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Be mechalel shabbos or I’m committing suicide

Question:

A not religious mother tells her baal teshuva son – “I will commit suicide unless you are mechallel Shabbos.” Is he allowed to be mechallel Shabbos?

Answer:

R’ Y. Zilberstein shlit”a has said many times, that we do not abstain from doing mitzvos, because of people’s threats. The other person can do whatever he likes, and only she will bear the consequences for her actions, not the people who she has threatened. Therefore, the son has to keep Shabbos exactly as he has kept it until now. As aside point if these threats would be listened to, a person could technically tell another person, and all of klal Yisroel, if you keep any of the mitzvos I will commit suicide, and then he becomes the boss over all the Jews? Obviously not.

 

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1 Comment

  1. Pikuach nefesh is doche kol hatorah kulah. if she would be pointing the gun at her son, he would have a chiyuv d’oraisa to be mechallel Shabbos. But since she happens to be pointing the gun at herself, it is different?

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