W. sends me some quotes from his reading from the Talmud.
Seven things are hidden from men. These are the day of death, the day of consolation, the depth of judgement; no man knows what is in the mind of his friend; no man knows which of his business ventures will be profitable, or when the kingdom of the house of David will be restored, or when the sinful kingdom will fail.
W. likes lists, he says. It's a Borges thing.
This one especially for you, he says:
Proselytes and those that emit semen to no purpose delay the Messiah.
For how long have you personally delayed the coming of the Messiah?, says W. Years? Millennia?
Actually, W. says, the explanation is that during the second destruction of the temple, the Romans persecuted the Jews, prohibiting against circumcision and so on. The people despaired and thought there was no point bringing children into the world, so they would masturbate or marry young girls who could not have children. But the rabbis said that if the souls that are stored in heaven from the beginning of creation never come into the world through the birth of children, then the Messiah would not come.
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