Thanks for sharing - this reminds me of a discussion I had concerning Rabbeinu Yona's words on לא תרדה בפרך that a person in a authority should not take advantage of his position and authority and ask favours which people can't refuse. The question was - it this a lav or just derech e'retz - The Rosh Kollel , said if we are talking about Derech Eretz , it is much more serious as derech eretz kodmah la'Torah
The idea is cute, but a bit out of touch with reality. Everything needs chizuk, including the obvious. The Torah states repeatedly not to eat blood, and Rashi quotes Chazal who say that even something like eating blood, which most people find disgusting, still needs chizuk, so the Torah repeated the prohibition several times.
Sure, if someone just posted a sign that says Private Land or No Trespassing, many people would listen. But many would not. Reminding people that it is an issur in the Torah might well convince some people not to trespass. I don't think that this is a sign of anything other than some people ignore the obvious.
(I recall a story a few years ago about some boys in Meah Shearim who were passing by a palm tree shortly before sukkos and debating whether the lulav in the middle of it was kosher for daled minim. Someone passed by and said, "It's passul." "Why?" they asked. "It would be a lulav ha gazul," was the answer.)
“torah and common sense” Torah thought on this week’s parsha; The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Instruct the Israelites to remove from camp anyone with an eruption צרוע or a discharge זב and anyone defiled by a corpse טמא לנפש. Remove male and female alike; put them outside the camp so that they do not defile the camp of those in whose midst I dwell. The Israelites did so, putting them outside the camp; as the Lord had spoken to Moses, so the Israelites did. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess the wrong that he has done. He shall make restitution in the principal amount and add one-fifth to it, giving it to him whom he has wronged” (Numbers 5:1-7). God orders the leper צרוע put out from the whole camp, the Zav put out from Levite encampment, and the טמא לנפש put out from the Tabernacle proper. God then speaks to Moses concerning removal and correcting moral wrongs, putting out, as it were, moral impurities/wrongs of person to person. Kiddushin 35a: “AND ALL NEGATIVE PRECEPTS etc. Whence do we know it? Said Rab Judah in Rab's name, and the School of R. Ishmael taught likewise, Scripture saith, “Speak to the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt” (Numbers 5:6). Thus the Writ equalized woman and man in respect of all penalties [decreed] in the Torah [Negative precepts involve flagellation].” Beautiful. Men and women treated the same. A wrong to a fellow person is a wrong to God etc.
Thanks for sharing - this reminds me of a discussion I had concerning Rabbeinu Yona's words on לא תרדה בפרך that a person in a authority should not take advantage of his position and authority and ask favours which people can't refuse. The question was - it this a lav or just derech e'retz - The Rosh Kollel , said if we are talking about Derech Eretz , it is much more serious as derech eretz kodmah la'Torah
ReplyDeleteThe idea is cute, but a bit out of touch with reality. Everything needs chizuk, including the obvious. The Torah states repeatedly not to eat blood, and Rashi quotes Chazal who say that even something like eating blood, which most people find disgusting, still needs chizuk, so the Torah repeated the prohibition several times.
ReplyDeleteSure, if someone just posted a sign that says Private Land or No Trespassing, many people would listen. But many would not. Reminding people that it is an issur in the Torah might well convince some people not to trespass. I don't think that this is a sign of anything other than some people ignore the obvious.
(I recall a story a few years ago about some boys in Meah Shearim who were passing by a palm tree shortly before sukkos and debating whether the lulav in the middle of it was kosher for daled minim. Someone passed by and said, "It's passul." "Why?" they asked. "It would be a lulav ha gazul," was the answer.)
“torah and common sense”
ReplyDeleteTorah thought on this week’s parsha;
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Instruct the Israelites to remove from camp anyone with an eruption צרוע or a discharge זב and anyone defiled by a corpse טמא לנפש. Remove male and female alike; put them outside the camp so that they do not defile the camp of those in whose midst I dwell. The Israelites did so, putting them outside the camp; as the Lord had spoken to Moses, so the Israelites did. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess the wrong that he has done. He shall make restitution in the principal amount and add one-fifth to it, giving it to him whom he has wronged” (Numbers 5:1-7).
God orders the leper צרוע put out from the whole camp, the Zav put out from Levite encampment, and the טמא לנפש put out from the Tabernacle proper. God then speaks to Moses concerning removal and correcting moral wrongs, putting out, as it were, moral impurities/wrongs of person to person.
Kiddushin 35a:
“AND ALL NEGATIVE PRECEPTS etc. Whence do we know it? Said Rab Judah in Rab's name, and the School of R. Ishmael taught likewise, Scripture saith, “Speak to the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt” (Numbers 5:6). Thus the Writ equalized woman and man in respect of all penalties [decreed] in the Torah [Negative precepts involve flagellation].”
Beautiful. Men and women treated the same. A wrong to a fellow person is a wrong to God etc.