[Avodah] kol hamoseif gorea

[Micha Berger]

On Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:48:41PM -0500, hankman wrote:
: Yes, (advanced/ultimate) science is (somehow) embedded in Torah, but too
: deeply to be uncovered by mortals (cf. chukim) and thus unreasonable to
: expect Chazal to have advanced scientific knowledge based on their prowess
: in limud Torah...

That's a stronger statement than the one I made.

I just said that the quotes "histaqeil beOraisa uvarei alma" et al speak
of what Hashem did, not what people are capable of. Therefore, it leaves
open the possibility that while nature was made to fit the Torah, people
can't necessarily see how.

I did not assert that's what the sources themselves say.

IOW, I just dismissed them as proofs; I didn't give any arguments one
way or the other about Chazal knowing science. I think the discussions
of the sun going behind the raqi'ah are sufficient for that. The fact
that Chazal still spoke that way, even after Ptolmey -- albeit not when
Ptolmeic theory was popular -- makes the point irrefutably.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "The worst thing that can happen to a
micha at aishdas.org        person is to remain asleep and untamed."
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