Avram 2/2
“If one Kohen Gadol “steps down” and another Kohen Gadol takes his place, is the former man still Kohen Gadol?”
In most respects yes. It is a mishna in megilah among other places “ein bein kohen gadol sheavar lekohen sheshamash eleha par yom hakipurim veminchas haeifah” (forgive me if that sint verbatim, that is the gist of the mishna)
“You’ll go back and forth with Health dozens and dozens of times, but I get this? ”
My back and forths are due to a strange sense of curiosity I get when Something is obviously black yet someone insits it is white. That the Gemara isnt literal is as clear to me as can possibly be. I find it curious when people insist it is literal and come up with all sorts of strange notions to back it up (wore tefilin by meditating with sticks?!).
arguments over whether gray is more black or more white dont excite me too much. Is it possible nobody there actually views the Gemara as literal, sure that discussion (over whether such a view exists) isnt as interesting to me)
” but I don’t get how you say they could not have fulfilled the mitzva, since they did have access to a kohen.”
Maaser is given to a levi “ulivnei levi hinei nasati kol maaser…”
IF it isnt given to a ben levi it isnt maaser. I believe the Torah never changed (“lo sehi machlefes”) at al times the mitzvah of maaser is/was to give it to a ben levi. did they try to be mekayem as best as they could. sure! Did they give soem form of maaser? sure!. where they mekayem the mitzvas asei of giving maaser? Sadly no.
“I personally am much more bothered by misplaced certainty than uncertainty.”
Oh me too!