Interesting Links for 04-12-2021

[andrewducker]

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

(tags:weaponry sex hospital )

Daughter, 20, who sued mum's GP for millions for allowing her to be born wins case

(tags:disability healthcare advice UK )

The women who wove binary

(tags:history computers space women craft )

British citizenship of six million people could be jeopardised by Home Office plans - minorities in much more danger

(tags:citizenship UK OhForFucksSake )

That bit in the Talmud where God agrees that they can be overruled by a majority of rabbis

(tags:Jews god )

Omicron outbreak at Norway Christmas party is biggest outside S. Africa

(tags:Pandemic Norway )

What if Twitter actually gave you decent tools for blocking people?

(tags:twitter )

Comments

[cmcmck]

I've always loved that bit of Talmudic law.

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

[andrewducker]

There really is!

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

[cmcmck]

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

[mountainkiss]

YES

[andrewducker]

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

[cellio]

(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.