I see it more in terms of economic value. A Torah is worth about as much as as a new Honda Civic at the low end and a luxury car at the high end. I would be reluctant to wreck anything worth $20,000 - $60,000… presumably the owner of said material object is going to be upset. And if you are the owner, why are you blowing up your own car? You’d almost always make a better statement by selling your Torah/car and giving the money to charity.
And if you are the owner, why are you blowing up your own car? You’d almost always make a better statement by selling your Torah/car and giving the money to charity.
Do you think that would have the same degree of emotional satisfaction as a symbol of their break with the religion?
Personally, I don’t get that flinch thinking about a person desecrating their own Torah, but I’d caution anyone planning to do so to make sure that the symbolic action is actually worth tens of thousands of dollars to them, because it’s a very expensive way to purchase fuzzies.
“Refurbished Torah?” That is hilarious. But when you say, “I see it more in terms of economic value”, you mean, “economic value is another secular factor”? I mean that you also get the general “avoid wrecking painstakingly produced artwork” feeling regardless of its resale value :P
I see it more in terms of economic value. A Torah is worth about as much as as a new Honda Civic at the low end and a luxury car at the high end. I would be reluctant to wreck anything worth $20,000 - $60,000… presumably the owner of said material object is going to be upset. And if you are the owner, why are you blowing up your own car? You’d almost always make a better statement by selling your Torah/car and giving the money to charity.
Edit: You can get a refurb Torah for only $9,500! o.0 http://www.ahuva.com/prod-Sefer_Torah_Scroll-1279.aspx
Do you think that would have the same degree of emotional satisfaction as a symbol of their break with the religion?
Personally, I don’t get that flinch thinking about a person desecrating their own Torah, but I’d caution anyone planning to do so to make sure that the symbolic action is actually worth tens of thousands of dollars to them, because it’s a very expensive way to purchase fuzzies.
“Refurbished Torah?” That is hilarious. But when you say, “I see it more in terms of economic value”, you mean, “economic value is another secular factor”? I mean that you also get the general “avoid wrecking painstakingly produced artwork” feeling regardless of its resale value :P