9:33 AM
Gil Student
R. Aharon Lichtenstein, Leaves of Faith vol. 2 p. 19:
Quite obviously, with respect to many, if not most, halakhic demands, fundamental acceptance by non-observant Israelis simply does not exist. This is not solely due to the fact that non-observant Jews are now so much more numerous than they were before the Enlightenment, although that is a factor. It is due, in large measure, to the fact that the recalcitrant Jew is now differently motivated. Whereas dereliction in fulfilling religious duties would previously have been probably due to frailty and backsliding, i.e., a volitional failing, it is now generally the result of unbelief, an intellectual failing. The type of resistance encountered is entirely different, therefore, and is not amenable to formerly effective modes of response. Moreover, in the generally libertarian climate of modern Western society, attempts at coercion are usually not only ineffectual but destructive. Inasmuch as they generate resentment, they do not simply fall short but backfire. In the present context, therefore, coercion, as a technique of stimulating positive religious observance, cannot generally succeed.
