[Avodah] better not to have been born

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Jun 07, 2010 at 09:33:24PM +0300, Eli Turkel wrote:
: any connection between this article and Bet Shammai?
: Doesnt seem to be a Jewish attitude since Halakhah demands
: that no abortions are allowed even if the child will have major difficulties

And the whole mitzvos of piryah verivyah and "lasheves yotzerah".

And it's not just Beis Shammai -- Beis Hillel after 2-1/2 years eventually
give in!

And earlier, Qoheles 4:2-3 "veshabeiach ani es hameisim... min hachaim...
vetov misheneihem, eis asher eiden lo hayah..."

: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/should-this-be-the-last-generation/?hp
: Should This Be the Last Generation?
: By PETER SINGER

Peter Singer is the same "moral genius" who was in the news a few
years ago for identifying the right to life with a being's ability to
hold preferences, and therefore argued in favor of both abortion and
infanticide.

So, taking him out of the discussion... How do we understand "ashrei mi
shelo nivra", the mitzvah of piryah verivyah, and "derakheha darkhei
no'am" implying that the mitzvah tells us it's better for new people
to exist?

Rabbeinu Bachya (on Bereishis 6:6) asks a similar question based on
"vayar E-lokim es kol asher asah vehineih tov me'od". The Ikkarim (3:2)
simply says "ki tov" excludes humanity. I'm not sure how that fits the
pasuq, though.

The Maharal gives an answer based on the number 2-1/2 given as the length
of the machloqes in years before nimnu vegamru. He says that there are
5 aspects to the person (nefesh, its vehicle, ruach, neshamah, and its
vehicle. This is why eirukhin are all in multiples of 5. The answer
to the question of whether it's better to have been created depends on
which perspective one is answering it from -- the loftier half of man,
or his more base side.

R' Hutner, kedarko beqodesh, develops the Maharal's approach further
(Pachad Yitzchaq Rosh haShanah #7). Why is it "hakol biydei Shamayim
chutz miyir'as Shamayim". If operating out of ahavas H' is superior,
why is bechirah described in terms of yir'ah?

He answers that yir'ah expresses the frightening aspect of bechirah --
the possibility of making the wrong decision. The oheiv wants to step
in for the Ne'ehav, he embraces bechirah. The yarei would instinctively
not want bechirah.

 From a position of yir'ah, noach lo le'adam shelo nivra. However,
a person can rise above that to ahavah and find nachas in being a baal
bechirah.

This duality is also found in the Iqarim's answer (4:29), which says that
"noach lo shenivra" is from the perspective that the nefesh is koach
hayulani (the potential of pure substance without form), and thus has the
ability to reach lofty heights. Whereas the notion that noach lo shelo
nivra is from the perspective that it is "etzem ruchani qayam mitzad
atzmo" and it would be better off "shelo nimtzeis beguf ha'enoshi".
And this was the point in Qoheles.

When the nefesh was placed in a body, though, that's when it became
a baal bechirah. That's when the mal'akhim wanted to worship Adam (Bereishis
Rabba). So that even from the perspective of the nefesh as an etzem ruchani,
it may be worse for the nefesh, but the whole is better off.

To frame my overall conclusion... As RYBS would say, it's a unresolvable
dialectic. Nonetheless, both "noach lo shelo nivra" and "vehinei tov
me'od" are true.



The Alter of Slabodka's discussion of a different dialect appears relevent
to me here...

"Bishvili nivra ha'olam" vs "Va'anokhi afar va'eifer".

Bishvili nivra ha'olam speaks to the world as I experience it. That was
customized just for me. And it contains all of my potential.

However, WRT the shared universe, all that exists is how much of that
potential I actualized. "va'anokhi afar va'eifer".

It sounds similar to what the Iqarim was saying.

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."
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