[Avodah] Bug Checker Magnifying Lamp - Cool Light

[Zev Sero]

On 20/06/2012 3:32 PM, Prof. Levine wrote:
> I was under the impression that whatever "creatures" can be seen by
> someone with normal vision are of concern, and that if one cannot see
> them without magnification, then one need not be concerned about them.
>
> Have things changed? YL

No, nothing has changed, and *nobody* claims that bugs invisible to
the naked eye are a problem. The big problem in bedikas tola'im is
(and has always been) bugs that *are* visible to the naked eye, but that
are very hard to see. Without magnification one may either not notice
them, or mistake them for dirt, or just get eye strain and headaches.
Thus such devices, which make things easier. As the blurb you quoted
says, "Easily look at small objects without straining your eyes".
Not invisible objects but small visible ones.

The same applies to the use of magnifying glasses or jewelers' loupes
in checking tefillin and mezuzos. If a defect is not visible to the
naked eye it's kosher, but the magnifying glass helps find defects that
*are* visible. After one finds a defect with the glass, one looks at
it without the glass to see whether it's still visible, and if it isn't
then it doesn't need fixing.


On 20/06/2012 4:31 PM, Micha Berger wrote:
> (That said, my rav said the light box wasn't necessary. I'm just
> advocating the other tzad in an eilu va'eilu spirit.)

I don't think anyone says it's *necessary*; it just makes things easier.

-- 
Zev Sero
zev at sero.name