Drawing on the wisdom of the Talmud and the nuanced arguments of halakhah, a Rabbi presents a thoughtful analysis of the current debate on the banning of plastic straws and how that would affect people with disabilities.
Image: A person drinks from a plastic straw. (Anemone123/Pixabay)
Every argument that is for [the sake of] heaven’s name, it is destined to endure. But if it is not for [the sake of] heaven’s name — it is not destined to endure. What is [an example of an argument] for [the sake of] heaven’s name? The argument of Hillel and Shammai. What is [an example of an argument] not for [the sake of] heaven’s name? The argument of Korach and all of his congregation. — Pirkei Avot 5:17
The recent disagreement between some environmental activists and disability activists about efforts to ban plastic straws has been food for thought lately.
In brief, environmental activists are concerned about the impact that plastic straws have on the marine environment, especially on the animals in that environment, and they’d like to see an outright ban on plastic straws. Disability activists have…
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