tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19994675001451673462024-03-13T14:42:53.661-04:00Analysis of the Post-chareidi Phenomenon Analysis of the opinions and views of the new post-chareidi phenomenon such as R. Slifkin's "rationalist" blogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-47709629338828654202019-03-05T13:46:00.000-05:002019-03-05T13:46:25.075-05:00Natan Slifkin sent a letter to Artscroll. Response to some points.<br />
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B”H</div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dear friends:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Finally –after a few weeks– Natan Slifkin
decided to write about <i>Chulin</i> 59a on the issue of the <i>shafan</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">He published in his
blogspot the letter he sent to Artscroll.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Following are some comments related to Natan
Slifkin’s letter. (Emphasis by bold letters added by me in the whole document).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I will try to ignore <i>ad hominem</i> attacks
and his psychoanalytical analysis of my personality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">…It is
disappointing to see that a certain note was added to the latest edition of the
Artscroll Talmud. (As you may recall, <b>16 years ago you hired me as
zoological consultant for Chullin.</b>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">16 years ago, was 2003. The year when Artscroll hired
you was 2003.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In 2005, about
30 Gedole Yisrael signed letters disqualifying your writings, so it’s understandable
that Artscroll hired you in 2003, two years before the letters were published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">2.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">…Dr. Betech
is single-minded in his religious obsession that the <i>shafan </i>must
not be the hyrax (because in order to contrive his <b>own</b> <b>particular</b>
forced explanation of how the Torah's four animals with one kosher sign are the
only such animals on the planet, he wants the <i>shafan </i>to be the
rabbit).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This is not
my own particular explanation, but a statement written in <i>Chullin</i> 59a and
followed by all the <i>Rishonim</i> I have found, as amply documented in “The
enigma of the Biblical <i>shafan</i>” book in chapter 8 entitled: “The
exhaustive list of one-signed animals”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And
amazingly, in a book that professes to be the definitive and comprehensive
study of this topic with "more than 1000 bibliographical Torah and
scientific sources," <b>he fails to cite the only dedicated work on this
topic that had ever been published - because it was written by me!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the main
collective letter signed by 23 Gedole Yisrael in 2005 they wrote that it is
forbidden to propagate NS’s teachings, therefore I decided not to quote that
book. Anyway we tried to address all the intellectual arguments presented by that
author, usually being arguments that historically preceded him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If someone
thinks that we didn’t address any specific argument made in NS’s book, please
point it out in the comments to this blogspot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But far
more problematic is the description of Betech as attempting to defend the
"<b>traditional</b>" view. The view that the <i>shafan </i>is
the rabbit is not the "traditional" view; it's the medieval European
view, because they didn't have hyraxes in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>.
<b>They broke from the original tradition of people from the Geonic era</b>,
who lived in the region of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
and were familiar with the hyrax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Regarding
the identification of the Biblical <i>shafan</i> from the Geonic era, I only
remember Rab <b>Saadia</b> Gaon who just wrote “<i>wabr</i>” without describing
that species; as we explained in the book we doubt that he meant the hyrax, and
even if he was referring to the hyrax, nevertheless <b>Ibn Ezra</b> in Bereshit
2:11 wrote that Rab Saadia Gaon didn’t have a <i>kabala</i> for the
identification of the Biblical animals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We also found
that <b>Ibn Janach</b> -who lived less than a century later than Rab Saadia
Gaon- translated <i>shafan</i> as <i>wabr</i> and <i>wabr</i> as <i>conilio </i>(rabbit),
so the hyrax can hardly be called a Geonic era tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">5.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You can ask
anyone in the field of Biblical natural history (such as Dr. Zohar Amar and Dr.
Moshe Raanan), and they will all tell you that it's <b>clear beyond any doubt</b>
that the <i>shafan </i>is the hyrax, and cannot possibly be the
rabbit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In science, appealing to authority is not acceptable (<i>ad
verecundiam </i>fallacy).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Furthermore,
as any scientist knows, in the field of natural history, experts do not write
grandiose statements like “clear beyond any doubt”. The latter is the reason
the title and subtitle of our book is “The enigma of the Biblical <i>shafan</i>.
