[Avodah] SHOMER PESA'IM HASHEM

[Zev Sero]

Ilana Sober Elzufon wrote:

> Of course this is based on doing normal regular things that everyone 
> does all the time, and that changes with time and society.

As I pointed out recently, the full phrase is "kevan dedash dash, veshomer
peta'im Hashem".  The reisha is important; if it's not "dash", then there's
no "shomer peta'im" (unless, I suppose, we're talking about an actual "peti").
Which is why the gemara says that it's OK to be bled on a Friday, even though
Mars is dominant at an even-numbered midday hour, but it's not OK to do so on
a Tuesday, even though the danger is *exactly the same*.  The only difference
between Tuesday and Friday is that people do get bled on Fridays but not on
Tuesdays; and that difference is what makes Hashem protect us on Fridays, to
the extent that it's muttar lechatchila to ignore the danger, but it's not
OK to ignore that very same danger on Tuesdays.


-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher