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Entering a reform Temple to do a mitzva

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Rabbi Ari Shvat

Tishrei 5, 5773
Question
I was told that it is allowed to go into a Reform shul as long as they are not doing a service there. Tonight I went in and recited sefirat ha’omer to be mezakeh the rabbim - is this wrong?
Answer
Shalom, Rav Y. D. Soloveichik was definitely considered one of the more liberal Torah giants in America of the last generation, yet even he prohibited entering a Reform Temple, even if it meant not hearing the shofar on Rosh HaShana (a Torah obligation)! The idea is that there can be no religious legitimization given to a movement which doesn’t believe in the eternal Torah, and many of their “rabbis” don’t even believe in G-d. It must be clarified to all (including those that attend or potentially may do so) that it’s simply not Judaism. The general rule is that one shouldn’t perform a mitzvah through doing an aveira (wrongdoing), and almost always, the end doesn’t justify the means. On the other hand, Rav Soloveichik did allow meeting together with reform leaders regarding community and national issues, and the obligation to love them, as all Jews, obviously applies. Gmar Chatima Tova! With Love of Israel, Rav Ari Shvat
את המידע הדפסתי באמצעות אתר yeshiva.org.il