[Avodah] Jewish Hyper-sensitivity

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 10:45:36PM +1100, Meir Rabi wrote:
: I wonder how we determine what is appropriate sensitivity LifNim MiShuRas
: HaDin and what is just bizarre behaviour?

Some of us are very literal minded. ("BH", I should add, the point is
useful in my case for making a parnasah by programming.) I tend to hear
both an idiom and its literal meaning. In fact, people can attest to my
horrible sense of humor punning on idioms because of this.

When I hear someone speak of the "crux" of the matter, the fact that he
just pointed out the centrality of an idea by comparing it to the Notzri
placement of the cross to thei worldview does "cross my mind". (Although
that's a different usage of the word, by parallel to crossing a street.)

I think that people with more normal minds shouldn't bother though,
because what one ends up doing is learning to associate more of the
world with Notzrut in order to avoid saying it.

(Kind of like parah adumah. For the person already in the parashah of
death it's a metaheir. For the kohein who otherwise would have no reason
to be thinking about death, it's a metamei.)

...
: Perhaps those who claim "Jewish sensitivity" are too sensitive and have
: distorted Halacha and are aberrant in their thinking. If we do not have
: halcha as an absolute standard then how can we ever determine what is
: properly sensitive or just plain old Chossid Shotah and Rasha Arum, people
: who certainly do not see themselves as doing anything but that which is
: right and proper in the eyes of HKBH

Going beyond standard is called perishus. It's the Ramban's "qedoshim
tihyu". Lauding shuras hadin and going no further isn't necessarily a
good idea.

And besides, maybe it's like tzeni'us, there should be an absolute das
Moshe, and a sociological das Yehudis?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             You will never "find" time for anything.
micha at aishdas.org        If you want time, you must make it.
http://www.aishdas.org                     - Charles Buxton
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