My Reading of Thoreau: Democracy Must Be Limited to Issues That Don’t Matter!
Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience:
“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority. Its obligation, therefore, never exceeds that of expediency. Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority.”
The Derech Pikudecha on ‘Al Tarbeh’
Referring to gemara Eruvin 53b – 54a:
רבי יוסי הגלילי הוה קא אזיל באורחא אשכחה לברוריה אמר לה באיזו דרך נלך ללוד אמרה ליה גלילי שוטה לא כך אמרו חכמים אל תרבה שיחה עם האשה היה לך לומר באיזה ללוד
As we wrote earlier, the lesson does not concern “Sicha Im Ha’isha” but is against Bruriah. Who dares call the great Rabbi Yosei “Glilli Shoteh”?!
We can add to the list of those who misread the gemara Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapira’s “Derech Pikudecha”, a Chassidic sefer, see on L.T. 35 s.k. 8-9. And the suggested “Limud Zechus” is terrible, the eitza impossible, and his perception of reality wrong. Much more to criticize here.
To end on a different note, those knaves who justify looking at anything based on the kind of story brought in the end of s.k. 6 (i.e., it doesn’t affect them) ignore what he says right away in s.k. 7 (and repeated in s.k. 13), שפיל לסיפיה.
So Now Ahasuerus Is Jewish?!
You see, “Ahasuerus” is the name some Cursedians (including dogmatic-slumberer, Kant) gave to the supposed “Wandering Jew” (proving yet again, as if proof were needed, that they don’t even know “their” Bible).