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Do Not Cast Doubt on a Fellow Jew

by Ram ben Ze’ev


Do Not Cast Doubt on a Fellow Jew
Do Not Cast Doubt on a Fellow Jew

Throughout our history, the Jewish people have been assailed from without, yet the deepest wounds often come from within.


When a fellow Jew declares, “I am part of the people of Israel,” to doubt that declaration without cause is not merely discourteous—it is a transgression of Torah, Halakhah, and the unity of Klal Yisrael itself. Our enemies have always sought to divide us; when we cast suspicion upon one another, we become their allies.


Torah and Halakhah

The Torah warns us of motzi shem ra—bearing a false report. To cast suspicion without proof is to inflict a wound not only upon the individual but upon the whole nation. As it is written: “They shall chastise him… and he may not put forth an evil name upon her again” (דברים (Devarim) 22:19). The rebellion of Korach (במדבר (Bemidbar) 16) stands as testimony to the danger of unfounded division.


Halakhah is unambiguous. Rambam (Hilchot Issurei Biah 19:17) rules that one who comes and says, “I am Jewish,” is accepted unless there are circumstances demanding otherwise. The Shulchan Arukh (Even HaEzer 8:5) confirms this. To doubt without evidence is to commit onaat devarim—verbal wronging—and humiliation, which the Sages teach is akin to spilling blood (Bava Metzia 58b).



The Soul of Israel

The Holy Zohar reveals that every Jew carries within themselves a spark of the Divine. To deny or cast doubt upon that spark is to diminish the Shekhinah itself. Tanya (chapter 2) declares that every Jewish soul is “a part of G-D above.” In chapter 32 we are commanded to extend love to every Jew, for though our bodies differ, our soul is one. Suspicion fragments, but ahavat Yisrael binds us together.


The Talmud (Yevamot 47a) teaches that even one who comes forward as a convert is to be accepted unless clear proof arises to the contrary. If this is true for one who enters by choice, how much more so for one who declares, “I was born a Jew.”


It matters not whether one wears rabbinic robes or sits at a neighbour’s table: to cast doubt on a fellow Jew’s identity without halakhic cause is a grave sin. It humiliates the individual, fractures the nation, and stands in opposition to the Shekhinah. Such behaviour is not zealotry for truth—it is arrogance cloaked in piety.


Mashal (משל / Parable)

A father gave each of his children a ring, a symbol of belonging. One child was mocked by his siblings: “Perhaps your ring is false.” The father rebuked them: “To doubt your brother’s ring is to doubt My gift. Who are you to question what I have given?”


So it is with the Jewish soul. To challenge a Jew’s declaration of belonging without cause is to question the gift of G-D Himself.



Reflection

We must guard our tongues not only from slander but from suspicion. When a Jew says, “I am Jewish,” we are bound to embrace them with trust and love. Every false doubt sows seeds of division; every act of trust nurtures the wholeness of Israel. Unity is not a luxury but a commandment, for only together do we stand before G-D.


יהי רצון מלפניך ה׳ אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו, שתשים בלבנו יראתך ואהבת ישראל, ונחיה באמת ובאמונה, ונראה את נשמתך הקדושה בכל יהודי ויהודי, ונעמוד תמיד מאוחדים לפניך


May it be Your will, L-RD our G-D and G-D of our fathers, that You place in our hearts fear of You and love of Israel, that we may live in truth and faith, see Your holy spark in every Jew, and stand always united before You.


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