[Avodah] Is the Superbowl Kosher?

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Feb 01, 2019 at 12:09:09PM -0500, Joshua Meisner via Avodah wrote:
: How are we defining moshav leitzim?  ...

: Interestingly, the Bach changes the phrase "she-hein moshav leitzim" by the
: stadium to "she-hein shofchei damim", which may tilt the discussion back
: toward your particular concern over violent sports.

To answer your question: I think the Bach /is/ defining moshav leitzim.

That leitzanus is simply being crass, not just scoffing, being snide,
sarcastic, ridiculing, and the other usualy translations. This
would explain why eating together without a devar Torah is a moshav
leitzim. They're only worried about gashmius without any spirituality.

A leitz is someone at the ground level of spiritual development. To
quote R Shimon, who does not associate the following withn leitzanus
even remotely:

    The entire "I" of a coarse and lowly person -- "ha'ish hagas
    vehashafeil" -- is restricted only to his substance and body. Above
    him is someone who feels that his "I" is a synthesis of body and
    soul. And above him is someone who can include in his "I" all of
    his household and family. Someone who walks according to the way of
    the Torah, his "I" includes the whole Jewish People, since in truth
    every Jewish person is only like a limb of the body of the nation
    of Israel. In this [progression] there are more levels for a fully
    developed person, who can ingrain in his soul the feeling that the
    entire world is his I, and he himself is only one small limb of all
    of Creation. Then, his self-love helps him love the entire Jewish
    People and [even] all of Creation.

In R' Shimon Shkop's worldview, the person totally lacking sheleimus
is one who, when he uses the word "I" thinks only of his body. Like
the people who eat without divrei Torah. Or the person who can enjoy
the atheletics of the Roman stadium without being distracted by the
human cost.

In Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Haleitzanus ch 1, the Maharal defines leitzanus as
the simchah that comes from something more base than mitzad hasheleimus.
have joy despite being a shaleim? In the begining of ch 2 he says it's the
opposite of hakhna'ah and koveid rosh... a ma'aseh sechoq vehatul. (What's
hatul with a tav? -- "worn out" doesn't fit.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A wise man is careful during the Purim banquet
micha at aishdas.org        about things most people don't watch even on
http://www.aishdas.org   Yom Kippur.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                       - Rav Yisrael Salanter