[Avodah] Kimchis (was Who avoids whom)

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 02:17:46PM +0000, Elazar M. Teitz wrote:
:> why was Kimchis rewarded by having all 7 sons merit becoming
:> kohanim gedolim for ensuring that "the rafters of my home have never 'seen'
:> the plaits of my hair" (Yuma 47a)?

: Who, other than Kimchis herself, said that was the reason for her
: reward? It was the response she gave when asked to what she attributed
: it -- but the chachhamim did not accept her answer (harbei asu kein v'lo
: ho'ilu), nor did they offer an alternate explanation.

OTOH, the redactors of both shasin thought it was worthy of inclusion.

The question is really whether "velo ho'ilu" is rejecting her hava amina,
which was worth inclusion only as a hava amina, or whether it's saying
that while her answer makes sense, it doesn't work experimentally. Kind of
like R' Shimon's lifestyle; it's not that he was wrong to simply learn,
daven and rely on hashgachah peratis for his parnasah. It's just that
it only works for a Rashbi. There is a parallel in language between
"velo ho'ilu" here and "velo also beayadam" WRT not getting a job.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Between stimulus & response, there is a space.
micha at aishdas.org        In that space is our power to choose our
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