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<BLOCKQUOTE
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size=2><BR>From: Micha Berger <A
href="mailto:micha@aishdas.org">micha@aishdas.org</A><BR><BR><BR><BR>>>The
opposite of Torah, self refinement, is gilui arayos. (To put it in<BR>my own
thoughts, the only one harmed when conducted "by two consenting<BR>adults
behind closed doors" are the two people
themselves....)<<</FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<DIV>>>>>><BR>You try to draw a parallel between Torah, avodah,
gemilus chasadim on the one hand, and gilui arayos, A'Z and shefichus damim on
the other. Two out of the three work but the first (Torah parallel to
G'A) is strained. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't understand what you mean when you say that the only people harmed
in the case of G'A are the two sinners themselves (nor why that makes G'A
parallel to Torah). It isn't true, most of the time. If a mamzer is
born as a result of this sin, the child is most certainly harmed. If a
husband has been cheated on, he is most certainly harmed. In a broader
sense, all of Klal Yisrael -- indeed, the very fabric of civilization -- is
harmed when individuals commit despicable acts, acts that bring down Divine
judgement. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When only two people are engaged in G'A the harm is minimal but the
tendency is for such sins to spread and become more widespread, with each such
act tending to engender more such acts. Related to this is the reason why
a person who sees a sotah might want to become a nazir -- the very fact that
this woman committed adultery (even though the consequence, for her, was death)
tends to increase the likelihood that others, too, will commit such sins.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You might think that if people sin in private and nobody ever finds out,
then no one is harmed and such sins will not become "contagious" but it's not
so. Somehow, evil does become known and it does influence the wider
society. There is just no such thing as a truly private act that has no
repercussions for anyone else.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><B>--Toby Katz<BR>==========<BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></B>--------------------</DIV></FONT></DIV>
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