Five classes are termed heretics: he who says that there is no God and the world has no ruler... he who says there is one ruler, but that He is a body and has form...

Why has he called such a person a heretic? There are many people greater than and superior to [Rambam] who adhere to such a belief on the basis of what they have seen in verses of Scripture and even more in the words of those aggadot which corrupt right opinion about religious matters.

I have found no basis for exempting him from punishment other than that he has erred in his thinking, so that what should have brought him to greater perfection has brought him to ruin. He is no better than one who has erred in one of the fundamental religious principles on account of his deficient understanding, because of which he is not called a heretic. Surely Hillel was a great man, and he erred in one of the fundamental principles of our religion when he said that Israel has no messiah, for the messiah was already consumed in the days of Chizkiyahu.[2] But Hillel was not regarded as a heretic, God forbid, on account of this error, for if so, how did they report traditions in his name? The reason is clear: since his heresy stems from thinking that the results of his speculation are true, he is regarded as if he were coerced, and so he is exempt. Here, too, [the preacher] has erred in his thinking.

If a person upholds the law of Moshe and believes in its principles, but when he undertakes to investigate these matters with his reason and scrutinizes the texts, he is misled by his speculation and interprets a given principle otherwise than it is taken to mean at first sight; or if he denies the principle because he thinks that it does not represent a sound theory which the Torah obliges us to believe; or if he erroneously denies that a given belief is a fundamental principle, even though he believes it as he believes the other dogmas of the Torah which are not fundamental principles; or if he entertains a certain notion in relation to one of the miracles of the Torah because he thinks that he is not thereby denying any of the doctrines which it is obligatory upon us to believe by the authority of the Torah - a person of this sort is not an unbeliever. He is classed with the sages and pious men of Israel, though he holds erroneous theories. His sin is due to error and requires atonement.

Even if you assume he is in error, that the position that Rabbi Glasner has adopted runs counter, God forbid, to the truth of the Torah, how are you permitted to speak about him with such arrogance? Surely the words of Radbaz in his responsum are explicit, that even one who errs, God forbid, in one of the fundamental principles of the Torah on account of his speculation is exempt from punishment. For because he thinks that the results of his speculation are true, he is regarded as if he were coerced... Heaven forbid that he should be humiliated even if he has erred about a fundamental principle.

It must be understood how there can be a mitzva to believe. Regarding mitzvot pertaining to the limbs, there can be a mitzva to perform [this] or refrain from doing [that], for that is in man's control, depending upon his will to act or to refrain from acting. However, belief in God and His Torah come on their own, so that either way, if one has this faith, there is no need to command him to believe, and if, God forbid, faith has been cut off from his heart, he cannot attain it. He would appear to be completely coerced in this matter, for his heart has compelled him. We see, however, from the laws of the Torah that the sin of heresy is very severe, more severe than serving idols, for an idolater must be judged in a court with witnesses and a warning, whereas heretics in all places and at all times are thrust down [into a pit] and not rescued...

But as regards informers and Jewish heretics, it is a duty to take active measures to destroy them and hurl them in to the pit of destruction - the reason being that they persecute Jews and turn the people away from following God.

The heretics - that is, Jewish idolaters, or one who transgresses out of spite, even if he [only] ate the meat of an improperly slaughtered animal or wore a garment containing a mixture of wool and linen; and the infidels - those Jews who deny the Torah and prophecy - it is a mitzva to kill them. If one has the possibility of killing them with a sword in public, he does so; if not, he should use stratagems to bring about their death. How so? If one sees such a person fall into a well and there is a ladder in the well, he should remove the ladder and say: "As soon as I get my son down from the roof, I will return it to you." And so on.

The fundamentals of faith in and of themselves are simple and compelling for any person who is not a fool, it being impossible to doubt their truth. This is true, provided that a person not be bribed, that is, that he be free of this-worldly lusts and desires. Thus, heresy is not rooted in a breakdown of reason in and of itself, but in a person's desire to satisfy his lusts, which distort and blind his reason. We may now understand the Torah's admonition (Bamidbar 15:39): "And you shall not seek after your own heart" - this refers to heresy (Berakhot 12b). That is to say, a person is admonished to suppress and subject his desires in order that his reason be free from the distortions they cause so that he may recognize the truth... Heresy has no place in man's reason, but rather in his desires and lusts.

