[Avodah] The Main Idea of Judaism

[David Riceman]

Me:

<<If a change in
perspective >can transform a neutral act into a virtuous act, why can't it
also change a prohibited act into a virtuous act?>>

RCL:

<< Can't it (in extremis)?  How do you deal with the concept of an averah
lishma and the discussion of Horayos 10b?>>

The entire sugya deserves more extended remarks, but that particular citation can be dealt with concisely.  See the Maharsha ad. loc. citing an unspecified Tosafos in Yevamos that Yael did not enjoy the event.  He construes "lishmah" to mean without physical pleasure.  The Maharsha stops there, bit I will add that the halacha is that a passive woman is guilty of adultery only if she has pleasure (that's the sugya of Esther karka olam haysa).  So it's lack of physical pleasure that changed the potential aveirah into a non-aveirah.

Incidentally, the Yalkut Shimoni (#44) disputes R. Yohanan's contention that Yael misbehaved.

But I think there's a more general issue.  The sugya is clearly thinking in terms of mitzvos; "lishmah" in the sugya means l'sheim mitzvah, not l'sheim servitude to God.  Now I think one can (and RYL has at least hinted in that direction) try to argue that this is a distinction in terminology rather than content, but I also think that anyone arguing that solving math problems for pleasure is a kiyum mitzva is pushing that argument farther than it ought to go.

David Riceman