[Avodah] timtum halev

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Mar 09, 2010 at 11:01:26AM +0200, Eli Turkel wrote:
: It would seem that the Kuzari would disagree. He gives the analogy
: of medicine. If a doctor prescribes medicine and it was checked carefully
: by the staff to ensure accuracy but still was the wrong medicine it won't
: help/ Good intentions aren't enough to cure a patient and the same
: goes for mitzvot...
: I use a similar argument for mamzerim. I always heard the argument that
: it is not fair that mamzerim get punished for the sin of their parents. My
: answer is that it is not fair that children get AIDS because of the sin
: of their parents or get genetic diseases because of their parents....

And this analogy is apt, particularly for the Kuzari. He writes that
geirim are not the same metaphysically as ezrachim, they only share
the same halakhos. He has a very strong sense of metaphysical "stuff"
and causality.

I also repeated in the past RARakeffet's discussion of a machloqes as
to whether eating an issur derabbanan would cause timtum, or is this
is why safeiq derabbanan lequlah? Similarly, does keeping shemittah
derabbanan cause the berakhah of having enough, or not? If you feel that
de'oraisos are dangerous or powerful but derabbanans are merely law,
then that explains why one is safeiq lechumera, but the other not.

However, let's go back to timtum haleiv... Why would the RBSO and then
Chazal matir something that is damaging? Where is the sekhar va'onesh
aspect of things if every mitzvah has power other than lefum tza'arah?

This isn't like mamzeirus, which is a single pegam in life, possibly
none in olam haba, and doesn't get in the way of getting siyata diShmaya
(including but not necessarily limited to sekhar va'onesh) in other
venues. The dinim of mamzer talmid chakham, etc...

IOW, the problem becomes a problem only if it's a general approach, so
that event after event in one's life becomes the dictate of metaphysical
causality rather than a straightforward "letav avad".

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "'When Adar enters, we increase our joy'
micha at aishdas.org         'Joy is nothing but Torah.'
http://www.aishdas.org    'And whoever does more, he is praiseworthy.'"
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