So I saw a sukka set up in a parking lot at Drake and Peterson this morning. I thought, "How cool!" Then I saw that it was "Egalitarian and All Inclusive"; then cool became a chilling shiver. Egalitarian is on of things that sounds so reasonable is is oh so wrong, similar to "politically correct". I was talking to a friend at work a couple years ago and I told him that I had a hypothesis that anything politically correct is be definition wrong. My friend (basically liberal, but also thinks) sat thinking for a few moments and finally said, "I really want to disagree with you, but I can't think of a single counter example."
To understand what is so wrong about egalitarian and politically correct, imagine trying to build a house with an egalitarian tool box. Meaning to say, you must use whatever tool comes to hand to do the job at hand. That will mean you can't use screws because hammers can't manage those. You probably will shy away from nails because screwdrivers are pretty slow at getting those darn things driven. Even the simplest project will turn into a planning night because you need to be sure that every tool can do every job. I could go on, but its pretty obvious what's wrong with this picture. Not all tools are the same. Not because one is better or worse than any other, but because each one is suited to its job.
HaShem created each of us to be tailor built for our job. What's our job? In broad strokes to use our abilities to best reveal the glory of HaShem; ie, to live each moment with the reality that HaShem is King. There are lots and lots of jobs to do; so HaShem created lots and lots of Jews. Each one of us has talents and tendencies that can, should, and must be used in Avodas HaShem. The way we do that is defined by halacha. Men, women, kohanim, gerim, mamzerim... we all have jobs. The job, by the way, sometimes (usually, actually) requires me to go against my nature. That way I subdue my will to HaShem's Will and there is a greater revelation of K'vod Shamayim. HaShem makes us tools who can join together to accomplish great things; each of us making our unique contribution. Egalitarian, on the other hand, turns us from tools to bricks. We can't accomplish very exciting projects, but we can do them our way and all have the same contribution. You know, like Migdal Bavel.
To understand what is so wrong about egalitarian and politically correct, imagine trying to build a house with an egalitarian tool box. Meaning to say, you must use whatever tool comes to hand to do the job at hand. That will mean you can't use screws because hammers can't manage those. You probably will shy away from nails because screwdrivers are pretty slow at getting those darn things driven. Even the simplest project will turn into a planning night because you need to be sure that every tool can do every job. I could go on, but its pretty obvious what's wrong with this picture. Not all tools are the same. Not because one is better or worse than any other, but because each one is suited to its job.
HaShem created each of us to be tailor built for our job. What's our job? In broad strokes to use our abilities to best reveal the glory of HaShem; ie, to live each moment with the reality that HaShem is King. There are lots and lots of jobs to do; so HaShem created lots and lots of Jews. Each one of us has talents and tendencies that can, should, and must be used in Avodas HaShem. The way we do that is defined by halacha. Men, women, kohanim, gerim, mamzerim... we all have jobs. The job, by the way, sometimes (usually, actually) requires me to go against my nature. That way I subdue my will to HaShem's Will and there is a greater revelation of K'vod Shamayim. HaShem makes us tools who can join together to accomplish great things; each of us making our unique contribution. Egalitarian, on the other hand, turns us from tools to bricks. We can't accomplish very exciting projects, but we can do them our way and all have the same contribution. You know, like Migdal Bavel.
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