[Avodah] ukimtas

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Apr 01, 2020 at 03:21:26AM +0000, Rich, Joel via Avodah wrote:
> When Rishonim read ukimtas into the gemara (e.g. the gemara really was
> dealing with a specific case even though it didn't mention it) how often
> were they stating a tradition vs. using their own logic?

I'm going to cut-n-past RETurkel's post from 28-Feb-2017, "ukimtahs":

>> The question is when the Gemara offers these ukimtas does the Gemara really
>> think that this is what the Tanna meant?

> Rav Michal Avraham has a lengthy article (in Hebrew) justifying uktimtot.
> If anyone wants the article let me know (eliturkel at gmail.com)

> His basic argument is based on a physics analogy. Any standard physics book
> will present Newton's law of motion. However, in practice this law never
> holds, there is friction, gravity and a host of other complications. A
> physicist would answer an ukimta - when does Newton's law hold in a vacuum
> where the gravitational forces are negligible etc. One could then argue
> that is a very far fetched ukimta.

> The answer is that Newton's law is a basic physical law (ignoring Einstein
> for now). However, to apply it in practice one has to combine it with
> other physical laws like gravity, friction etc.

> The gemara is trying to do the same. The gemara is trying to set up some
> circumstance where no other laws affect the issue. This requires a far
> fetched ukimta to eliminate everything not pertinent. Of course in a
> practical case one would have to combine this basic law together with
> laws to see the total effect just as one does in physics/engineering

The rest of the thread is titled "Farfetched Ukimtas" and is available
at http://aishdas.org/avodah/getindex.cgi?section=F#FARFETCHED%20UKIMTAS
(You were a participant.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Today is the 11th day, which is
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   1 week and 4 days in/toward the omer.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Netzach sheb'Gevurah: What is imposing about
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                          strict justice?