One of the most important and influential Israeli chareidi talmidei chachoim made the following judgment regarding the significance of the recent New York internet asifa.
A man was walking down the street when he noticed someone deep in thought. He stopped and asked him, "What are thinking about that is so important?" The thinker responded," I have been thinking about some very important ideas. I was thinking about what would happen if all the water in the world joined together - what a massive ocean it would make. Then I was thinking, what if all the trees in the world joined together - what an awesome tree it would make. That lead me to think about what if all men were joined together into one man - what a huge man would result. But then I got an ever more profound thought. What if the mega-man of all humanity took the mega-tree of all trees and threw it in the mega-ocean of all water - what a tremendous splash it would make."
Why might we want to discard every tree on the planet?
ReplyDeleteWho is this Iraeli Talmud Chachom, and what is his point?
ReplyDeleteHe obviously prefers not to be identified. His point was that the asifa was an event to get attention. It was simply a big splash - not a meaningful solution.
DeleteThe one who said this is quite far from being anything like "one of the most important and influential Israeli chareidi talmidei chachoim". He is a talmid chochom in the sense he knows Torah, but his influence his limited to his own small circle. He doesn't want to be attributed to this comment because his influence is limited and he isn't even entirely confident in his own judgement.
ReplyDeleteIt is a dumbfoundingly idiotic parable. It means nothing - or, actually, it can mean anything you want it to mean. I'm sorry I wasted two minutes of my precious time reading it.
ReplyDelete"It can mean anything you want it to mean."
DeleteYes, exactly. Just like the asifa.
...Or perhaps he meant entirely something else. He wasn't questioning the INTENT, but rather the lost opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWe had such a great cross-section of Jewry, so much preparation and so many pressing needs to tackle -and all we got out of it was just the proverbial "splash"!
There is only ONE possibility who this "anonymous influential Israeli chareidi talmid chachom"is.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is a great self-description of who he himself is [including the talmid chachom's very own comment to expand on this judgement].