andrewducker | Interesting Links for 04-12-2021

Thanks, I've snagged the Talmud quote. Should "they" for God get a capital T? It can be argued either way.

If I'd thought of it I would have!

Among religious* Jews who use "they" as the pronoun to refer to the divine, it's always capitalized. I am more comfortable with the idea that "the correct pronoun for God is God."

*those who believe and take it seriously. Beyond a certain level of frumkeit people just use yiddish and let it be masculine, and it doesn't bother them either because their image of God is masculine or because they don't think in yiddish.

Edited (getting more specific in the first line and adding the footnote) 2021-12-04 16:02 (UTC)

I've always loved that bit of Talmudic law.

There's something deeply Jewish about that! :o)

There really is!

It's clear that Jews have a very different relationship with God than Christians do.

We Quakers tend to do everything by committee! :o)

YES

It's not Christian's fault that they aren't the chosen of God. I try not to hold them responsible for it.

(I knew what the talmud link was going to be before looking. :-) Well, not the exact version, but the passage. It's famous.)

I, I suspect like many others, learned that story in stages.

The famous argument with miracles proving that R' Eliezer is right, confirmed by the heavenly voice, ends with humor -- the rabbis say "the torah is not in heaven" and God laughs. (Ok, that comes from Eliyahu later, but it was part of the telling I first learned.) That sounds light and funny.

Later I learned the next part: that the rabbis excommunicated and shamed R' Eliezer, pretty much ruining his life. People don't teach that part enough, especially to kids. Actions have consequences; be mindful of how you disagree with people.

Then I learned the next part, about the destruction that Eliezer's heartfelt prayers caused.

And then, much later, I learned that all of this discussion in the talmud was in response to a teaching about how to treat other people -- specifically, about (not) embarrassing and shaming people. And it all clicked into place.

There's a lot there beyond the punch line. It's important.

Oh, right. After writing all that, I remembered that I posted about a lecture I attended on this. Sharing in case it's interesting to anyone else.

This is your regular reminder not to sit on unexploded WWII munitions

Also, please don't store your ammunition in a toaster oven.

Alas, unavailable to European readers.

Headline poss sufficient.

I suspect so.

Bullets in a toaster oven caused a fire at a Greenwood (South Carolina) assisted living facility Sunday night.

According to Greenwood Police Department, the incident happened at Morningside Assisted Living Facility located on Enterprise Court at 8:53 p.m.

Officers, along with the Greenwood City Fire Department and Greenwood County Emergency Services, responded to the scene where they were advised that possible gunshots had been heard at the location.

Officers found a small fire inside one resident’s room, according to GPD. The resident was found unconscious and taken to the hospital to be treated for apparent smoke inhalation.

Officials said it appeared the fire was started because the resident placed several rounds of ammunition into a toaster oven causing the ammunition to discharge and making employees believe that a shooter was on the property.

The fire was quickly extinguished and appears to have been contained to the resident’s room, according to officers. No other injuries were reported and all residents were safely accounted for by the staff.

And an NRA official ran to the hospital, pinned a medal on the resident and said, "You're our boy."

What is wrong with people?

Whatever it is, it's catching over here. I got that from an NPR quiz show which also included these two improbable-but-true tales on this past weekend's airing:

- A woman at a Las Vegas NHL game got into a fight in the stands, removed her prosthetic leg and started beating people with it; and

- A woman on a flight from Syracuse caused a midair ruckus when passengers and the crew observed her breastfeeding.... her cat.

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

I wish they didn't make it so hard.

I look these things up, so you don't have to: it turns out that this particular breech-loaded 57mm shell was manufactured for an Ordnance Quick-Firing Sex-Pounder...

Has anyone told Chuck Tingle yet?

If people with disabilities were properly supported they would not have to seek out someone with appropriate insurance to sue.

Interesting Links for 04-12-2021

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What goes a round, comes a round

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