Re: Are turkeys kosher?

Wackyadam@aol.com
Tue, 18 Nov 1997 00:35:31 -0500 (EST)

Ephraim Nisenbaum writes:
<<The Talmudic Rabbis had an amazingly keen appreciation of human nature
and its weaknesses. They also had a true understanding of the negativity
and poisonous effect of sin.They knew where people were capable of
"slipping up" and therefore instituted these fences to prevent people from
doing so.>>

I totally agree with this. There is a famous story in the Gemara and it
goes like this: It is asur (forbidden) to study on Shabbos night alone by
the light of an oil lantern because one may inadvertantly adjust the
lantern and violate the Torah prohibition against burning (Two people
studying together is ok because one will remind the other that its Shabbos,
but I digress). One rabbi (I think it was Rabbi Yishmael, anyways he was
REALLY important in his generation) decided that, "Eh, I am Rabbi X! I am
pious enough that I won't sin - I don't need this fence!" So he studied at
night on Shabbos with the lantern light and ended up adjusting the lantern
and violating the prohibition. Afterwards, he lamented his foolishness and
complimented the Chacham on their brilliant decisions, etc. In any case,
this story proves Ephraim's point.