[Avodah] Rav Schwab on Chillul Hashem

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 05:07:34AM -0500, Prof. Levine via Avodah wrote:
: The following is from  Rav Schwab on Chumash
: 
: More than anything, Rav Schwab feared the possibility of making a
: chillul Hashem. He never used the title Rabbi in his bank records or
: on his checks, out of concern, as he told me, that if, G-d forbid, a
: check would bounce, "Rabbi" would add to the chillul Hashem .
: 
: Many years ago, a shameful scandal erupted in the Jewish community,
: centering around a Jewish businessman who was put on trial for
: embezzlement...

In contrast, I was recently pointed to this interview R/Dr Alan
Brill conducted with R Ethan Tucker on his blog
<https://kavvanah.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/rabbi-ethan-tucker-on-halakhah>.
The relevant quote:
    Tucker starts his halakhic reasoning with the principle of the Dor
    Revii, R. Moshe Shmuel Glasner, Hungary, 19th-20th c., a source used
    by Rabbis Eliezer Berkovitz and Yehudah Amital for similar purposes.

    Glasner wrote that Ones Torah ethic cannot be seen as abominable by
    Enlightened people in order to be seen as a wise nation and to be
    holy. Otherwise we make Torah foolish and disgusting.

[Block-quote in the original]

	If one violates anything agreed upon as abominable by enlightened
	people -- even if it is not explicitly forbidden by the Torah --
	he is worse than one who violates the laws of the Torah.

	I say that anything that is revolting to enlightened Gentiles is
	forbidden to us, not just because of hilul hashem, but because
	of the command to be holy. Anything the violates the norms
	of enlightened human beings cannot be permitted to us, a holy
	nation; can there be anything forbidden for them but permitted
	to us? The Torah says that the nations are supposed to say:
	"What a great nation, with such just laws and statutes!" But if
	they are on a higher level than we in their laws and norms,
	they will say about us: "What a foolish and disgusting nation!"...

	Anyone resistant to this point denigrates the honor of the Torah
	and leads others to say that we are a stupid and disgusting
	people instead of a wise and understanding one.

[Ad kan nested quote]

    Tucker's approach at this point in his editing seems to avoid
    Lithuanian abstractions in favor of telos and inclusiveness. It has
    echoes of Eliezer Berkowitz, Kibbutz Hadati and even Hirschs rational
    explanation for the commandments in Horeb.

IOW, what RSS riles against as being a chilul hasheim the D4 considers
a violation of qedushim tihyu as well. And worse than violating a
black-letter lav.

(And I ask again, how is a "chillul Hashem" even possible? His
name/reputation, "hasheim" with a lower-case-h, yes. But the Creator
Himself? I think that capitalizing the "H" to make it the kinui "Hashem"
is theologically problematic.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The greatest discovery of all time is that
micha at aishdas.org        a person can change their future
http://www.aishdas.org   by merely changing their attitude.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                   - Oprah Winfrey