[Avodah] timtum halev

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:

> However, let's go back to timtum haleiv... Why would the RBSO and then
> Chazal matir something that is damaging?

If we're still talking about cases of safek, then they permitted it
for the same reason that other acceptable risks are permitted.  If you
cross the road in the middle, without looking, you were "mischayev
benafsho" even if you were lucky enough not to get hit.  But if you
cross at the lights, taking every reasonable precaution, and get hit
anyway, your injuries will in no way be mitigated by the fact that you
had every moral right to act as you did.  When halacha permits a case
of safek, it is turning whatever issur is there into heter, or is it
simply saying "this is an acceptable risk, and if harm comes to you
it won't be your fault"?

Note that this is entirely consistent with saying that the harm comes
from the issur, not from the food's essential nature.  If the Torah
were to permit the food, the harm would go away; but in the case of
safek perhaps it has not permitted the food itself, but rather it has
permitted risking the issur.   Ditto with the protection that comes
from having a kosher mezuzah properly installed. One needn't say that
there's something magical in the mezuzah itself; rather, the protection
is the reward for doing the mitzvah, but if despite your best efforts
you were not zocheh to do the mitzvah you don't get the reward.
Putting up a mezuzah that you carefully inspected a minute ago, but
somehow missed something, is no different from living in Siberia and
being unable to obtain a mezuzah despite making every possible effort.
Keman de'avad lo amrinan.

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