more scribal silliness

( explanation under cut )

potter commentary

Everyone's* talking about the Potter Problem for the Shabbat-Observant, namely, the fact that the book comes out on Shabbat when one may not take possession of items. Not so many people are talking about the Potter Problem of the Nine Days of Mourning. This Potter book comes neatly into the category of "whopping great eagerly-awaited treat," and one of the things we refrain from during the Nine Days is whopping great eagerly-awaited treats. Ergo, one can't really read one's Potter until after the Nine Days are over.

My copy's coming from Amazon, and it'll probably get here Monday or Tuesday since I didn't fancy paying extra to have it arrive at midnight on Friday or whatever it is. But I won't be reading it until Wednesday.

:-/


* for certain very specific values of "everyone," here "Jews whose eagerness to acquire the Potter book asap clashes with their customs of Shabbat observance and perforce their friends, and people who think Israelis are amusing."