[Avodah] Laughing at someone doing a mitzva

[Ben Waxman]

In a recent issue of Mishpacha which had articles dealing with the Satmar Rebbe,  the author wrote that the Rebbe insisted on wearing his khassidishe garb on the street in America, even though the non-Jews (and probably some Jews) would laugh at him. 

I would argue that when the Rebbe was fighting a tooth and nail battle to establish khasidut in America, different rules applied.

Ben
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dov Kaiser 
   
  See Perek 20, Mesilas Yeshorim, where Ramchal explains that although must one perform mitzvos, ie strict obligations, even though people will laugh at him, this does not apply to chumros.  In the case of chumros, making oneself an object of mockery involves lifnei iver vis-a-vis the mockers.  Therefore, it is sometimes inappropriate to go beyond the letter of the law in public.
   
  One might easily have adopted the position that we need not be concerned with mockers, but this is clearly not the Ramchal's position.  It is possible that this would not apply to the mockery of non-Jews, but I think that the gist of Ramchal's shita does not make any distinction.
   
  Kol tuv
  Dov Kaiser

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