[Avodah] When is exaggeration proper and improper?

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, May 24, 2012 at 07:41:30PM +0000, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
: I don't read Areivim, nor did I attend the Asifa, but the context of
: this statement doesn't really matter too much. But it is a good opening
: to a question which has long bothered me. Namely: Do Chazal or Poskim
: discuss when guzma is appropriate, and when it is not?

I don't know. It might be situational, depending on obvious factors like
when is the audience likely to be moved by the emotional content, when
are they likely to pick up that it's guzma, and when will they think
it's meant literally and reject the message as absurd -- or accept an
absurd message.

But they clearly believed there was a role for guzma. Eg R Mari explains
R' Eliezer as speaking in guzma (Beitza 4a), and it's not meant pejoratively.
Or Eruvin 2b, BM 38a. Or the Tosafos at the top of Shabbos 119a.

Nevu'os are frequently labeled as guzma.

So, I too am curious where the lines are. But they exist, they
aren't zero. And they might simply not be discussed because they're
commonsensical.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 47th day, which is
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