[Avodah] psak and rationality

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Oct 01, 2009 at 12:27:42PM +0200, Eli Turkel wrote:
:> The CI held that the Torah was determined during the middle 2
:> millenia, and any errors in science were siyata diShmaya in producing
:> the Torah we have. In which case, the poseiq would be correct in
:> working as if the statement is true even if he knows it isn't.

: Sounds way too strong to me.

Maybe, and perhaps the CI had exceptions. But he stated that rule, I
(or whomever on Avodah taught me the notion) didn't extrapolate it from
his words. See Yevamoes 57:3.

I want to point out the problem the counter-examples of tereifos among
people and the 8th month birth. It is possible that piquach nefesh
overrides the general rule as part of dechiyas haTorah, not because we
change halakhah to reflect changes in teva.

Last, I presume that the CI understands "nishtaneh hateva" kepeshuto.
But I want to throw into the confusion R' Avraham ben haRambam's
definition of "teva" in this context as "scientific theory. Not that
reality changed, but that our understanding of it did.

But that whole matter is a non-issue for our discussion. Because whether
we say Chazal relied on the best science the world has to offer, or that
they relied on good science which is no longer true, his notion that the
authority of halakhah comes from the era the tannaim lived in would stand.
It's just a matter of what HQBH led the rabbanim of the period 2000-4000
AM to believe and used to make their decisions. It goes by authority,
not solidity of postulates, since by today's standards, the givens don't
hold either way.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Man is a drop of intellect drowning in a sea
micha at aishdas.org        of instincts.
http://www.aishdas.org                         - Rav Yisrael Salanter
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