[Avodah] What is SinAs Chinam

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 10:46:28AM +1000, Rabbi Meir G. Rabi via Avodah wrote:
: When in one's car, warm and dry, on a rainy windy day, and in a hurry, it
: is too easy to overlook the discomfort of pedestrians.
: Why do we tend to inconvenience pedestrians, acting in ways we would never
: dream of, if we knew it was someone we love or even just know peripherally,
: or our beloved Rosh Yeshivah for example?
: 
: This is not hatred, it is dismissive. We've programmed ourselves to not see
: the humanity, the Tzelem Elokim of others who are outside our orbit.

And we know from Lei'ah, that "senu'ah" can be used to mean less loved.

...
: I would translate SinAs ChiNom as trampling upon others, not out of hatred
: but them just not being relevant.

Which fits other maamarei chazal about pre-churban society. But makes
the treatment of Bar Qamtza less typical of the problem.

This sounds more like R' Aqiva's students' generation -- that of Hadrian
harasha. They were "lo nahagu kavod zeh lazeh".


-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Zion will be redeemed through justice,
micha at aishdas.org        and her returnees, through righteousness.
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