> To characterize a lie as an "economy of truth" would be
> a Jesuitical formulation . . . . [e.g.] that one had smoked
> marijuana but did not inhale . . . . William Safire argues
> that "Jesuitical" has by now developed a sense devoid
> of any overtones of prevarication: "subtle, intricate,
> moralistic reasoning, informed by a rigorous logic" is his
> definition. I am not as sanguine . . . and believe that using
> the word will always carry some slight risk: It may be
> wielded as a slur and received as a compliment, or vice
> versa.
>
> "Talmudic" carries none of this baggage. The Talmud
> with its commentaries . . . cannot be faulted for using
> guile to arrive at a congenial "truth." * * * It is
> assumed by Talmudic scholars that the language of the
> Talmud is precise . . . . Also, while Talmudic scholarship
> is sometimes aimed at practical affairs (for instance,
> civil and criminal law, dietary laws, the status of women),
> it also considers issues that have no practical application
> at all, and sometimes delves into matters that may seem
> utterly fanciful.
If so, would the use by Orthodox Jews who opt for this device of the "hetter iske" -- a special form of contract by which money is not "lent" and, instead, "invested" so that, in turn, prohibitions against charging/receiving interest will not be violated, since what will be paid in return, besides the funds advanced (return of capital?), will be a "return on investment" (or, in some versions, just plain ol' compensation for having made the "investment" via the funds or credit earlier advanced) a "Jesuitical" and not a "Talmudic" formulation?
Or more generally, but in some (putatively) Orthodox Jewish communities, not uncommonly, what about the "sale" just before sun down of the family-owned busieness to the (goyishe) plant-manager, who then will operate the enterprise, presumably also generating profits thereby during the Sabbath, and but) who will (by agreement: must) re-resell the enterprise back to the Friday-eve. "seller" who, by the same agreement, will be entitled to "purchse" it back for no more than the "price" paid (if a price was paid at all) -- "Jesuitical" or "Talmudic"?