Joseph & Mod-29:
OK, we get the point – you don’t believe each other. You both think that your viewpoint is so obvious, the only way somebody could disagree with it is they’re lying, perhaps even to themselves.
yekke2:
Can I turn the tables for a second?
Please, you don’t need my permission.
Why are you so convinced of the validity of your practice if Chazal praise Tamar for covering her face?
Because nowhere do we find that Chazal or their successors suggested that this is something that is obligatory, or even appropriate to encourage for the masses. This is a madreiga for those who are holding by it.
This is not a black (if you’ll forgive the pun) and white issue – there is a middle ground between a practice that everybody should be doing and a practice that nobody should be following.
WTP:
Mw13, I do not know if your question was asked specifically to me, or thrown out to everyone.
The former.
I was not expressing my own opinion on the practice, just trying to help Yekke2 analyze what he was feeling
Fair enough.
Does the fact that chazal make a note of someone’s behavior as praiseworthy imply that this is something that is a lesson for everyone, or is it the opposite- the comment is made since this behavior is out of the ordinary (e.g. if this was the accepted behavior to cover one’s face than there would be no need to comment on it) and therefore not a recommended practice for the masses, even if it was appropriate for this person at his/her level.
Interesting question. I would think that the answer would lie somewhere in between those two options, and very likely varies depending on the exact case (and language Chazal used).
But either way, I think it is self-evident that something that Chazal praised should not be denigrated. So if Chazal praised Tamar for covering her face, I don’t think anybody should be denigrating the idea of wearing burqas.
No need to be obnoxious, if you’re just having a bad day no need to take it out on us.