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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>From: "Joseph I. Lauer" <A
href="mailto:josephlauer@hotmail.com">josephlauer@hotmail.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>>'What is gained by pointing out<BR>>>their inadequacies and
their contradictions? We want to be inspired by their<BR>>>example and
learn from their experience....'" [--RSS]<BR> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>> How does one "learn from their experience" when only part of
the<BR>experience is related? <<<BR> Joseph I. Lauer
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<DIV>>>>>><BR>RJL asked a great question. I think that (in
many cases) the historian SHOULD write about great people's failings and
challenges and weaknesses -- especially if they overcame them. The
hagiography that paints "gedolim" as people who were born as malachim and were
always perfect does not teach us anything that we can actually learn from, as
well as being fundamentally sheker.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*The Making of a Godol* was banned because its author, R' Nasan
Kaminetsky, portrayed gedolim as full rounded human beings, but I found
MOAG to be a very inspiring book.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B><BR></B><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============<BR><BR></B><BR></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="7cd8e0e236b38f7b8d96c7cb4c211016"><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">AOL Search: Your one stop for directions, recipes and all other Holiday needs. <a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212792382x1200798498/aol?redir=http://searchblog.aol.com/2008/11/04/happy-holidays-from-aol-search/?ncid=emlcntussear00000001
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