[Avodah] Humanism in Yahadus

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Dec 01, 2008 at 06:59:43PM EST, R David Riceman wrote:
: It'll take me time to read the whole post; meanwhile I don't understand 
: the relationship between these two paragraphs.  Are dinim BALC dependent 
: on the status of people's souls? If so, how are those of us who suffer 
: from soul-related blindness to determine our obligations?

The question would be whether the difference in chiyuvim BALC between
amisekha, achikha (arguably: all Yehudim and "achikha bemitzvos",
respectively), and nachriim (and other categories) are due to spiritual
anatomy differences, or something else.

I'm arguing "something else", using the spiritual changes due to Shabbos
as a counterexample.

And yes, since that post includes links to long discussions, it will
take a while to make your way through. Hopefully this is a topic people
feel passionate enough about to do the research. Me, I tent to print
the Avodah digests and material linked from them, and read them while
commuting, marking them up for things to which I want to reply. (That's
not the only time I reply, since on many posts I lack the savlanut from
moderation time until getting to my sefarim shrank. Like now.)


On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 02:03:38PM IST, R Efraim Yawitz wrote:
: Regarding the recent discussion of humanism & Judaism, here is a
: definition from Merriam-Webster:
...
: 2: humanitarianism
: 3: a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or
: values ; especially : a philosophy that usually rejects
: supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and
: capacity for self-realization through reason

: I think some of the participants mean #2 and should really use the
: more precise word humanitarianism.  Those who said that Communism is
: humanist are quite right according to #3.

I actually mean both #2 and variant of #3. (I disagree that any allegedly
Communist gov't actually was Communist, and therefore think that last
sentence had nothing to do with historical examples.)

I recently wrote upon hearing the tragic news frum Mumbai
<http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol25/v25n398.shtml#08>:
> Like one person, with one heart
...
Why again the Jews?

Because in Judaism, unity is inherent, love is to be unconditional,
and the value of a cause defined by the value it brings to humanity.
...

I truly believe HQBH created the universe to have someone to whom He
could do tov. Thus, kol haTorah kulah boils down to what's of value to
humanity, the person acting and those he is doing it with/to. "Da'alakh
sani..."

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,
micha at aishdas.org        and he wants to sleep well that night too."
http://www.aishdas.org         - Rav Yosef Yozel Horwitz, Alter of Novarodok
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