The decline of generations
The expulsion of the Jews of France took place in 1182. It was not documented on camera, and I assume that the number of documents that exist, if any, is very small. What is the credibility of such an event without testimony and tradition that it actually occurred?
And from now on, there is a clear tradition among the Amirs about the descent of generations, and since it is simple, why not accept it? After all, all our historical knowledge is based on traditions and evidence.
Here is the testimony of the Rabbi of Mazal
“Because they [=Chazal, the Tannaim and the Amoraim], peace be upon them, even though they were diligent in their studies and were intelligent and talented, and associated with great people and withdrew from the lusts of the world and everything in it – they attributed a deficiency to themselves in comparison to their predecessors, and he said: ‘The son of the first is like the opening of a hall, and of the last is not even like the tip of a needle’s thread.’ All the more so, we, who, with the loss of knowledge and wisdom from us, as the Almighty decreed for us [Isaiah 29:14]: ‘Therefore, behold, I will continue to do wonders to this people, wonders and wonders, and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid,’ we have distinguished four things from each of them: weakness of mind, and the increase of lust, and laziness in learning, and zeal for the pursuit of the affairs of this world, the four judgments of the wicked, and how can we not attribute the disadvantage to ourselves in comparison with them?”
The decline of generations is not a simple fact but an assessment. You can also talk about a value tradition, where each generation must accept the values passed on to it by previous generations. That way we would be left with slavery and inequality for women, etc.
What’s more, there is a clear interest in portraying the first as great, otherwise it will be difficult to gain obedience to their words. It is difficult for people to gain obedience because we decided that way without any substantial reason. I expanded on this in my third book in the trilogy.
And finally, even in history, I do not accept everything that tradition has passed down to me (for example, the stories of the Baal Shem Tov were also passed down in tradition). The question is whether this is reasonable and whether there is any support for it.
A. Rabbi Michi, you are actually claiming, as you claimed in column 321, that even the Maimonides, like the Haredim, speaks without believing in what he spoke, but only spouts out necessities to achieve the result of discipline, regardless of the way to conceive the result and how many lies we will have to tell for it?
Do you really think that the Maimonides did not believe in this?
B. Why is this an assessment? He knew the previous generations as we know our predecessors, and they testify that this is how it is (and the previous generations also testified to them that their predecessors were greater)
C. It's like you claim that the skeptic who doesn't believe in intuition is pulling the ground out from under his feet because that way all science has no right to exist. If we don't believe our sages and previous generations that there are interests, then interests can be found for everything, and then what will we believe?
We are repeating ourselves. I have already explained everything.
A. I did not say that. I said that even if Maimonides thought so, it is not a fact but an estimate and there is no need to accept it.
Beyond that, Maimonides himself, in his Piham HaRav, writes about things that Rasag said only to answer questions and did not believe it himself.
B. He did not know the previous generations, since he is talking about Tanais and Amoraim. And even if he did know them, it is still an estimate and not a fact.
We have concluded.
There is a possibility that there is indeed a generational decline, but people who want to change from the norm have a clear interest in describing the first as younger.
Tam, do you see the decline of generations? Or shall we go back to the example of the fool? If I randomly selected and processed a hundred excuses from the first and a hundred excuses from the last, how many of the 200 would you be able to identify who was first and who was last according to the quality index?
The decline of generations is a fact.
It started when our ancestors were up there, high, in the treetops.
Dear.
First, the parable of the fool is enough for me, and the parable of the fool is necessary when you believe in the Millata Da Gemara.
Another thing, the answer that is heard already writes in the introduction, and many others, that because of the impediment we have to understand, we need great effort and great achievement in order to understand the Creator's intention, he brings an example of boiling oil with water that the fire increases, but here, does the fact that we reach definitions at lower resolutions not mean that we are wiser, the opposite is true.
