Entering Non-Orthodox Religious Buildings

Question:

My mother would like to take my son Gavriel into her Reform temple to empty the tzedokoh box. She has made it his tradition to count the money. Is it a problem for a frum person to enter a religious building that is not used for Orthodox purposes? Does it make a difference if the building will be almost empty of people?

I would appreciate some clarity on the halachic aspects. I will also need to find the right way to present the information to my mother.

Answer:

There is a problem with a frum person entering a Reform temple. I recommend that you try to find a way to stop this practice.

Members of any temple will usually find meaning and value in their institution. Don't try to convince your mother she is wrong, and don't attack her beliefs or her behavior. Because your son already has this "tradition," you cannot avoid a confrontation. As long as you plan on sending your son to visit your parents, you will have to explain why you want to keep yourself and your children away from such places of worship.

This discussion should remain between you and your mother; at this stage your children should not be involved. They should not treat their grandparents any differently because of their association with the temple. Nevertheless, you can ask your parents not to focus on their connection to the temple when they are with your children.

Now, let's address the issue.

According to Rav Moshe Feinstein, there are two halachic concerns regarding entering a Reform or Conservative temple. Chazal enacted rabbinic rulings by which we observant Jews must abide. These enactments are found throughout Torah shebe'al peh in the Mishna and Gemoro.

1. Avoiding suspicion: The Mishna (Avoda Zoro 11b) states that a Jew is forbidden to walk towards a place of idol worship lest it appear that he is going to worship the idol. The Mishna makes allowances for circumstances in which a stranger could interpret the behavior favorably. For example, if the path leading to the place of worship also leads to a public area that is not used for idolatry (e.g., a marketplace) and people use the path for purposes other than going to the place of worship, one may walk in the direction of the place of worship.
2. Avoiding theological corruption: Chazal interpreted a verse in Mishlei as forbidding a Jew to go near a place where minim (people with heretical beliefs) gather. One cannot go within 4 amos (approximately 2 meters) of a place where people who have mistaken religious beliefs may try to influence others. The prohibition extends beyond 4 amos if the minim are in a room. If the place used by the minim is a specific building or floor, then one should stay away from that building or floor no matter how large it is (Avoda Zoro 17a).[2]

Rav Feinstein rules that Conservative and Reform temples are no different from places of idol worship with respect to both of these rabbinic legislations.

Since praying together with a Conservative or Reform congregation is forbidden (as will be explained shortly), the need to avoid the appearance of worshipping in a prohibited manner is applicable to these temples.

Similarly, the prohibition on being in the vicinity of a place designated for people with heretical beliefs applies equally to idol worshippers and to Jews who do not accept the fundamentals of Orthodox Judaism. (Orthodox Judaism itself has a broad spectrum of beliefs. For a working definition of Orthodox Judaism we can use the thirteen fundamentals of the Rambam. All streams of Orthodoxy accept the thirteen fundamentals of Judaism of the Rambam as correct. Anyone deviating from those principles is considered a kofer.[3])

Avoiding suspicion is a general concern that has its source in the Torah; this principle was specifically applied by rabbinic legislation to entering an environment where people might think one is worshipping inappropriately. When people see someone going into a house of worship, it is natural to assume that he or she ascribes to the beliefs associated with that institution. The Torah demands that an Orthodox Jew be innocent in the eyes of God and men.[4] That is to say, one shouldn't do anything that would make people think one is violating the Torah's rules. This in itself is a disgrace to God. The message conveyed to anyone witnessing behavior that appears to violate Hashem's will is that some people do as they wish and don't care what God says. So even if we know we aren't sinning, we shouldn't do anything that would make others think we are sinning.[5] To Orthodox Jews, holding the beliefs of Reform or Conservative Judaism is untenable.[6]

Avoiding theological corruption is particularly relevant to children. The Talmud (Avoda Zara 17) tells us that Jews should take extra precautions to avoid contact with beliefs that are contrary to traditional Judaism, lest they be influenced. This was said concerning adults; clearly, it applies even more strongly to children. The presence of a Jewish child from Jerusalem wearing yarmulke and tzitzis in a temple may spur conversations with him that would lead him to have second thoughts about his values. However remote the possibility, we are careful to avoid such exposure. It could be terribly confusing for a young mind.

Hence, entering a Reform temple during prayer time is a violation of the mitzvoh to avoid suspicion and it also violates the requirement to avoid heretical influences.

Technically, however, there is no prohibition on entering the sanctuary of a Reform or Conservative temple at a time when services are not about to be held and there is no one in the building who might try to influence one's opinion. For example, if no wedding hall is available and the only suitable place a couple finds for a wedding is the sanctuary and hall of a Conservative or Reform temple, the practice cannot be censured on the basis of the two laws mentioned.

1. Since the entire wedding party will be going to the sanctuary at a time that is not usual for prayer and it is known that there is a hall for catered affairs in the temple, there is no reason to suspect that the group is going to pray. The more plausible explanation is that they all came for the wedding.
2. Furthermore, since the members of the temple were not invited to the wedding and the Conservative or Reform rabbi will not be officiating; there is no concern about negative theological influences.

