[Avodah] Yeast isn't chameitz

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 06:55:59PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
: I still don't get it.  You're assuming that there is an unquestioned
: mesorah that shibolet shual is oats, and chadashim mikarov ba'u and
: questioned that mesorah on the basis of science.  But that isn't so.
: On the contrary, the main question is from Torah sources, and the
: science just supports the question.  AFAIK the *only* reason to suppose
: that sh"sh means oats is that Rashi translated it that way into French.
: At best, that makes it a machlokes of Rashi against the Rambam and
: whoever else translated it differently (not sure who those were; RSG?
: Ibn Jannach?)

Except that RYBS assumes that Ashkenazim would hold like Rashi and
Tosafos, regardless of scientific evidence for the Sepharadi position.

The Rambam has "se'orim midbarim" (wild barley???).
The Arukh has two possiblities -- avena (oats) or secale (rye).

BTW, scientific taxonomy speaking -- which I just posted was irrelevent
-- does place oats in a different family than wheat and barley, but
avena is closer on the taxonomy tree than any other edible grass seed.

 From an experiential perspective, oats and rye were originally weeds that
grew in one's wheat or barley crops, and then were bred for their own
sake. People would plausibly lump it together pyschologically with the
other grains. Problem is, not anywhere near the "eretz chitah use'orah".

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
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