[Avodah] Chazal are Infallible

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:

> Pi, sqrt(2), the number of days in a month or months in a year are all
> irrational numbers. Meaning, there is no way to give an exact number, the
> exact value requires an infinite number of digits after the decimal point or a
> fraction of infinite digits length to represent. Simply can not be done. It is
> therefore meaningless to ask why they didn't use an exact value. Estimation is
> the only possibility.

The Rambam, in PhM to the mishna in Eruvin, gives exactly this
explanation for why the mishna says pi is 3.  It's impossible to give
the exact value, it has to be rounded *somewhere*, and Rebbi decided
to round it to an integer.   This is a wonderful and complete
explanation for the mishna, and it works just as well for the
underlying pasuk (the real diameter of the yam was somewhere between
9.5 and 9.7, thus rounding to 10, while the real circumference was
between 29.8 and 30.5, thus rounding to 30).

Unfortunately, it doesn't explain the gemara, but the Rambam wasn't
commenting on that, so he doesn't have to deal with it.  Tosfos,
which does have to deal with the gemara, notes the problem, and
doesn't even offer an attempt at resolving it.



-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas