[Avodah] Cave or desert island

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 11:09:46AM +0200, Michael Makovi wrote:
:> REB says that the beris sinai is national. Which, I am
:> condeming as giving no purpose or motive to observing any
:> halakhah beyond the 7 mitzvos benei Noach outside of the
:> context of a Jewish community in Israel.

: I'm still not sure why Sifra saying keep them in chutz as a reminder,
: isn't enough to justify this.

Because why would a commemoration of beris Sinai outweigh beris Noach?
What the Sifra is saying, taken at face value, it that the Jew in chu"l
is a ben Noach who is carrying on a reminder of another beris not in
play. Where then do priorities lay?

How can someone in chu"l eat the meat of a shechted animal that didn't
yet stop quivering? Or allow himself to be killed for something permitted
to benei Noach?

When a couple make aliyah, shouldn't they have to remarry, this time
for real? And shouldn't every divorcee try to get their get in EY,
so that they would be permitted to remarry even if they later make aliyah?

And the real problem with taking this Sifra to mean that beris Sinai is
on a national level ONLY... The numerous baalei machavah who, contrary
to REB speak of the role of mitzvos in terms of perfecting ones tzelem
E-lokim (R' Saadia Gaon, RYS), building a yedi'ah of the Borei (Rambam),
getting close to Him (Ramchal, Besh"t), teaching fundamental truths in
a way they can be internalized (RSRH's essay on symbolism in halakhah)
and many other variants on the theme. Explaining the role of mitzvos
in terms of their impact on the person. REB simply runs counter to the
general trend in Jewish Thought.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Nearly all men can stand adversity,
micha at aishdas.org        but if you want to test a man's character,
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