[Avodah] Rosh Hashanah 32b There's Hope For Everyone

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Sun, May 25, 2008 at 8:15 AM, Cantor Wolberg <cantorwolberg at cox.net>
wrote:

> The umpires have the authority to call it and thier p'sak STANDS. it
> does NOT mean they are infallible...
> So, I have an interesting questioning regarding the above mashul.
> With modern technology being what it is (as well as what it potentially can
> be),
> if there was invented a type of machine that could infallibly call a ball
> or a strike
> and obviate the need for an umpire, would anyone be against that?
>
> I anticipate the argument against doing away with human intervention, but
> isn't the ultimate goal
> for "truth." This machine would not be like a *baas kol*;  it would be to
> baseball what forensic science
> has been to uncovering crimes that could never be solved prior to modern
> miraculous technology.
>
> Would anyone be against a GPS because triple A doesn't have to be contacted
> to make a travel map?
>
> K.T.
> ri
>


I am not sure we need an absolutely infallible umpire or poseik.
But given  authority w/o infallibility then

   1. The authorities should be humble about what they do
   2. The austerities should be flexible when realising their error
   3. People should not DEIFY authorities
   4. Nor should people DEMONIZE those authorities either

I heard a "new age" interpretation of the "Gospels" go like this:
First we Defiy X
then we crucify X

This certainly has happened with:

   - Elliot Spitzer who was supposed to clean-up Albany.  First he was made
   into a hero [lionized aiu the expression] then vilified.
   - Many Jews first said kaddish at FDR's  death then they learned how
   impotent he was in prevent Jewish deaths in the camps etc.
   - How about Roger Clemens?
   -

You get the idea. If we stopped putting these people on pedestals then we
would not need to demonize them either. It's part of a human pathological
cycle.

Of course Talmdiei Chachamim are different, but attributing to them
infallibility is a sure way to EVENTUALLY cause them much criticism.


Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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