Religious teachers are the equivalent of the Sophists in ancient Athens claimed to be able to impart moral virtue to youth. Moral education is their venture. Now, I might say “Please spare me. I am not impressed. You oafs wouldn’t know virtue if it bit you.” But I would say it, or think it, partly because I already mistrust religious teachers .
But the question still remains - education of youth and also education of adults that still have not yet acquired thorough knowledge of the Oral and Written Law. They too are like youth in that they are vulnerable because of their lack of knowledge and experience.
Almost anyone can come along and like the sophists claim to teach Torah and make a nice bundle off of it.
I already dislike word play. Ordination from Sinai stopped during the middle of the period of the Talmud. So why do they play this word game? Could I just start to call myself and my friends "Doctor"? Why not? Is it not just a word?
I do not think these are innocent word games. They openly declare their intention that everyone has to listen to them.
They think they are the wisest of all men and are also thought to be so by very many men—and the only thing that prevents them from having a good reputation among everyone is natural science and those who study it. They believe that if they ruin the reputation of Physics and Math, they will then be awarded celebrations as the undisputed champions of wisdom. They believe that they are truly the most wise, but whenever in private conversations they come up short they are shielded by their followers. These men, who think they are superior to all, are in fact inferior to all. They may pose greater dangers to Torah than buffoons who do not go with Torah at all. These are ambitious men who would like to discredit natural science by reducing it to its lowest common denominator: clever words and weaponry.
They gain power by being supposedly pro family and family values. They in fact highly hostile to any families but their own, and use their authority to dismantle families of people they do not like-- if anyone is stupid enough to listen to them. Mainly what they want to to weed out the smart so that they -the religious teachers- will be the smartest kids on the block. Religious teachers are inherently vile—but he is never so vile as when they are trying to disguise and deny their vileness. No prostitute was ever so costly to a community as a prowling and obscene vice crusader, or as the dubious religious teacher who jumps at such a chance to show off his holiness.
But the question still remains - education of youth and also education of adults that still have not yet acquired thorough knowledge of the Oral and Written Law. They too are like youth in that they are vulnerable because of their lack of knowledge and experience.
Almost anyone can come along and like the sophists claim to teach Torah and make a nice bundle off of it.
I already dislike word play. Ordination from Sinai stopped during the middle of the period of the Talmud. So why do they play this word game? Could I just start to call myself and my friends "Doctor"? Why not? Is it not just a word?
I do not think these are innocent word games. They openly declare their intention that everyone has to listen to them.
They think they are the wisest of all men and are also thought to be so by very many men—and the only thing that prevents them from having a good reputation among everyone is natural science and those who study it. They believe that if they ruin the reputation of Physics and Math, they will then be awarded celebrations as the undisputed champions of wisdom. They believe that they are truly the most wise, but whenever in private conversations they come up short they are shielded by their followers. These men, who think they are superior to all, are in fact inferior to all. They may pose greater dangers to Torah than buffoons who do not go with Torah at all. These are ambitious men who would like to discredit natural science by reducing it to its lowest common denominator: clever words and weaponry.
They gain power by being supposedly pro family and family values. They in fact highly hostile to any families but their own, and use their authority to dismantle families of people they do not like-- if anyone is stupid enough to listen to them. Mainly what they want to to weed out the smart so that they -the religious teachers- will be the smartest kids on the block. Religious teachers are inherently vile—but he is never so vile as when they are trying to disguise and deny their vileness. No prostitute was ever so costly to a community as a prowling and obscene vice crusader, or as the dubious religious teacher who jumps at such a chance to show off his holiness.
