[Avodah] Two Ideals

[Michael Poppers]

In Avodah V27#122, R'Micha noted:
> This in turn might be related to the Chassidim haRishonim and their
initial refusal to fight with the Makabiim on Shabbos (Makkabiim I 2:39),
although they did later join (v. 43). <
Some analogies to pre-M'dinah and War of Independence situations (to name
two which are in the ken of listmembers) may be drawn.

Mei'inyan l'inyan b'oso inyan: some have tried to suggest rationales for
why great communities of Torah adherents were, lo aleinu, wiped out in
recent times.  I once heard an explanation, offered w/ trepidation, that
those communities were insular and worked on improving themselves but not
on helping their fellow Jews who lived outside the community's "walls,"
albeit nearby.  My personal mnemonic for that explanation: one should be a
ba'al chessed but not a chasidah (a "sheqetz"/non-Kosher bird which only
helped its own kind [see RaShY on Vayiqra 11:19]).

All the best from
--Michael Poppers via RIM pager
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