Even though it is absolutely forbidden and an evil sickness even to doubt or question matters of [our] perfect faith, we nevertheless find that Chazal judged as a heretic only one who denies outright, i.e., one who reaches the opposite determination. This antithetical determination cannot possibly be found in Israel in any individual who is not an absolutely wicked man and intentional liar. For even the greatest wickedness can cast doubts only among the weak-minded. He who dares to say that he denies with certainty must be an absolutely wicked man, who is rightfully judged with all the punishments explicitly assigned to him.

There are two classes of apostates - an apostate with respect to the violation of a single precept, and an apostate with respect to the whole Torah... An apostate with respect to the whole Torah is one, for example, who at a time of religious persecution becomes converted to the idolaters' religion, clings to them, saying, "What advantage is it to me to adhere to the people of Israel, who are of a low estate and persecuted? Better for me to join these nations who are powerful." A person who acts in this way is an apostate in respect to the whole Torah.

Surely one who "becomes converted to the idolaters' religion" asserts his belief in their gods, and he is a heretic!

It may also be suggested that a "heretic" is one who believes in one of the five things mentioned above, whereas "one who becomes converted to the idolaters' religion," even though he does not believe in their religion, converts in order not to be of low estate and persecuted. He is called a Jewish "apostate," but he is not called a "heretic," because he does not believe in his heart that there is a god other than our God.

...For he does not convert out of conviction, but because of the low estate of [the Jewish people] and the greatness of [the others], and many do not have the intelligence to distinguish, and their mouths and hearts do not agree. This is not the way of the "heretics," who believe in their hearts what they say with their mouths.

To whom does this apply? To one who denies the Oral Law because of what he thinks and what appears right to him, following his worthless ideas and the stubbornness of his heart, and denying the Oral Law like Tzaddok and Boethus and all those who strayed with them. However, the children and grandchildren of these errants, whose parents have misled them, those who have been born among the Karaites, who have reared them in their views - each is like a child who has been taken captive among them, who has been reared by them, and does not hasten to cling to the path of the commandments; his status is comparable to that of one who has been coerced. Even though he later learns that he is a Jew and becomes acquainted with Jews and [the Jewish] religion, he is nevertheless to be regarded as a person who is coerced, for he was reared in the erroneous ways [of his parents].

It seems that the law of "thrusting down" applies only during a period in which God's providence is clear, for example, at the time when miracles were common, and heavenly voices issued forth, and the righteous of the generation were under Divine providence that was evident to all. Then the heretics were particularly perverse, inclining their impulses after lusts and lawlessness. Then the eradication of the wicked was the fence to protect the world, for everyone knew that leading the generation astray brought calamities to the world, such as plague, war, and famine.

But in a time when God's providence is not obvious, when the people have lost faith, "thrusting down" does not serve to fill the breach, but rather it adds to it, for they view it as destruction and violence, God forbid. And since our sole intention is to improve, this law does not apply when it will not lead to improvement, and it falls upon us to bring them back with chains of love, and to stand them up in a ray of light to the extent possible.

And if you have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord spoke to Moshe, all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moshe, from the day that the Lord gave command, and henceforward throughout your generations. Then it shall be, if it be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering... And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance, and they have brought their offering, a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for the ignorance. And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourns among them, seeing all the people were in ignorance.

The language of the verses [here], without being taken out of its simple meaning and implication, is [to be understood as if] He were saying: "And when you shall err in all the commandments, and transgress all that God has commanded you by the hand of Moshe"... Thus this section according to its plain meaning refers to [the duty of] one who is unwittingly an "apostate" with regard to the entire Torah, [to bring] an offering, such as one who goes and becomes assimilated among one of the nations, and behaves as they do and does not want to be part of Israel at all. This applies if it were all done in error, such as - in the case of an individual - a child who was taken into captivity among the nations [and grew up unaware of his Jewish origin], and in the case of a community, if they [mistakenly] thought that the time of the Torah had already passed, and that it was not given for all generations; or if they say - as is mentioned in Sifre (parashat Shelach 115) - "Why did God give [the Torah]? Was it not so that we should observe it and be rewarded for it? We will not observe it, and will take no reward"... Or [the section here may refer to a time] when people forget the Torah. This has already happened to us, because of our sins, for in the days of the wicked kings [of the kingdom] of Israel, such as Yerav'am, most of the people forgot the Torah and the commandments completely, as in mentioned [also] in the book of Ezra, concerning the people of the Second Temple.

