[Avodah] Mitzvah Haba'a BeAveira

[T613K at aol.com]

>>So the question then is, if she of her own free will decides to  hug
him, is there a certain level of emotional need of his that  justifies
this act, the same way, for example, a man can reciprocate a  woman's
handshake (after she's already extended her hand) to avoid  shaming
her?

If so, why is it not mitzvah ha-ba'ah ba'averah?  <<
 

Mikha'el Makovi




>>>>>
It is not a mitzvah haba'ah be'aveirah because it  is not a mitzva at all.  
There is no conceivable scenario under which  giving this guy a hug to comfort 
him would be a mitzva.  IF this  particular guy would benefit just as much 
from a hug from his grandmother -- or  from the handyman -- as from a hug from a 
pretty young girl, THEN  you might be able to say that he just really "needed" 
a hug.  But the  scenario you describe -- there is just no mitzva at all.
 
If physical contact were necessary for some other reason than emotional  
comfort -- for example, if a Hatzala volunteer was loading a woman into an  
ambulance, or a dentist was filling a tooth, or a nurse was taking a man's blood  
pressure -- then there is still no "mitzva haba'ah be'aveira" because there is  
absolutely no aveira in such cases.


--Toby  Katz
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