How to Go Off the Derech: A Halachic Guide

It seems that there is a lot of gray area on when and how one can/should go Off the Derech, and many authorities in the J-blogsphere disagree on certain things. Therefore, as a public service, I have compiled a little guide, a Kitzur of the main opinions regarding the issue.

It seems that XGH holds the most stringent position on the matter, while Da’as Hedyot seems to be the most lenient. Somewhere in between the two extremes of these prominent halachic figures, we have other luminaries like BHB, Yeshivish Atheist, and others who fall somewhere along the spectrum. Although it seems pretty clear that XGH is the most stringent, it is not clear what exactly his requirements are for going Off the Derech in proper accordance with halacha. But there are some definite rules that we can pinpoint:

1) You can not be Chasiddish, Lubavitch, Yeshivish, Baal Tshuvah, Mizrachi, under twenty, over forty, amongst other things.

2) Even if you are lucky not to fall under any of the above categories, you cannot become an atheist once you do go Off the Derech. You also cannot have any difficulties in your social life, or have any other “abnormal” situations.

3) You have to have been raised Modern Orthodox, been to Israel, have Zionist sympathies, gone to movies (very important it seems in XGH’s estimation), and have been able to do anything you could do if you were Off the Derech.

4) If by chance you have met all the above requirements, you still can’t go Off the Derech according to XGH. You are too normal. You must come from an interesting background like Chabad, crazy Yeshivish, or some other fanatic sect.

5) If by some defiance of all natural laws, you are still qualified, there is one more caveat: you really are not allowed to go off the Derech, you can only become Orthoprax. Yes, that is correct.

Some have criticized XGH’s position based on the impossibility of it ever being borne out in practice. To which one might respond that there is good precedent for such a position, namely “Ir Hanidachas“[1], and “Ben Sorer Umoreh[2]. But some have countered in the spirit of the aforementioned Gemorah: Certainly this halachah is applicable in practice, and the proof is that “Ani ro’isiv ve’yashati al kivro“[3]. I saw him and used to comment on his blog. Ve’hameivin yavin.

According to Da’as Hedyot, anybody can go off the Derech for any reason at any time. Ve’chol hamarbeh harei zeh meshubach[4]. Especially if you become Roman Catholic, because what’s more logical than switching from one fundamentalist religion based on myths and unsubstantiated fairytales, to another religion based on myths and unsubstantiated fairytales.

The most curious opinions are the approximate range into which BHB, YA, and others fall. They have this curious requirement of having one investigate all alternatives and “thinking critically” for oneself.

In summary, the last opinion can be discarded outright because we have no precedent in halachah for anything remotely similar to such requirements. “Thinking critically” is simply not mentioned in any of the rabbinic literature available to us, and we suspect it is not a valid critereon for reaching halachic conclusions. As for the first two options, I favor XGH’s position since even its own proponent does not follow it, a phenomenon for which there is ample precedent and must therefore be the correct position.

Now, obviously this is all “halacha ve’lo lema’aseh“[5], and each person should ask their Rav, especially on such an important matter: How to go Off the Derech according to Halachah.

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Notes:
[1]Ir Hanidachas. (עיר הנידחת) A city of Idol worshippers, whose inhabitants must be put to death and their possessions burnt in the city’s main Square. According to the Talmud, Ir Hanidachas refers only to a hypothetical scenario due to the many conditions required for a city to qualify.
[2]Ben Sorer Umoreh. (בן סורר ומורה) A wayward son, whose parents are obligated to drag him to the rabbinical court for him to be put to death. According to the Talmud, Ben Sorer Umoreh refers only to a hypothetical scenario due to the many conditions required for a person to qualify.
[3]Ani ro’isi ve’yashati al kivro. (אני ראיתיו וישבתי על קברו) “I have seen him and I sat on his grave.” A quote from the Tanna R. Yonasan, who is of the opinion that Ben Sorer Umoreh was an actual phenomenon, and he visited the grave of one such person.
[4]Ve’chol hamarbeh harei zeh meshubach. (וכל המרבה הרי זה משובח) “And he who increases [the specified action], he is praiseworthy.” A common phrase in the Talmud for praiseworthy actions.
[5]halacha ve’lo lema’aseh. (הלכה ולא למעשה) For theoretical purposes; not to be institued in practice. A Talmudic idiom for legal discourse for which its practical applicability is uncertain.

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Originally published on Divrei Acheron May 6, 2009, and reprinted here with permission. Authors have asked us to note that as the essays featured in “Best of the Blogs” document journeys of transformation, the author’s views may have changed since initial publication.

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