Torah and scientific research <b>suggesting</b> a solution”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">6.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">…The reason is the very clear <i>passuk </i>in
Barchi Nafshi</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">הָרִים הַגְּבֹהִים
לַיְּעֵלִים סְלָעִים מַחְסֶה לַשְׁפַנִּים: תהילים קד:יח</span><span lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: David; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>"The
high hills are for the <i>ya'elim</i>, the rocks are a refuge for
the <i>shefanim</i>."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The <i>pasuk </i>tells
us <b>two things</b> about <i>shefanim</i>: that they <b>hide in rocks</b>,
and that they are associated with <i>ya'elim</i>…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Indeed the pasuk
tells us that <i>shefanim</i> hide in rocks, as rabbits do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Nevertheless,
I’m not sure that the pasuk tells us that the <i>shefanim</i> are associated in
the same habitat with <i>yaelim</i>, since an “<i>atnach</i>/<i>etnachta</i>”
separates between the two elements of this pasuk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For <b>textual
and pictorial evidence</b> that common rabbits hide in rocks, please see the <a href="http://www.tovnet.org/files/ShafanBook%20Betech%20Rabbit%20on%20rocky%20areas.pdf">linked </a>document (taken
from the forthcoming 2<sup>nd</sup> expanded edition of our <i>shafan</i> book).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; display: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-hide: all;">ShafanBook
Betech Rabbit on rocky areas.pdf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">7.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Instead, he
claims, David HaMelech was speaking about the rabbit of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> - an animal that <b>never lived anywhere
near the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Land</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Israel</st1:placename></st1:place></b> and was thus completely
unfamiliar to David HaMelech and to his audience, and which moreover does not
hide under rocks but rather in burrows! It's simply ludicrous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In chapter
5 (b) of our book we wrote nine ways of refuting these arguments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">8.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(The hyrax also matches the description in Shemini of
an animal that brings up food via its throat, which it does in small
quantities, as I have observed and </span><span lang="ES-MX" style="color: black;"><a href="https://youtu.be/RQVTBX-Q7IE" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #8c0b4c; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">filmed</span></a></span><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> on several occasions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With the last statement, Natan Slifkin reminded me
what he himself published on </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">17<sup>th</sup>
March <st1:metricconverter productid="13 in" w:st="on">13 <b><span style="color: black;">in</span></b></st1:metricconverter><b><span style="color: black;"> his website:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My video of my own
hyrax engaged in what appeared to me to be merycism has been dismissed by some
zoologists as showing a form of threat gesture instead.</span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And NS added in response to a question in the comments
of the same blogspot the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sure. I'm not committed to the hyrax engaging in merycism</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">.<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></blockquote>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Nevertheless,
I will very much enjoy if Natan Slifkin is able to present even one source from
the professional scientific literature stating that the hyrax practices any
kind of redigestion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Otherwise,
even the <b>Biblical primary criteria</b> of being <i>maale gerah</i> would not
be met by the hyrax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">9.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And
contrary to Betech's claim, the <i>shafan </i>is no more of a <b><i>sheretz</i></b><i> </i>than
is a rabbit - in fact, it is much <b>larger</b>, and more of a leaper.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS does not
present any source from the classic Jewish literature that mentions the size of
the animal as a requirement to be classified as a <i>sheretz</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As
explained in the <a href="http://www.tovnet.org/files/ShafanHyraxEnglish%205779.pdf">linked</a> document, the hyrax is a <i>sheretz</i> because it is a short-legged creature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">10.1 NS wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I
understand that you were probably placed under a lot of </span><b><span lang="ES-MX" style="color: black;"><a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.com/2019/01/important-updates-on-torah-and-science.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #8c0b4c; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">pressure</span></a></span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> - <st1:personname w:st="on">Isaac
Betech</st1:personname> is experienced at <b>manipulating</b> Gedolei Torah to
write letters in support of his agenda, which he uses to bully people into
kowtowing to his demands. Indeed, a few years ago he launched a massive campaign
to prevent Rabbi Lord Jonathan <b>Sacks</b> from coming to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region></st1:place>. However, he was ultimately
unsuccessful, which shows that it is possible to stand up to that kind of
pressure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">IB:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Indeed
people who are interested in searching for the truth find it difficult to
withstand the <i>intellectual</i> pressure that emanates from the sources
