[Avodah] lifestyle choices

[Joshua Meisner]

On Thu, Apr 4, 2019 at 1:07 AM Rich, Joel wrote:
> Siman 231 in S"A O"C is one sif long ("buried" between hilchot brachot and
> tfilat mincha) which covers all human endeavor. Worth some very detailed
> discussion but I'll just mention two points 1.) His "psak" (and I assume
> it's psak since it's included in S"A) seems to demand an ascetic lifestyle
> (ex. His comments on attitude towards onnah).

I'm not sure all agree on this conclusion

In the Hakdama to the Shaarei Yosher, R' Shimon Shkop notes the absurdity
of thinking that the command kedoshim tihyu/perushim tihyu ki kadosh Ani
means asceticism as a goal within itself. Would it even be coherent to
suggest that Hashem does not eat too much, does not sleep too much, etc.?
Instead, he redefines/redirects ascetism to altruism. Which, of course,
only changes the goal posts of the original question.

[This discussion can be found on the 2nd page (pg #46) of the PDF at
http://www.aishdas.org/asp/ShaareiYosher.pdf#page=2 That PDF is the
haqdamah with translation in the form of ch 1 of "Widen Your Tent"
<https://amzn.to/2VPsoqd>. My own discussion of this section of the
haqdamah, and what it means about qedushah and perishus, is the
first half of ch. 3, some 25 pages or so.

[And now back from overstepping my bounds. -micha]

> (and is this truly an area for psak or is there a range where each of us
> must figure out for ourselves?)

Both. The gemara provides a set of values in the aggadeta, but unlike
in the halacha where we can state that everyone (with a few global
exceptions) must eat a kezayis of matzah, the avodah of the other
7 days, 23 hours, and 57 minutes of Pesach is much more open-ended.
Some people may eat a kortov of these values and others may eat a kor,
but the sugya cannot simply be waved away without personal introspection.

> 2.) The general rule of evaluating each action based on a goal of service
> to HKB"H seems right on to me but I also perceive that people who actually
> do this or articulate it as an aspiration, are thought of as somewhat odd,
> at least in the MO community. Thoughts?

Everything looks odd when you attempt to break it down into pieces,
zoom in on them, and try to give them names. L'havdil, you can open up a
grammar book if you want to learn how to speak perfect English, but trying
to apply the rules on the fly will probably make you look odd unless
you have a sufficient (native?) fluency in the language that enables
you to apply them naturally. The way that a speech therapist helps
correct a speech impediment or how a physical therapist teaches someone
to walk again is also bizarre compared to the way that a regular person
engages in these daily activities. The children of a number of gedolim,
whom we would generally use as a rough model for applying these values,
have commented that the greatest characteristic of their father's house
was its normalcy. Getting there, though, may require a phase of oddness.

Chag kasher v'samei'ach,
Josh