[Avodah] Just How hot is Yad Soledes Bo anyway?

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

FWIW: I recently consulted my chaveir the chemist.
He agrees with me completely that Hazal lacked a way of quantifying
temperature because such scales had not yet been devised [EG fahreheit
and celcius]

OTOH, he completely disagreed with me over this issue: if they had had
such objective scales, would hazal given more precise temperatures?
He says NO I say YES.
IOW he maintains that Hazal were intentionally vague. He notes that
Hazal could gave use the temperature of "when egg whites turn milky
white" which is close to YSB and slightly more obejective. [Note: My
chaveir is not only a chemist but a pretty good cook, too.]

OTOH I maintain that just like revi'is log and other measures that Hazal
usually offer a precise measurement.
[EG size/weight of dinar in mishnah Qiddushin]

Tangent:
Sometimes I do find the breadth of temperature range re: YSB bishul
hard to understand; EG for Yayin Mevushal

KT
RRW
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