A woman, a dog or a pig....

Since You Asked by Reb Gutman Locks at Mystical Paths

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - What follows is a small excerpt from the article linked above:

When the Rabbis warn about not letting a woman, a dog, or a pig walk between you and your friend, they are not saying that a woman is a dog, or a pig, G-d forbid. What is being grouped is that all three of these have a strong impact on man, albeit for entirely different reasons. Whereas a woman’s very strong impact on a man is through desire, a pig’s strong impact is through disgust, and a dog’s impact might be due to fear. Yes, they are all related in that they all evoke strong reactions, but obviously, they evoke strong responses for entirely different reasons.

MY RESPONSE TO REB GUTMAN LOCKS' ARTICLE:

July 29, 2010 6:41 AM
Crazy Smade said...

It sounds to me like this quote is less about women, pigs and dogs and more about not letting anything distract you from your studies with your friend, no?

Isn't one suppose to go to extreme lengths to acquire a friend (i.e., a study-partner)...?

King Solomon wrote: "Faithful are the chastisements of a friend, while burdensome are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6). Yehoshua ben Perachia said, make for yourself a rabbi, acquire (buy)for yourself a friend, and judge every person favorably." I take this to mean that one should invest time and effort in developing one's relationship with one's study partner.


Isn't one suppose to go to extreme lengths to in order to become a Torah student, even if that means ticking off one's not-so-faithful family members and setting aside wide range of familial obligations in order to study and firmly establish HaShem's Kingship over one's life?

Rabbi Yaakov says like this: "One who walks on the road while reviewing a Torah lesson but interrupts his review and exclaims, 'How beautiful is this tree! How beautiful is this plowed field!' - Scripture considers him to have forfeited his life."

How much more so if one is distracted by a woman, a pig or a dog?

I could quote numerous examples from the Rabbinic Literature about the importance of study and bitul (self-nullification) and kavanah (directed focus) and not allowing one's self to be distracted from actualizing HaShem's Kingship through study, but ... I'm just a Noachide. Y'all know these texts better than I do.

Great article!