5161 —הבהרת השתתפות בעניני הקהילה

B"H, 25 Shevat 5717, Brooklyn.

Haraha"ch iy"a nu"n involved in tzt"z Tzvi Shusterman

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the 22nd of Shevat. Enclosed is my reply to Mr. Sherman, and you will surely find the appropriate words to explain matters to him if necessary.

Regarding what you wrote about your participation in community affairs (apparently referring to Jews and, separately, non-Jews together in the neighborhood): it is difficult to set fixed rules for such cases. The main point is that one must avoid anything that could be interpreted as agreement with the Brotherhood movement in a broad sense, or with Brotherhood together with Reform and Conservative movements, G‑d forbid. Of course, this applies when religious matters are involved—in other words, when dealing with representatives of the Reform movement, etc.—as opposed to an individual acting privately in a general matter of charity or similar activities. In these cases, the instructions of our Sages are well known, as are the actual practices of several great Torah leaders who are careful regarding G‑d's word and who participate and meet (though obviously one should not seek out such opportunities).

With blessing, on behalf of the Rebbe shlita, Secretary

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that while collaboration for general charitable purposes is permitted even with those outside traditional circles, one must be careful not to give the impression of endorsing movements contrary to Torah values.