[Avodah] Moshiach Ben Yosef

[Zev Sero via Avodah]

On 03/06/2016 11:24 AM, Micha Berger wrote:
> Zev wrote:
> :> Bar Kochva was meant
> :> to be the one, and was derailed by sins (the Rambam is ambiguous about
> :> whose sins).  So the chazaka isn't just a description of the state of
> :> our knowledge, but also refers to the metzius.
>
> That's not what chazaqah means, though. A chazaqah is a kelal in birur,
> not an chalos in itself. Why would it suddenly mean something here.
>
> The notion that R' Aqiva not only relied on a chazaqah but also bisyata
> diShmaya happened to have been somewhat right -- BK was in the plans to be
> mashiach until a later decision undid him -- doesn't change the meaning
> of the word "chazaqah".

Usually chazakah is about a fixed metzius.   This woman is either an
eishes ish or not,  this piece of meat is either kosher or not, and
klapei shmaya galya, but we don't know so we rely on a chazakah.  In
the end we may find out that the chazaka was correct or that it was
incorrect, or we may never find out.  If it's nisbarer that it was
incorrect then we should examine whether perhaps we erred in applying
it, perhaps we missed some factor that should have distinguished it
from the usual case.

But this chazakah is about a moving target; a person may be intended
to be Moshiach, so that the chazakah about him is in fact correct, and
then things may change.  So when Bar Kochva failed it was not nisbarer
that the chazakah was incorrect.  Rather it was correct at the time and
later became incorrect.

I'm not sure of this distinction's significance, because in principle
you are still correct, but it is a distinction that must be considered.


-- 
Zev Sero               All around myself I will wave the green willow
zev at sero.name          The myrtle and the palm and the citron for a week
                And if anyone should ask me the reason why I'm doing that
                I'll say "It's a Jewish thing; if you have a few minutes
                I'll explain it to you".