IVIV recommended reading: McLuhan

[Dave Monroe]

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 10:08 AM, Otto<ottosell at googlemail.com> wrote:

> "If life were only like this..."
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpIYz8tfGjY

Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Baba Mezi'a

Baba Mezi'a 59a

[...]

We learnt elsewhere: If he cut it into separate tiles, placing sand
between each tile: R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages
declared it unclean;

Baba Mezi'a 59b

and this was the oven of 'Aknai.  Why [the oven of] 'Aknai? — Said Rab
Judah in Samuel's name: [It means] that they encompassed it with
arguments  as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On
that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument,  but
they did not accept them. Said he to them: 'If the halachah agrees
with me, let this carob-tree prove it!' Thereupon the carob-tree was
torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred
cubits. 'No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,' they retorted.
Again he said to them: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream
of water prove it!' Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards —
'No proof can be brought from a stream of water,' they rejoined. Again
he urged: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of the
schoolhouse prove it,' whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R.
Joshua rebuked them, saying: 'When scholars are engaged in a halachic
dispute, what have ye to interfere?' Hence they did not fall, in
honour of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honour of R.
Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to
them: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!'
Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: 'Why do ye dispute with R.
Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!' But
R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: 'It is not in heaven.'  What did he
mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been
given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because
Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the
majority must one incline.

R. Nathan met Elijah  and asked him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be
He, do in that hour? — He laughed [with joy], he replied, saying, 'My
sons have defeated Me, My sons have defeated Me.'

http://www.come-and-hear.com/babamezia/babamezia_59.html