[Avodah] Fables and Lies

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

In the thread "proofs of G-d", we were discussing the scenario that some gedolim posit a linkage, that a specific tragedy was caused by a specific failing, and that they do this in order to inspire people to do teshuva, even though those gedolim are not neviim, and cannot say for a *fact* that this failing caused that tragedy.

In this context, R' Ben Waxman wrote in that thread:
> There is an even bigger problem that my wife pointed out to
> me: When positing an cause and effect when in fact no one
> really knows the cause, the people who are motivated to repent
> will basing their avodat Hashem based on a fable, and maybe
> even on a lie. Do we really want that?

At this time of year, it is common for American Christian families to teach their children a particular such "fable and lie", in order to motivate those children to good behavior. This is so widespread, in fact, that it is a rite of passage when those children come to learn the truth of this fiction.

For many years, I was particularly proud that all of the Midrashim, legends, and stories which we tell our children are true. And even if an occasional story might appear with different details in different versions, the main thrust is generally accepted as genuine. Torah Truth has no need for fiction.

And then, one Yom Kippur, during Ayleh Ezk'rah, I chanced upon a comment by ArtScroll. The same who is so often derided on these pages for taking a sanitized version of history, and passing it off as true. And even Rabbi Scroll had to admit:

> that while all ten of these righteous men were murdered by the
> Romans, their executions did not take place simultaneously, as
> described here, nor could they have, since two of the ten did
> not even live in the same generation as the other eight.
> ...
> The liturgical accounts of the martyrdom were not meant as
> historical records, but as dramatic accounts of the story, in
> order to evoke feelings of loss and repentance on the part of
> the congregation.

So it's not just the Christians. We too have fables, fictions, and lies. Perhaps it is only this one solitary example. But one is not zero.

My heart is still not fully healed from the pain of this disillusionment. And I apologize if this post has disillusioned any others. But I think that it is very relevant to the question which was asked in the previous thread. And given RBW's comment, I figured it might be worthwhile to spin it off into a new thread.

To repeat his question:
> the people who are motivated to repent will basing their avodat
> Hashem based on a fable, and maybe even on a lie. Do we really
> want that?

My gut reaction is to scream, "No! It is too dangerous! How will they react when the lie is discovered!" But that consideration does not seem to have bothered those who chose to include Ayleh Ezk'rah in the machzor.

Akiva Miller