לזכות ידיד נפשי ר' דניאל יעקב בן שרה ליבא אשתו וכל בני ביתו!!!
The Rambam writes [Avoda Zara 2-5]:
ישראל שעבד עבודת כוכבים הרי הוא כעובד כוכבים לכל דבריו ואינו כישראל שעובר עבירה שיש בה סקילה מומר לעבודת כוכבים הרי הוא מומר לכל התורה כולה וכן האפיקורסים מישראל אינן כישראל לדבר מן הדברים ואין מקבלים אותם בתשובה לעולם שנאמר כל באיה לא ישובון ולא ישיגו ארחות חיים והאפיקורסים הם התרים אחר מחשבות לבם בסכלות דברים שאמרנו עד שנמצאו עוברים על גופי תורה להכעיס בשאט בנפש ביד רמה ואומרים שאין בזה עון ואסור לספר עמהן ולהשיב עליהן תשובה כלל שנאמר ואל תקרב אל פתח ביתה ומחשבה של אפיקורוס לעבודת כוכבים:
A Jew who serves false gods is considered like a gentile in all regards and is not comparable to a Jew who violated another transgression punishable by being stoned to death. An apostate who worships false gods is considered to be an apostate with regard to the entire Torah.
Similarly, Jewish minnim are not considered to be Jews with regard to any matter. Their repentance should never be accepted, as [implied by Proverbs 2:19]: "None that go to her repent, nor will they regain the paths of life."
The minnim are those who stray after the thoughts of their hearts, concerning themselves with the foolish matters mentioned above, until they ultimately transgress against the body of Torah [law] arrogantly, with scorn, with the intent of provoking God's anger, and yet say that there is no sin involved.
It is forbidden to talk to them or to reply to them at all, as [Proverbs 5:8] states: "Do not come close to her door." [It can be assumed that] a min's thoughts are concerned with false gods.
This would mean that according to the Rambam we shouldn't do kiruv. They are hopeless. Teshuva is impossible for them.
This is, to say the least, a shocker.
So what does this mean? If you know a non-frum person you should not try to turn him on to Torah?
Well, there is another statement of the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva [3-14] where he asserts that EVERYONE can do teshuva, even Apikorsim:
במה דברים אמורים שכל אחד מאלו אין לו חלק לעוה"ב כשמת בלא תשובה אבל אם שב מרשעו ומת והוא בעל תשובה הרי זה מבני העולם הבא שאין לך דבר שעומד בפני התשובה אפילו כפר בעיקר כל ימיו ובאחרונה שב יש לו חלק לעולם הבא שנאמר שלום שלום לרחוק ולקרוב אמר ה' ורפאתיו כל הרשעים והמומרים וכיוצא בהן שחזרו בתשובה בין בגלוי בין במטמוניות מקבלין אותן שנאמר שובו בנים שובבים אע"פ שעדין שובב הוא שהרי בסתר שב ולא בגלוי מקבלין אותו בתשובה:
When does the statement that these individuals do not have a portion in the world to come apply? When they die without having repented. However, if such a person repents from his wicked deeds and dies as a Baal-Teshuvah, he will merit the world to come, for nothing can stand in the way of Teshuvah.
Even if he denies God's existence throughout his life and repents in his final moments, he merits a portion in the world to come as implied by [Isaiah 57:19] "`Peace, peace, to the distant and the near,' declares God. `I will heal him.'"
Any wicked person, apostate, or the like, who repents, whether in an open, revealed manner or in private, will be accepted as implied by [Jeremiah 3:22] "Return, faithless children." [We may infer] that even if one is still faithless, as obvious from the fact that he repents in private and not in public, his Teshuvah will be accepted.
Even if he denies God's existence throughout his life and repents in his final moments, he merits a portion in the world to come as implied by [Isaiah 57:19] "`Peace, peace, to the distant and the near,' declares God. `I will heal him.'"
Any wicked person, apostate, or the like, who repents, whether in an open, revealed manner or in private, will be accepted as implied by [Jeremiah 3:22] "Return, faithless children." [We may infer] that even if one is still faithless, as obvious from the fact that he repents in private and not in public, his Teshuvah will be accepted.
