re: timtum halev

Asked by david · May 25, 2003 · Ethics

Question

>. Everyone is stricter than the next, but many of the ABC's are ignored. This is what's driving our children to run for their lives and become labeled, "Kids at Risk." It's actually brought down from great rabbis in previous generations that one may stray from the path of Torah because of having eaten something not kosher and thus the timtum halev having an adverse effect on an otherwise good person. This would seem to mean that timtum halev is not a chumra that one has to be on a certain level in order to practice, but rather a negative force (whether we understand it or not) that can adversely affect a person.

Answer

Answered by Aaron Abadi

This is not possible if the person followed the Halachah. This would be an issue if someone was careless and free with Kashrut. It is still meaningless to someone who is not following the Mitzvot 100%. First comes the 613 Mitzvot and all the Halachot, before the extra credits. If someone gets angry it says that it is like Avoda Zara; if someone has Gaavah, it says that God says that he (God) and this person cannot live in the same world. These are much more severe and certainly a priority to the issue of Timtum Halev. If you disagree, you're entitled to your opinion. Please drop the issue. AA