[Avodah] Tinok Shenishbah today - opinion of Gedolei

[Michael Makovi]

R' Micha Berger wrote,
> I would draw another distinction than the one RnCL makes or RAM is trying
> to avoid -- there are halakhos that depend on the person being kasher,
> and there are halakhos that depend on the substance of emunah.
>
> Eg with respect to tefillah... An atheist or someone with a warped
> definition of the Deity might not be culpable for his beliefs. He could
> be letei'avon, he could be oneis, shogeig, etc... Ebven perhaps someone
> RAM couldn't call a "sinner" nor even letei'avon. But he doesn't believe
> in E-lokei Avraham.
>
> Should you count him for a minyan? What's he davening to?
>
> That's what I mean by the substance of emunah. Regardless of
> culpability, the belief itself is at odds with the mitzvah.
>
> Another case: Stam yeinam. Regardless of guilt or culpability, if the
> person is capable of sanctifying wine to something other than avodas
> Hashem, where both the avodah and the Deity are as the Torah teaches,
> one of the sevaros for stam yeinam (a gezeirah atu yayin nesekh) applies.
> Is he included?

I accept this distinction, but I'd point out that many/most(?) Jews
today, even if they aren't observant, still believe in G-d. So
according to the above, many/most(?) could still be counted in a
minyan.

Kal vachomer with stam yeinam; either these nonobservant Jews believe
in Hashem (ati shapir), or they're atheists or agnostics. If the
latter, we really don't have to be afraid that they'll sanctify their
wine to another god!

This is all assuming there are no factors besides those given by R' Micha.

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A tangential question to this will be related in another post of mine,
[Avodah] Stam yeinam of Giyur Candidates

Michael Makovi

-- 
Michael Makovi
מיכאל מאקאווי
mikewinddale at gmail.com
http://michaelmakovi.blogspot.com