So how are we going to resolve this difficulty?
Before we continue I would like to make a point. Just because the Rambam paskens a certain way, that doesn't mean we follow him. Meaning, if we see that Klal Yisrael throughout all of history didn't follow a psak of the Rambam, that means that the halacha in this matter doesn't follow the Rambam. KLAL YISRAEL is a posek. [ויש להאריך בזה ואכ"מ].
There are many Tannaim and Amoraim who said things that we don't follow halacha li-myse. There are rulings of the Shulchan Aruch and the Rema that we don't follow Halacha li-myse. There are many rulings of the Mishna Brura that we don't follow halacha li-myse [as is evident when you go through the set of sfarim found in every Beis Medrash in the world called "Piskei Tshuvos"].
פוק חזי מאי עמא דבר - Go out and see what people are doing. We don't see that the attitude expressed in the Rambam in Hichos Avoda Zara became accepted practice but rather we do what we can to be mekarev other Jews.
This is not a slight against the Rambam. You can't win 'em all. He is not less great because his psak wasn't accepted.
He also has no clear source for his assertion. The pasuk he quoted is understood differently by the gemara [ע"ז י"ח] that he seems to be basing himself upon [as noted by the Lechem Mishna]. So if we have a conflict between the Rambam and the gemara [that implies that anyone can do teshuva] then we will go with the gemara [according to its simple meaning] and the many other sources that dispute the Rambam. [The Rambam famously says that one who takes money to learn Torah is מכבה מאור הדת. Klal Yisrael has not accepted this psak which is also against various gemaros as noted by the commentators].
So we can stop here and feel free to do kiruv.
It is also important to note that the Rambam was talking about people who are Apikorsim and who sin arrogantly with scorn, claiming that they are doing no wrong. Many of the unaffiliated Jews are not at fault because [according to many sources] they are tinokos she-nishbu and are not real Apikorsim. They don't know any better. Others who know better will admit that they are being sinful but are doing it not out of scorn or derision for Hashem but out of pain and/or a simple desire for a "good time". One of the first aveiros of kids who go off the derech is relations with the opposite sex [or same sex if they are so inclined ר"ל]. That is not about G-d or theology but about a desire to have base pleasure. I don't believe that the Rambam was referring to such people and he would maintain that they CAN do teshuva and we should try to help them.
So even according to the Rambam, we have not completely discarded the notion of kiruv rechokim.
Not only that but we have the Rambam himself who rules in Hilchos Teshuva that everyone can do teshuva. So how do we resolve the contradiction? The commentators on the Rambam deal with it but we have a better and more authoritative source on the Rambam who answers the question - the Rambam himself, in a letter.
He writes as follows:
In Hilchos Teshuva the Rambam was talking about HASHEM. Hashem accepts everybody who does teshuva and he will enjoy his reward in the world to come. In Hilchos Avoda Zara the Rambam was talking about US. WE can't accept someone as a Baal Teshuva because maybe he is not sincere. [Actually, the Lechem Mishna didn't see the Rambam's letter but came up with the same answer. He would have been very happy to see how right he was].
Maybe we can add that the Rambam would agree that if we have an אומדנא דמוכח, a clear, profoundly convincing proof or proofs that he is sincere then we may accept him. That is often the case today when people spend years immersed in Torah with Mesirus Nefesh and it is very clear that they are sincere.
One text not studied in Modern Orthodox schools is the Divrei Yoel of the Satmar Ruv [pronounced "Rewv"]. I wonder why... Anyway, since most of my readers are the products of that system, I would like to redress this evil and copy a passage from the sefer [Moadim Page 113]. After noting the contradiction in the Rambam and the resolution that in fact with respect to Divine judgment anyone may do teshuva, he writes:
After this comment, he continues with a very interesting analysis of different types of Apikorsim - Those who first have emunah questions and then start doing aveiros as opposed to those who start with the aveiros and then have emunah questions to justify themselves. See there!!!:-)
[נדרשתי לנושא עקב ראיית קישור זה. אציין שיש מה להעיר בדברי ראש הישיבה הגרג"א שליט"א ועוד חזון למועד בל"נ.]
