Pinion feather are the the wing feathers necessary for flight. Each species of bird has a distinctive number of pinion feathers; though all have at least nine. Crows (and ravens -- and many other birds, for that matter) have 10. Song sparrows have only nine. That makes the difference between a crow and a song sparrow simply a matter of a pinion.
But seriously, folks... I reckon there are four categories of opinions, two of which have halachic consequences. Of the inconsequential opinions, there are two. First, there are stupid opinions. No, I don't mean things like, "In my opinion, there are no stupid questions." (Only uttered seriously by new teachers. Those of us who have taught for a while use that phrase only sarcastically and with much eye rolling.) That's not a stupid opinion, it's just naive. No, I mean folks who say things like, "In my opinion, the mathematical constant pi is exactly three." or "In my opinion, the whole moon landing thing was an elaborate hoax." Stupid opinions are nearly always introduced by the phrase, "In my opinion..." No one has a right to a stupid opinion. They need to be educated.
Then there opinions that really don't affect me. I could say you have a right to your opinion that chocolate ice cream tastes better than coffee ice cream; but what I really mean is, "I don't really care what kind of what your opinion on that matter is, because it doesn't affect my life." Hang on, you'll complain: what about if you are buying ice cream for me!? Again, I really don't care what your opinion is in that case either, I just want to know what kind of ice cream you want me to buy for you. Whether you like it better or think it is better for the environment or don't like it so much and are getting that to help manage your cravings; of no consequence to me -- just tell me what you want.
Then there are opinions that do matter to me, and -- interestingly -- while you may have a right to them, exercising them could cost you money. One example, discussed here, is a farmer who rents land and plants something different than agreed upon with the land owner. As we saw there, the farmer has a right to his opinion of what best to plant, but hazards a risk by doing so.
Another example is the case of a wool dyer. I bring you some wool to dye red. You, though, are of the opinion that black wool is better. You feel, "hey! I have a right to my opinion"; so you dye my wool black. Upon my return to pick up my wool, I am (in my opinion) justifiably miffed. You have not ruined my wool, and you have increased its value; but it is not what I wanted. Since you didn't ruin it, I cannot force you to pay damages. Moreover, I am going to have to pay you. However, I only have to pay the lesser of your expenses or the increase in value. To be concrete: let's say you usually charge 30$ and it costs you 17$. If the wool increased in value by 50$, I will only owe you 17$. If you really messed up and my black wool only increased in value by 10$, that's all you'll get from me.
When it comes to opinion, I tend to agree with Sgt. Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am; just the facts."
But seriously, folks... I reckon there are four categories of opinions, two of which have halachic consequences. Of the inconsequential opinions, there are two. First, there are stupid opinions. No, I don't mean things like, "In my opinion, there are no stupid questions." (Only uttered seriously by new teachers. Those of us who have taught for a while use that phrase only sarcastically and with much eye rolling.) That's not a stupid opinion, it's just naive. No, I mean folks who say things like, "In my opinion, the mathematical constant pi is exactly three." or "In my opinion, the whole moon landing thing was an elaborate hoax." Stupid opinions are nearly always introduced by the phrase, "In my opinion..." No one has a right to a stupid opinion. They need to be educated.
Then there opinions that really don't affect me. I could say you have a right to your opinion that chocolate ice cream tastes better than coffee ice cream; but what I really mean is, "I don't really care what kind of what your opinion on that matter is, because it doesn't affect my life." Hang on, you'll complain: what about if you are buying ice cream for me!? Again, I really don't care what your opinion is in that case either, I just want to know what kind of ice cream you want me to buy for you. Whether you like it better or think it is better for the environment or don't like it so much and are getting that to help manage your cravings; of no consequence to me -- just tell me what you want.
Then there are opinions that do matter to me, and -- interestingly -- while you may have a right to them, exercising them could cost you money. One example, discussed here, is a farmer who rents land and plants something different than agreed upon with the land owner. As we saw there, the farmer has a right to his opinion of what best to plant, but hazards a risk by doing so.
Another example is the case of a wool dyer. I bring you some wool to dye red. You, though, are of the opinion that black wool is better. You feel, "hey! I have a right to my opinion"; so you dye my wool black. Upon my return to pick up my wool, I am (in my opinion) justifiably miffed. You have not ruined my wool, and you have increased its value; but it is not what I wanted. Since you didn't ruin it, I cannot force you to pay damages. Moreover, I am going to have to pay you. However, I only have to pay the lesser of your expenses or the increase in value. To be concrete: let's say you usually charge 30$ and it costs you 17$. If the wool increased in value by 50$, I will only owe you 17$. If you really messed up and my black wool only increased in value by 10$, that's all you'll get from me.
When it comes to opinion, I tend to agree with Sgt. Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am; just the facts."
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