Hi,
"Rav said: The mitzvot were given only to refine Gd's
creations. Does Gd care whether one slaughters from the front or back of the
animal's neck? The mitzvot were given only to refine Gd's creations."
רב אמר לא נתנו המצות אלא
לצרף בהן את הבריות, וכי מה איכפת ליה להקב"ה למי ששוחט מן הצואר, או מי
ששוחט מן העורף, הוי לא נתנו המצות אלא לצרף בהם את הבריות
(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 44:1)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Maharal, Tif'eres Yisrael ch. 6
ReplyDeleteIf you have time for that, and wish to do me a favor, could you stop by http://www.aishdas.org/asp/divine-command-theory and see if you agree with my take of the Maharal? As I wrote then "First a caveat: The Maharal is often hard to comprehend. My mind therefore sometimes fills in in my comprehension Rorschach Inkblot Test Style.)"
Could you define 'refine' please?
ReplyDeleteR' Micha-
ReplyDeleteWish I could, but I'm still trying to find time to email you re: the last article you sent me!
Anonymous-
Very hard to say. The Hebrew לצרף often refers to a process of purifying metals, through temperature adjustment.
The way לצרף sounds like it is being used here as some sort of painful process. Is that a fair reading?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 10:54 AM-
ReplyDeleteYes; at least harsh, if not painful.