I will give you a parable, a blind person, as is known, through his sense of touch, he feels and experiences objects in a better way than a person who only observes them, therefore, from his point of view, a table is defined with a maximum understanding of what a table is, unlike a person who sees who does not need this, and in any case the person who sees simply sees the table and it is not difficult for him at all, he simply does not need to define too much because it is simple for him and is better captured in his memory, would you say that the person who sees is lacking,?! Our sages have already taught us that sight is greater than hearing..
Bring me the first and the last. I will quickly recognize who the first are because I will see that the second name is understood by them in a few words. It makes me extremely angry. When they spoke about Kazeit and Yad Soladat, they did not need definitions of temperature and mg.
And in this there is a huge decline. I do not see any question at all.
Which is better, the fool or the blind man, I do not know, but what is flat is that they did not need it.
By the way, I think I once heard another idea from Ramada about the descent of generations in the context of intuition, as in a mother tongue, knowing what is right without knowing how to explain why.
On the 14th of Av, 5772
There is a joke about a parrot shop. The seller offers a parrot that knows the entire Bible by heart. The buyer asks what its price is? The seller replies: $500. A second parrot that knows the entire Bible by heart is priced at $5,000. They come to a third parrot. The seller says: Its price is $20,000. The buyer asks: What does it know? The seller replies: I don't know, but the other parrots call it: ‘We refused’ 🙂
And let us compare: We see the great masters of the latter, whose greatness we have an idea of in terms of knowledge and sharpness, and they treat with reverence the great masters of the first, who treat with reverence the Amoraim, who treat with reverence the Tannaim, who treat with reverence the prophets, who treat with reverence Moses the Rebbe, the one who is indifferent to his Creator. It seems that the great masters know how to appreciate their ancient sages who, by virtue of the foundations laid down for them by their predecessors – in our generation, explained and renewed.
And it is no wonder: the foundation of Torah thinking is in what Moses received at Sinai, and therefore the closer one stands in the ’chain of Kabbalah’ to Sinai – the greater the understanding.
With blessings, Sh”z
Tam, definitely. There are lots of possibilities. As well as the possibility that you believe in the greatness of the ancients so that they won't come to change. Everything is possible.
There is no indication of the greatness of the ancient generations. From the compositions you really don't see this (if anything, then quite the opposite). And the fact that the first ones shortened it doesn't indicate anything. On the contrary, on the surface it seems that they had a less complex and sophisticated and less intelligent thought.
Shchel, regarding the understanding that depends on proximity to the source, I am certainly willing to accept it. I have already written about this in two carts and more.
The Mishnah says: Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets transmitted it to the members of the Great Synod. Don Yitzchak Abarbanel explained: “Here, then, the Mishnah explains the elevation of those who receive it, step by step. First, the elevation of Moses and Joshua, who were called by the names of Hama and Binyamin. Then, the elevation of the elders, who were like the rest of the stars, as if they were in the place of the seventy elders, the men of the council and court of Moses our Rabbi, peace be upon him. And a step below them, in the matter of receiving the Torah, they are the prophets. And another step below them, and they are the members of the Great Synod, as if they were the first in the rank of angels and they are in the rank of men. And about this similarity, their memory is blessed: Greater than a Rabbi, and greater than a Rabbi, and greater than his name is Rabban.”
Rabbi Akiva says: Tradition is a limitation to the Torah. Don Yitzchak Abarbanel explained: “Since Torah matters cannot be understood by the investigation of the human mind, and in particular the laws of the Torah. Therefore, one is obligated to accept their matter from his master, and his master from his master, until Moses, and he is from Sinai, from the mouth of the mighty One. This is why our sages of blessed memory said that a person is obligated to speak on behalf of his master, and they said: There is no halakha as a student in the place of the rabbi. And finally, a deviation: Since the disciples of Shammai and Hillel multiplied who did not fulfill their every need, disputes multiplied in Israel and the Torah became like two Torahs. All of this teaches that the Kabbalah, which is a tradition of the sages to each other, is a limitation to the Torah”.
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