[Avodah] Apikores?

[Yitzhak Grossman]

[Catching up on an Avodah backlog]

On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:26:03 -0500 (EST)
"Micha Berger" <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:

> On Thu, December 13, 2007 12:38 pm, R Yitzhak Grossman wrote:
> : What would be wrong with the Inquisition, assuming that a) the
> : theology behind it is correct and b) it is not abused by its
> : implementers for personal gain?...
> : Do you simply mean that bad theology and / or corruption are
> : inevitable?
> 
> I'm missing something because it seems self-evident. Torture and death
> are often worse evils than the ones being avoided. HQBH places the
> suffering of others near the top of othe list of my own religious
> duties. An Inquisition requires people convincing themselves that
> another's suffering in olam hazeh is irrelevant given the gain in olam
> haba. Not merely lesser, but ignorable.

While I'm no expert on Christianity, it seems obvious to me that the
damnation of a soul for eternity is a worse evil than death or torture.

> :> Despite "mah Ani ... af atah ..." our moral choices differ. Hashem
> :> banned murder even though He takes lives regularly.
> 
> : But He permitted, and even commanded, judicial / executive enforcement
> : of Halachah.
> 
> But when Sanhedrin saw that the masses weren't on the same page, and
> oneshim would turn Inquisition-esque, they exiled themselves to
> prevent the eventuality.

I don't know that its moratorium on capital punishment was due to a
fear that "oneshim would turn Inquisition-esque".  [I have subsequently
seen your further explication of this point but I remain unconvinced;
it seems to be your reading of the Gemara, but not the Gemara's
ineluctable interpretation.]

> SheTir'u baTov!
> -micha

Yitzhak
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