How did the Holy One, blessed be He, respond to Noach when he emerged from the ark, saw the world destroyed, and began to cry before Him, saying: "Master of the Universe, You, who are called compassionate, should have shown compassion to Your creatures"?

The Holy One, blessed be He, answered: "Foolish shepherd, now you say this. Why did you not say anything when I said to you: 'For you have I seen righteous before me' (Bereishit 7:1); and afterwards: 'And, behold, I will bring the flood of waters' (ibid., 6:17); and afterwards: 'Make you an ark of gofer wood' (ibid., 6:14). I delayed all that time and spoke to you so that you would pray for the world. But from when you heard that you would be saved in the ark, it didn't enter your heart to pray for the world, and you built the ark and were saved. Now that the world has been destroyed, you open your mouth to voice prayers and supplications before Me!"

Rabbi Yehoshua said: Why didn't Noach pray for mercy on behalf of his generation? He said in his heart: "Perhaps I shall not be spared," as it is written: "For you have I seen righteous before me in this generation" (Bereishit 7:1), i.e., in relation to his generation. Therefore he did not pray for mercy on their behalf.

I cannot assess how much spiritual strength and valor we have lost, how much holy fire has been extinguished together with these great souls... Who can penetrate the obscure depths of the values of the soul? This cloud of grief darkens the tiny sparks of light, which penetrate the darkness of our national life.

But a voice cries out behind me: Be silent, whom do you eulogize? While the deeds of those who have fallen are unknown, and one is not permitted to speak evil of them now that they are dead - surely you are familiar with most of the young workers in Eretz Israel, and their attitude towards anything holy in Israel or in man...

The pain grows steadily stronger, and the tragic war of the spirit rises most high, when we read the words of Rambam (Hilkhot Evel 1:10) expressed in clearest fashion: "As for those who deviated from the practices of the congregation - that is, people who cast off the restraint of the commandments, did not join their fellow Jews in the performance of the mitzvot, observance of the festivals, attendance at synagogue and house of study, but felt free to do as they pleased, as well as for epicureans, apostates, and mosrim (informers) - for these no mourning is observed. In the event of their death, their brethren and other relatives don white garments, and wrap themselves in white garments, eat, drink, and rejoice, because the enemies of the Lord have perished. Concerning them, Scripture says: 'Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate You?' (Tehillim 139:21)."

Before Rabbi Yisrael [Salanter] came to Memel, Judaism was in a very bad state, as in the rest of the cities of Germany during that period. Jewish stores were open on Shabbat, and the merchants, most of whose business was connected with the port, would load and unload their merchandise on Shabbat as during the week. Rabbi Yisrael's attitude toward them and the moderate and graded manner in which he influenced them are very typical of his approach. When he came for the first time to the synagogue where the merchants and port agents would pray in order to preach about Shabbat, he asked whether there were any Lithuanian Jews present. When they told him that such people were indeed present, he refrained from preaching and returned home. The next week he came a second time, and when he was told that no Lithuanian Jews were there, he began to preach. After explaining to them the value of Shabbat, in their style and according to their spirit, he reached the conclusion: Dealing with the freight that arrived in the port on Shabbat may be necessary, but writing is unnecessary. The merchants accepted what he said and agreed not to write. Some time later, Rabbi Yisrael delivered another sermon in that synagogue, saying that unloading their merchandise on Shabbat may be necessary, but loading their merchandise on Shabbat is certainly unnecessary. The merchants accepted this as well. Later he arrived once again, and forbid unloading as well. In this way, he influenced the community step by step, until finally he effected a total upheaval.