[Avodah] Timtum HaLev

[Zvi Lampel]

RMB--in response to my observation that 'The Drashos HaRan (#5, I think) 
writes (regarding the imperative to follow the Sages): ...''the 
spiritual gains in obeying the mitzva of following the Sages counteracts 
the harmful consequences of the rare instances where the Sages may be 
wrong.)--wrote:

    But this Ran is about sechar va'onesh, and explicitly not about
    other metaphysical mechanics. Personally, I would argue that the Ran
    and the Ikkarim (his talmid, who describes a very similar hashkafah)
    don't actually believe there is such a thing.''


I got stuck here in your response. How can you say that the Ran is not 
about metaphysical mechanics? The issue he is addressing--comprising the 
first paragraph I had quoted--explicitly stated, ''everything the Torah 
warns us against is indeed harmful to us, and creates a negative imprint 
on our souls, even though we may not know the mechanics behind that 
process.''

Furthermore, you yourself then continue to refer to ''the notion of the 
Ran (Derashos haRan ch. 10) and his student R' Yosef Albo (Seifer 
haIkarim 4:13), ... that the effects of sin are to dirty the soul and 
that the punishment of sin is that barrier blocking the soul's access to 
Divine Good.''

How then do you perceive that ''this Ran is about sechar va'onesh, and 
explicitly not about other metaphysical mechanics''?

As I wrote, ''He answers that the spiritual gains in obeying the mitzva 
of following the Sages counteracts the harmful consequences of the rare 
instances where the Sages may be wrong.'' His answer, as well as his 
question, is in terms of ''spiritual harm and gains,'' not just reward 
and punishment.

Zvi Lampel

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