[Avodah] Derech Eretz Kadmah LaTorah

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 05:56:50PM -0400, Yosef Skolnick wrote:
: <http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/becoming-your-best-self.html>
: It appears we aren't the only people in the world who have a focus on self
: improvement.  We are the only one that have a focus on torah though....

I think the primary difference is whether one is trying to become the
person they want to be, or study Devar Hashem in order to become the
person He wants us to be.

Both are using methodology, often the same methods (Ben Franklin's
connection to Cheshbon haNefesh has been noted, but there are also cases
of independent development of similar ideas), but they have drastically
different definitions of "improvement".

:                                                                       I
: believe a decent explanation of Derech Eretz Kadmah LaTorah is that Derech
: eretz is so pashut (in both senses) and that the torah is meant to refine
: those sensitivities as well as often to redefine which ones we are supposed
: to be concerned with.  It can't be that our entire existence is meant to
: work on proper middos, that is supposed to be something that comes from
: proper living...

Actually, I disagree. I think all of Torah really is "mah desani lakh,
lechaveirkha lo saavod", and thus really does boil down to Derekh Eretz.

But we don't know how to get from that overarching principle to actual
behavior in real-life situations. There are times when the right answer
isn't the intuitive one.

Metaphorically speaking: Physicists are looking for a Grand Unified
Theory, a Theory of Everything. Assuming it exists and is someday found,
everything that happens in the universe could be explained in its terms.
However, that doesn't mean that someone could sit down with this theory
and deduce anatomy, brain structure, and psychology.

That's why we need access to the RBSO's wisdom, why Hillel then sends
the prospective ger to go learn.

:                                                  We aren't meant to go to
: a vaad and become perfect overnight.  That is not what the veadim are for!
: The veadim are meant to be a means for which we can have a guided organic
: growth.

Organic growth was something the Torah is supposed to supply us. The need
for conscious attention to developing the attitudes and priorities HQBH
wants us to have comes from not breathing them in the air of the homes
and communities we grew up in. Nisqatnu hadoros. With each generation,
a little bit of Sinaitic Culture is lost. And needs to be manually
replaced the hard way.

The Alter of Novhardok uses this notion in the title essay of Madreigas
haAdam to explain why RYS saw a need to found Mussar, even though no
parallel need was seen in the generations before this. In his lexicon,
the Haskalah created a gap between the yeshiva (the Torah as studied)
and the ir (the life of the street).

Toras imekha slowly slipping into mussar avikha.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 49th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        7 weeks in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Malchus sheb'Malchus: What is the ultimate
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            goal of perfect unity?