DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is For Refuah Shelemah for
 Zalman Hillel ben Maitah
"Please pray for my grandpa who is in horrible pain after suffering a bad fall."

Dedicated By
Gershon Fiedler

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 812 KB)
Forfeiting One's Share in the Next World by Leading Others to Sin, Isolating Oneself from the Jewish People, or Brazenly Transgressing the Torah

The Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204), in the third chapter of his Hilchot Teshuva, lists the groups of sinners who receive no share in the World to Come. Included in this category, as the Rambam discusses (Halacha 10; listen to audio for precise citation), are "Mahati'ei Ha'rabim," those who lead the public to sin. The Rambam emphasizes that a person who causes others to sin falls under this category regardless of the severity of the sin or sins in question. Even if he causes people merely to neglect a single command of the Torah, he is considered a "Mahati Et Ha'rabim" and loses his share in the World to Come. Furthermore, the Rambam notes, this status does not depend on the means through which one leads people to sin. The wicked King Menashe used force to cause his subjects to worship idols, threatening them with death; the founder of Christianity, by contrast, did not use force but verbally persuaded his followers to abandon the Torah. Both kinds of "Mahati'ei Ha'rabim" forfeit their share in the next world.

The next category of people who have no share in the World to Come is that of "Ha'poresh Mei'ha'sibur" – those who isolate themselves from the Jewish people. The Rambam (Halacha 11; listen to audio for precise citation) stresses that a person can attain this status even without transgressing any particular sin. This status applies to a person who withdraws from Jewish communal life by not participating in their fast days or festive occasions, separating from the Jewish people during times of persecution, and generally not identifying himself as a Jew. Such a person has no share in the next world.

Finally, the Rambam defines the category of "Megaleh Panim Ba'Torah She'lo Ka'halacha," those who brazenly and defiantly transgress the Torah. Even if the transgression does not rank among the more severe violations of the Torah, the perpetrator loses his share in the World to Come if he displays a complete lack of respect and regard for the Torah's authority, and does not, as the Rambam writes, feel "shame" from the Torah. The Rambam speaks here of the Torah as a grand, powerful entity that must cause a person to feel humble and meek. A person who displays arrogance and shameless disregard towards the Torah – even to just one of its laws or precepts – is deemed a "Megaleh Panim Ba'Torah She'lo Ke'halacha" and has no share in the World to Come.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Is Rain Water or Air-Condition Condensation Considered Mukse?
Using Baby Wipes on Shabbat
Items Serving as a Base for Mukse
Is It Permissible To Move Money On Shabbat With Parts Of Your Body Other Than Your Hands
Carrying and Transferring Is Forbidden On Shabbat From The Private Domain To The Public Domain
Are Forbidden Foods Considered Mukse on Shabbat?
May One Slice Fruits on Shabbat?
The Mukse Status of Lulav, Pesah Dishes, Shofar, Sisit Strings, and Paper
Is It Permissible To Smell A Fruit Tree or Frangrance Tree on Shabbat
Are Garments With Shatnez Mukse?
Do Disposable Items Become Mukse After Use on Shabbat?
May One Use a Permissible Item to Move a Mukse Item on Shabbat?
May One Move A Utensil on Shabbat That has No Permitted Function To Make Space?
May the Mohel's Knife Be Handled on Shabbat?
Washing Fruits and Vegetables on Shabbat
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found