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A thread on Talmudic trolling:
Shabbat 31a includes stories about different people who approached both Hillel and Shammai with ridiculous questions in order to frustrate them. They even placed bets.
Hillel treated silly questions seriously; Shammai dismissed them. 1/6
Shabbat 31a includes stories about different people who approached both Hillel and Shammai with ridiculous questions in order to frustrate them. They even placed bets.
Hillel treated silly questions seriously; Shammai dismissed them. 1/6
Shammai& #39;s impatience drove people away, while Hillel& #39;s patience brought people closer to the Divine presence.
One might assume that the lesson is that trolls can be won over with kindness and patience.
But anyone who has spent a minute online knows this isn& #39;t always true. 2/6
One might assume that the lesson is that trolls can be won over with kindness and patience.
But anyone who has spent a minute online knows this isn& #39;t always true. 2/6
Even though the Talmud criticizes Shammai& #39;s approach, I believe the Talmud also knows that you can& #39;t always tame trolls by feeding them.
After all, why would Shammai& #39;s lessons be included if they had no merit whatsoever? 3/6
After all, why would Shammai& #39;s lessons be included if they had no merit whatsoever? 3/6
Nothing in the world is binary.
Shammai isn& #39;t always wrong.
Shammai represents setting boundaries. It isn& #39;t mandatory to invest emotional labour in people who aren& #39;t willing to listen or learn. You don& #39;t owe your time and energy to everyone who slides into your DMs. 4/6
Shammai isn& #39;t always wrong.
Shammai represents setting boundaries. It isn& #39;t mandatory to invest emotional labour in people who aren& #39;t willing to listen or learn. You don& #39;t owe your time and energy to everyone who slides into your DMs. 4/6
And Hillel isn& #39;t always right.
Giving attention to everyone who demands it leaves you vulnerable to harm and self-neglect. Patience can be a good thing when you& #39;re teaching those with a sincere desire to learn, but you can be taken advantage of if you& #39;re not careful. 5/6
Giving attention to everyone who demands it leaves you vulnerable to harm and self-neglect. Patience can be a good thing when you& #39;re teaching those with a sincere desire to learn, but you can be taken advantage of if you& #39;re not careful. 5/6
Perhaps the real lesson here is to learn when to be like Hillel and when to be like Shammai. Your emotional well-being is paramount, but don& #39;t shut out those who genuinely want to learn.
And also, don& #39;t be a troll. 6/6
#QueerDafYomi
(Shabbat 31)
And also, don& #39;t be a troll. 6/6
#QueerDafYomi
(Shabbat 31)
