[Avodah] Are "we," today, experts on maleh and chaser?

[Shimshon Wiesel]

>It's R Meir's opinion on the fact, and its halachic consequences.
Does the Rambam agree with him?  According to the Rambam, if we find
a mistake in chaterot viyterot do we take out a new sefer?   And even
if he agrees it was true in R Meir's time, does he agree that it's
still true today?
Zev Sero

Of course the Rambam agrees with him. Everyone agrees with him, or agreed -
at least until the 20th century, when we find the first (ever?) suggestion
that we have suffiecient knowledge, due to the textual work of the masoretes
and the grammarians, so that we can consider ourselves experts regarding
maleh and chaser. This suggestion is in Shu"t Avnei Nezer Yore De'ah 356:5,
who suggest that due to the work of R. Meir Abulafia we are considered
beki'im, even though in the time of the Gemara they were not beki'im.

A modene pshat, no?

SW

(Truth is, he only cites the aforementioned Ramah, not "the masoretes and
grammarians" as I put it - but it would be hard to ignore them and focus
solely on Ramah in making the claim that he does.)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20080506/4d1ecb15/attachment-0001.htm>