[Avodah] Mitzvah Haba'a BeAveira

[Cantor Wolberg]

> He indicated he needed a hug, and she replied that she is shomer
> negiah, but he insisted again.

The fact that he insisted again would indicate to me that he is  
disrespectful of her hashkafa (if that's the correct word here).
The bottom line is that this wasn't pikuach nefesh, e.g. mouth to  
mouth resuscitation in the case of cardiac arrest.
I think her good nature was taken advantage of by a selfish individual.
She is not to be criticized harshly since she was definitely vulnerable.
However, it might make her feel better if she were to write him  
explaining how she could understand his emotional pain, but by his not  
respecting her religious beliefs, he caused her undue pain.
This is one of the measures of ahavas chinom -- respecting others,  
even though we may not agree (providing, of course, they are not, as  
R. Rich Wolpoe said, thoroughly evil).

K.T.
ri