[Avodah] R' Angel & Geirus Redux

[Michael Makovi]

>  The following is an excerpt from an article written by a Conservative
>  Rabbi available at
>  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0411/is_2_51/ai_89233415
>
> If they bless the
>  food, does this fulfill the guests' obligation to recite the proper berakha?
>
>  Absolutely not, R. Moshe ruled. Non-Orthodox rabbis cannot participate
>  in religious life, he holds, because they do not acknowledge God.
>
> R' Daniel Eidensohn

One could argue with Reb Moshe, saying that an R/C quite possibly DOES
believe in G-d and believe He created the food, etc. But OTOH, perhaps
they don't believe in G-d sufficiently to be relied on in religious
matters. Tzarich iyun - this is beside the issue at hand.

What I'm objecting to, is not whether or not we can trust R/C in
religious matters, but rather, Reb Moshe saying that making an eruv
for non-religious Jews, so that they don't do a melacha, is pointless
- we don't care whether he sins or not, because he's already lost to
us, and it's his own fault. How can he say this? Surely we want to do
whatever we can to minimize their transgression, even if they have no
appreciation for what we're doing!

I already said that with an R/C, b'vadai they can't be eidim, but we
still have ahavat yisrael for them! We cannot rely on them in
practical matters, but neither can we rely on a retarded man. But this
doesn't lessen our love for them!

Mikha'el Makovi