[Avodah] moral frameworks

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, May 28, 2025 at 06:04:09AM +0300, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> I've wrestled for a long time with the subjective nature of balancing
> competing goods There's no easy algorithm (e.g lashon hara and tochecha  -- 
> when to hold em and when to fold em)

I sympathize with your desire to have clarity. It's not going to
happen. It's not supposed to.

The medrash about Emes and Shalom objecting to the creation of humanity and
Hashem throwing Emes down to the ground speaks to one pretty central case.
Truth and Peace, and the need for tact.



In other (and more) words:

RYBS always spoke about human dialectics. The Neo-Kantian dialectic is
never resolves. What gives life meaning, in their opinion, is the discussion
(thus "dialectic"), not the answer. The point is the struggle.

RYBS also emphasized the dialectic nature of halakhah. Or as I would put
it, why we still learn Shas and it didn't get replaced by the Rif. Why
there was opposition to the SA with the Rama until the page standardized
with nosei keilim that makes the text a continuation of the conversation
rather than trying to end it with ultimate answers.

(Insert plug for Arukh haShulchan Yomi over other daily halakhah programs
here.)

Just a couple of hours ago I heard R David Lapin comment on Shavuos 27a
(from today's daf) that this constant conflict of values is why we have
she'eilos to bring to rabbanim and the whole shu"t genre exists, and we
don't just go to books.

(This is in a series I plugged before, "Matmonim",
<https://rabbilapinmatmonim.buzzsprout.com>, and elsewhere. "Matmonim means
'hidden treasures.' In less than 20 minutes each episode highlights,
develops and explains one actionable insight from the Daf Yomi Talmud
study cycle.")



In a third set of words: Life's a Journey. You don't want to reach the
destination yet. Stick with having to make hard decisions. It's what
you're here in this world for.

Chodesh Tov!
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Today is the 45th day, which is
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   6 weeks and 3 days in/toward the omer.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Tifferes sheb'Malchus: What is the beauty of
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF             unity (on all levels of relationship)?