Reply To: Stop minding your own buisness!

aries:

“firstly 2 is not a majority.”

Of three, it certainly is. And sure enough, three people other than myself had posted on this topic at the time.

“Secondly we have been through this discussion many times before”

…and it’s about time this finally got its own topic. Besides, I’m tired of talking about shidduchim. 🙂

“Tochacha is supposed to be given ONLY from a proper authority and only if the person will gain and listen.”

As I pointed out in my previous post, the passuk of Hochaich tocheiach es amisecha makes no such qualifications. Do you have a source for them?

“It is a true balancing act and therefore a reason NOT to get involved and butt into things that are not your business.”

Just because something is a balancing act is not a reason to do nothing. As a wise man once said, doing nothing is also a decision; and it’s a decision we may have to give a din v’cheshbon for. For as I mentioned earlier, the passuk says “ho’chaich tocheach es amisecha v’lo sisah alov chait”, “rebuke you shall rebuke my people, and there will not be a sin on you”; but if you could have stopped somebody from doing an aveira and you chose not to, you are held responsible for it.

“NOT to get involved and butt into things that are not your business.”

If the Torah says something is my business, you better believe it’s my business.

“It is best left to rabbonim and people that are close to the individual or at least know them and know their circumstances who know how to guide them in the right direction.”

I agree that in an ideal situation tochacha should be left to the professionals; but unfortunately the real world is not always so ideal. If somebody is doing something wrong right now and you’re the only one there who can stop them, you have a moral and halachic responsibility to do so.

“It should never be given in a “negative” or “critical” way but in a way that is positive and guiding.”

I completely agree.