapter 4, Mishnah 16. Rabbi Yehuda said, "Be meticulous in study." For a careless misinterpretation is considered tantamount to willful transgression. Interpretation. If someone sins accidentally, such as lighting a light on Shabbat, smoking a cigarette on Shabbat, or eating non-kosher food, it's accidental because they don't know. However, if they don't know because they didn't study and refuse to study, then it turns into intentional sin anyway. Whether you tell him or not, it's still going to be intentional. Why? Because he only doesn't know because he refuses to study, not because you didn't tell him. He doesn't know because he refuses to study Torah. He refuses to learn what it is. So the person that's thinking this, "I'd rather not tell him," or "tell him,"

6:16You're not doing him any favors. His sins are still going to be considered intentional. It's still considered be'mezid. Why? Because it's coming from a lack of study, a lack of learning what the Torah is. There’s no such thing as just a free ticket. If I don't know, everything is not accidental. It's complete nonsense. You've just experienced another Torah class.