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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>On Sun, Jul 05, 2009, Cantor Wolberg wrote:<BR>:
When the daughters of Tzelafchad heard that the land
was <BR>: being divided by tribes and that daughters were not included,
they <BR>: gathered together to take counsel, and they said: "Not as the
mercies <BR>: of flesh and blood are those of the Holy One Blessed be He.
The <BR>: mercies of flesh and blood are greater for males than for
females, but <BR>: the mercies of the Holy One Blessed be He are
(equivalent) for all, as <BR>: it is written (Psalms 145:9): And His
mercies are over all His <BR>: works" (Sifrei)...<BR><BR>RMB asked:
>>Can someone explain this Sifrei in light of the general ethic of
"women<BR>and children first" (eg the lifeboats on the
Titanic)?<<</FONT></DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>Despite a few western countries in recent centuries having a notion of
chivalry, most cultures for most of history favored men in Titanic-type
situations and would give precedence to a man's life over a woman's life.
It's my impression that this is still true today in Arab, African and Asian
societies, except where western influence has changed the old cultures.
And actually /even/ in western societies the notion of "woman and children
first" has been thrown overboard (so to speak) in recent decades for the
paradoxical reason that feminists object to any distinction being made between
men and women. One woman too many took umbrage at having a door held open
for her, and "women and children first" went into the dustbin of history.
Sorry for the mixed metaphors.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>==========<BR><BR><BR><BR>_____________________</B></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></FONT><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="d41593b6f63d997ace7a837caf3b685f"><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/><A HREF=http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222466512x1201463496/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Faltfarm.mediaplex.com%2Fad%2Fck%2F12309%2D81939%2D1629%2D3>Dell Studio XPS Desktop: Save up to $400 - Limited Time Offer</A></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>