[Avodah] Two kinds of humros

[Micha Berger]

We were once called Perushim because of how Chazal kept us separated
from issurim. So perhaps the way to understand dinim derabbanan is to
look at perishus.

See Meslias Yesharim ch 13. The following is from R' Shraga Silverstein's
translation, available at <http://www.shechem.org/torah/mesyesh/13.htm>
(the link in the corner will bring you to the Hebrew original):

    If you look into the matter you will perceive three distinct levels
    -- the forbidden things themselves, their fences (the edicts and
    safeguards that our Sages of blessed memory made binding on all of
    Israel), and the "withdrawals" that those committed to Separation
    must create for themselves by circumscribing themselves and building
    fences for themselves; that is, by abstaining from things which were
    permitted, which were not proscribed to all of Israel, and separating
    themselves from them so as to be far removed from evil.

IOW, chumros are like issurim derabbanan, but not generalizable to the
masses. So, perhaps we can take the taxonomy of perishus given in ch 14
and read it back to gezeiros:

    THERE ARE THREE principal divisions of Separation, involving
    pleasures, laws, and conduct respectively.

    Separation in relation to pleasures, which we spoke of in the
    previous chapter, consists in one's taking from the world only what
    is essential to him. This type of Separation encompasses anything
    which provides pleasure to any one of the senses, whether the
    pleasure be gained through food, cohabitation, clothing, strolls,
    conversation or similar means, exceptions obtaining only at such
    times when deriving pleasure through these means is a mitzvah.

    Separation in relation to laws consists in one's being stringent
    with himself to the extent of taking cognizance of even a sole
    dissenting view in a controversy if there is justice to it, even if
    the law is not decided in accordance with it (if the more stringent
    view is not actually more lenient relative to his situation), and in
    one's not taking the easier alternative in cases of doubt, though
    permitted to do so....

    Separation in relation to conduct consists in one's secluding and
    separating himself from society in order to turn his heart to Divine
    service and to proper reflection upon it. In this, though, one must
    be careful to avoid the other extreme; ... The proper course to
    follow is to associate with reputable persons for as long as may be
    necessary in the interest of Torah study or of earning a livelihood
    and then to seclude oneself for the purpose of communing with God
    and attaining to ways of righteousness and to true Divine service.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             I long to accomplish a great and noble task,
micha at aishdas.org        but it is my chief duty to accomplish small
http://www.aishdas.org   tasks as if they were great and noble.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                              - Helen Keller