[Avodah] kol hamoseif gorea

[hankman]

RET wrote:

>
> I assume that even in the charedi world the claim is that statements
> in the gemara are true
> even when they contradict modern science.
> Is there anyone who claims that chazal knew modern physics, could have
> constructed airplanes
> or PCs or heart transplants had they wanted to?.
>
>
> -- 
> Eli Turkel

CM responds:

No one authoritative that I am aware of, but many of my chareidi friends 
clearly believe this, possibly based on their own dispositions.

The logic is at least sufficient troubling to require explanation or 
refutation. given that all the sodos are hidden in Torah somehow as per the 
quoted medroshim, an axiom I assume you agree with,  then there are only two 
possible outcomes, the greatest exponents of Torah in history either found 
this buried scientific knowledge (to our level and beyond) and repressed it 
or kept it secret amongst a highly limited group, or they never found this 
hidden knowledge in Torah which we will find hard to accept of our greatest 
Torah scholars (Chazal and the neviim).

I guess the upshot is if they were (all) not aware of  true and correct 
science, then this implies a failing in their gadlus in limud haTorah not 
just in their knowledge of secular studies, which in turn implies we have a 
lack in "emunas Chazal" if we do not reject this? (Please understand these 
are all questions - not positions I am staking out!).

Kol Tuv

Chaim Manaster