Under these circumstances, having the wedding there cannot be forbidden, although it is still distasteful and a respectable rav should avoid officiating at or attending such an affair.[7]

There are some circumstances in which only one of the two concerns applies. Entering a Reform temple when the members are there but no service is being held is a violation of the requirement to distance oneself from minim but no one would suspect the person of prohibited worship.

It may be forbidden to enter an Orthodox synagogue during prayer time if the members do not live up to the demands of the Torah and have incorporated their wrong practices in the service. For example, during prayer time it is forbidden to enter an Orthodox shul that uses a microphone on Shabbos, has no mechitzoh, or has a halachically inadequate mechitzoh unless it is well known that there are reasons for entering the building other than prayer. If it is well known that there is another, simultaneous minyon of people who follow halochoh meticulously, then it is permissible to enter the building. If the building has a kosher catering hall that is having a function at the time, anyone who sees an observant person enter will assume he is going to take part in a permitted activity. Here the only halachic factor that must be considered is avoiding suspicion of going to pray with the congregation; one does not have to be concerned about distancing oneself from minim, since the people associated with the shul generally have the proper hashkofos but are either ignorant or unwilling to live up to the standards demanded by halochoh.[8][9]

If there were an important reason for Gavriel to enter the temple sanctuary, technically it could be done even according to Rav Feinstein when it is not prayer time and virtually no one else is around. But he shouldn't be helping with the tzedokoh!

Why not? Giving charity is a Jewish virtue and it is important to inculcate this principle in young people. I know you are generous to charitable institutions and I'm sure you learned that value at home from your parents. However, part of the mitzvoh is to be discriminating in allocating funds. There is a foundation for just about everything: abortion, pornography, drugs, legalization of gambling, etc. The donor has to be discriminating. From our perspective, when a young woman stands outside a supermarket asking for donations to a missionary cause or Jews for Jesus, it is wrong to donate. Since idol worship is prohibited for all of humanity (according to Jewish tradition), one shouldn't abet the idolators in their sin. In that scenario, the charity is helping to thwart God's wish for humanity, and the giver is an accessory to something destructive. It's like placing an obstacle in front of a blind person. If the tzedokoh at the temple is to be used for temple functions, to beautify the sanctuary so that it will be more pleasant to enter, or to support the junior program or Sunday school, it is inappropriate for an Orthodox Jew to help. An Orthodox Jew would even be forbidden to donate money for the air-conditioning unit so that people could listen more attentively to the sermon. Why? Because the rabbi is most probably preaching something that is antithetical to Orthodox Judaism. We wish all Jews would be taught our values. We can't make that happen. But we certainly don't want to inculcate values that are contrary to our Torah values. Nor do we want to be of assistance in such an endeavor.

Gavriel spends his day studying the words of the Torah and the prophets. He is becoming one with them. He believes that God spoke to Moshe just as one person speaks to another. He believes that God conveyed messages to the people through the prophets. This is his world. To him, a message to Moshe is a message to him. He takes it very seriously. You and your wife, as his parents, chose this education for him. Your parents, Gavriel's grandparents, can teach him to give to the poor and needy, Jew and gentile, but not to donate to or help with something that is contrary to his beliefs. He should learn to be discriminating.

So far I have explained why Gavriel should stay away from the temple in some circumstances. I realize that many loopholes can be found, so I will now explain why he should avoid the temple in general.

Probably the greatest danger that Gavriel would face by entering the temple would be subtle acceptance of this brand of Judaism. In Israel, there are many forms of worship: Chassidic, Sephardic, Yemenite, American, etc. Gavriel is aware of the distinctions and probably has formed some attitude toward each type. But overall, all are acceptable. All these synagogues adhere to the same basic values mentioned above. Reform and Conservative Judaism can come to be seen as the way that American Jews worship. We have our way and they have theirs. It is liable to become an acceptable alternative in his mind. He is not mature enough to recognize that the beliefs are so fundamentally opposed that association with this institution flies in the face of everything he has learned.[10]

When one is walking the halls of a beautiful edifice and meeting the nice people there is not the appropriate time to discuss differences in theology; it is a time to appreciate the people and what they stand for. But this is something we want to avoid. Even if entering is technically permissible, it shouldn't be done. The Torah teaches that—on top of all the other commandments—Jews should be holy (Vayikro 19). What does this add? How does one become holy, other than by complying with the commandments? The injunction is interpreted as meaning that we should use our common sense and avoid things that may technically be permitted if we are liable to run into problems by following such a course. In such situations we are instructed to be holy, that is, to stay out of trouble even if it is technically all right, because we know we would be taking a risk.

A possible solution in this specific case would be to have your mother bring money earmarked for poor people (Jew or gentile, regardless of religious affiliation) to her home, and have your son empty those tzedokoh boxes and count the money. I would have no objection to such activity and perhaps it would serve your mother's interests as well. I have given you a fuller explanation of my position, however, since I understand that you are equally interested in the broader issue. Similar issues will surely arise, and in order to avoid ongoing friction it is best that you fully understand what is involved and be able to articulate those aspects that are appropriate to transmit to others.

I sincerely hope that your parents have a meaningful relationship with your children and that your children have a meaningful relationship with your parents. But I believe it should be purely a grandparent/grandchild kinship, leaving religion out of the relationship.

BookID: 7 Chapter: 19

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