Wednesday, March 05, 2014

What did our Sages hate?


A list of what the Sages of old considered major crimes is provided on BT Sukka 29 (yesterday's daf), a list that clearly shows how different their sensibilities were from ours, despite how, you know, #mesorah#nothingchanges #timelessvalues, and so on and so forth.

For example paying workers late is on the list of sins the Sages hated... which can only mean none of them ran a yeshiva.

And oddly enough "lack of tznius" is not on the list. This  must mean that their wives wore burkas, I guess.

But bh sodomy made the list so I suppose they were Haredim after all.

See the complete collection of sins after the jump


BT Sukka 29:

Our Rabbis taught, On account of four things is the sun in eclipse: On account of an Ab Beth din who died and was not mourned fittingly; [DB: Coincidently, the authors of this statment were Av Beth dins] on account of a betrothed maiden who cried out aloud in the city and there was none to save her; on account of sodomy, and on account of two brothers whose blood was shed at the same time.

And on account of four things are the luminaries in eclipse: On account of those who perpetrate forgeries, on account of those who give false witness; on account of those who rear small cattle [DB: that cant be prevented from ruining someone elses property] in the land of Israel; and on account of those who cut down good trees.

And on account of four things is the property of householders given into the hands of the government: On account of those who retain in their possession bills which have been paid [DB: so they can collect the debt twice]; on account of those who lend money on usury [DB: though nowadays we have a smart loophole#aguna]; on account of those who had the power to protest [against wrongdoing] and did not protest [DB: See Agudah and pedophilia]; and on account of those who publicly declare their intention to give specified sums for charity and do not give.

Rab said, On account of four things is the property of householders confiscated by the state treasury: On account of those who defer payment of the labourer's hire; on account of those who withhold the hired labourer's wages [DB: like every yeshiva]; on account of those who remove the yoke from off their necks and place it on [the necks] of their fellows [DB: understood to mean tax evaders and other freeriders]; and on account of arrogance. And the sin of arrogance is equivalent to all [the others] whereas of the humble it is written, But the humble shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace.


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