[Avodah] rega = sha`a / 58888

[Simon Montagu]

On Tue, Aug 14, 2012 at 12:49 AM, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:

> I would also point out that all this speculation means little to most
> of us. This aggadita is definitely metaphor -- we're talking about how
> long HQBH gets angry. Neither anger nor time really apply. So, first
> explain the basic idea, what Chazal are trying to convey by saying He
> gets angry daily but for a very short time, and then we can discuss the
> meaning of the size of the unit being used for "very short". But I'm
> not past step 1 yet.
>
>
I'm coming from a slightly different direction: I'm interested in the
number not for quantification but for what you might call "literary
reasons" (the weasel words and scare quotes are in recognition that limudei
kodesh can't be fully understood by literary analysis alone, but IMHO, and
I realize some people will strongly reject this, techniques from literary
analysis can be valuable in limudei kodesh also).

The questions behind my question are things like where are Hazal coming
from when they chose this specific number and not some other number? What
connections with other inyanim does the number create? For example, what is
it saying if the number of rega'im in an hour is equal to the number of
verses in the Torah, as RMB brought from R. Isaiah Berlin? For me, trying
to answer these questions comes before what RMB categorizes as step 1 in
understanding the aggada.
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