[Avodah] The Shape of the Tavah

[Prof. Levine]

At 03:01 PM 10/11/2018, Micha Berger wrote:


>RSRH's teivah is his own reconstruction. He could be wrong too.
>
>Borne on the surface of the water means all the weight is above the water,
>including the center of gravity. As it bobs on the water, the fulcrum is
>where the bottom hits the water. When the center of gravity is above the
>fulcrum, balance is difficult. Just compare keeping a broom veticle when
>you hang the end of the handle between two fingers with the broom below
>with keeping it balanced standing on your palm. It would be another neis
>for Noach et al not to have capsized.


First of all,  the entire saving of Noach, his family, and the 
animals is a miracle.  It is not, IMO, something that would happen in 
the "natural" course of events.  Hence,  the ark could indeed have 
been shaped the way RSRH asserts and stayed afloat,  because HaShem 
kept it afloat.

Also,  we know that the nature of the world was different before the 
flood than it is today. IIRC, there are midrashim that say that there 
were no seasons as we have today and that vegetation grew at a much 
faster rate. In short, climatic conditions were very different before 
the flood than after it.

In light of this,  who says that the laws of physics before the flood 
were the same as they are today?  If they were different before the 
flood,  then your physics analysis does not hold water! >:-}  ( have 
no basis for asserting that the laws of physics  were different 
before the flood,  but it is possible in light of the different 
climatic conditions.)

YL
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