[Avodah] earth stops spinning

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Fri, Sep 02, 2016 at 08:57:12AM -0700, saul newman via Avodah wrote:
: 1. hashemesh begivon dom. do we assume that means the earth didn't
: rotate then , or was it an optical effect?

The Radaq ad loc (Yeshohua 10:14) noted that in Yeshayah 38:8, the sun
goes backwards for Chizqiyahu, not "merely" stopped.

See AZ 25a, which seems to rule out optical effects.

    Machloqes version 1:

	R Yehoshua ben Levi says there was 24 hours of daylight. "Velo
	atz lavo kayom tamim". The sun moved for 6 hours, stopped for 6,
	moved for another 6 hours, stopped for 6, and so on.

	R' Elazar: 36 hours. Moved for 6 then stopped for 12, moved for
	6 and stopped for 12 -- so that the total time it stopped was
	"kayom tamim".

	R' Shmuel bar Nachmeini: 48 hours. Moved for 6. stopped for 12,
	moved for 5 stopped for 12 for. "Velo atz lavo", the second time
	was a yom tamim, unlike the first time.

    Machloqes, Tosefta's version:

	RYbL: 24 *additional* hours of sunlight, 36 altogether. Moving
	for 6, stop for 12, moving for 6, stopped for 12

	RE: 36 *additional* hours, 48 altogether. Moved for 6, stopped
	for 12, moved for 6, stopped for 25.

	RSbN: 48 *additional* hours, 60 altogether. Move 6, stop 24,
	move 6 stop for 24.

The Ralbag says it was a psychological effect. Hashem allowed such
a rapid victory that it felt liike the earth stopped. But then, the
Ralbag's notion of miracle is that it never defies nature. Within his
Aristotelian Physics, an intellect imparting impetus to an object to
make it move is within Physics. A miracle is when G-d's Intellect does
so at just the right time. There is no corresponding concept in
Physical theories since Newton.

The Maharal objects to the Ralbag (2nd intro Gevuros Hashem) and
says the sun did indeed stop, but only for those people in Giv'on --
shemesh beGiv'on dom. And then he goes on to explain how nissim cause an
inconsistent reality. Each person experiencing the version appropriate
for them. (Leshitaso, water didn't turn into blood when taken by a
Mitzri during makas dam; it was simultaneously water for Jews and blood
for Mitzriim.)

: 2. if the former, then is this science true?

What science? If the world suddenly stopped spinning, HQBH employed
a whole lot of action with no re-action. Once you have a miracle
the size of the angular momentum of the entire planet -- plus
whatever electromagnetic seconry effects among the molten iron
in the corse and the earth's magnetic field, addin to it Hashem
tampering with everything in the air as wll is only a minor
addition.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The trick is learning to be passionate in one's
micha at aishdas.org        ideals, but compassionate to one's peers.
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