Q. In a large shul, a wealthy member bought an expensive Rosh Hashana Aliya. When he was about to be called to the Torah, he told the Gabai that he wants the Aliya to be given to his father instead. The problem was that the father does not keep Shabbat, and one of the rulings of this shul is, that non-observant people are not to be called to the Torah.
Since this was kind of a very difficult situation as the didn’t want to embarrass publicly the father and his son the great donor, and likely create a great commotion and disturbance on Rosh Hashana, the rabbi rapidly and softly suggested to the Baal Koreh reading the Torah, that he should quietly also recite the bracha for the Torah, and he would be counted in truth as the one receiving the Aliya . The Rabbi want’s to know if he acted correctly?
A. Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that unlikely as this could be, he should at least quietly have suggested that he should try to induce him to accept and keep slowly Shabbos. (See question 124)
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit’a.