presented and carefully studied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Regarding
Dr. Jonathan Sacks, here is not the place to detail who invited him, and why
they invited him, nevertheless Dr. Jonathan Sacks was not ready to intellectually
defend his ideological statements which oppose Judaism, similar to NS who
refused 12 times when </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">challenged </span><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">some years ago (documented <a href="http://www.tovnet.org/files/Public%20Clarification%20Betech%20to%20Slifkin%2020%20Oct10.pdf">here</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Finally</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">, any respectful question or comment signed with the real full name is
welcomed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="ES-MX">Dr. Yizchak Betech</span></div>
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<br /></div>
Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-803773008332064972019-01-24T11:59:00.000-05:002019-01-30T12:41:12.599-05:00Important updates on Torah and science regarding the Shafan (Chulin 59a)<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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B"H<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear friends:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tomorrow <i>Chulin </i>59a
will be studied on Daf Yomi.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On that page the <i>shafan </i>is
mentioned, so we decided to post some news on this famous issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:metricconverter productid="1. A" w:st="on">1. A</st1:metricconverter>
few years ago we published the 1st edition of the book (292
pages):<o:p></o:p></div>
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"<b>The Enigma of the
Biblical <i>Shafan</i></b>" Torah and scientific research
suggesting a solution.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(The book includes appendices on the
Talmudic science-related statements about the fish's scales/fins and the
reproductive biology of lice).<o:p></o:p></div>
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After all the new information found
in the last years -which also includes new scientific information supporting
our conclusions B"H- the book now has more than 1000 bibliographical Torah
and scientific sources, more than 100 color illustrations and four indexes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now the 2nd expanded and completely
revised edition (388 pages) is almost ready for printing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. The following is the English <b>abstract</b>
of the book (also available on request in Hebrew):<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Torah included the <i>shafan</i> and the <i>arnebet</i> among the
four non-kosher animals with only one kosher sign.
Throughout the centuries, the usual translations of these terms were,
respectively, rabbit and hare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;">
Indeed, current science
shows that all the characteristics Jewish classic literature attributes to
these animals do occur in the rabbit<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/Shafan%20Hyrax%20updates%205779.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> and the hare.<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/Shafan%20Hyrax%20updates%205779.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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This publication will
make the case that the Torah/Talmudic definition of <i>“maaleh gerah”</i>
includes a qualified form of cecotrophy practiced by the rabbit and hare.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
following essay <i>B”H</i> refutes different options (like the hyrax, the
llama, the pika and the mouse-deer) suggested and published
by some as the identity of the <i>shafan</i>. And additionally, it answers in a
systematic approach, the published challenges to our conclusions regarding the
identity of the<i> shafan</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After extensive research,
as presented in a comprehensive chapter (which analyzes the kangaroo and the
capybara among other animals), we did not find any additional “<i>min</i>”
(Torah-type creature) with only one kosher sign besides the four mentioned in
the Torah, and we can recognize with admiration, today as always, that only the
Master of the World could state this accurate information thousands of years
ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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3. A summarized edition of
"The Enigma of the Biblical <i>Shafan</i>" in <b>Hebrew </b>(162
pages) is ready for printing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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4. Important modifications were
made in Nov. 2018 ed. regarding the main translation for the
Biblical <i>Shafan </i>as the rabbit in the <b>Artscroll </b><i>Gemara</i> Schottenstein
English Edition Talmud Bavli on <i>Chulin</i> 59a and also in the Hebrew Edition<span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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5. Rab Amitai Ben David
shlit"a in his new 14th edition of the <b><i>Sichat Chulin</i></b> added
important information which supports the translation of the <i>Shafan </i>as
the rabbit. His new approach is widely explained in the approbation letter he
gave to our book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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6. One of the chapters of the
book explained six <b>points of why the hyrax cannot be the Biblical <i>Shafan. </i></b>Lately
we obtained the original translation of <i>shafan </i>as rabbit
even in <b>Ibn Janach</b> and <b>Rambam; </b>therefore now
a two-page article summarizing <b>eight points</b> is available <a href="http://www.tovnet.org/files/ShafanHyraxEnglish%205779.pdf">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also available in Hebrew <a href="http://www.tovnet.org/files/ShafanHyraxHebrew%205779.pdf">here</a>. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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7. The book "The Enigma of the
Biblical <i>Shafan</i>" merited <b>approbation letters </b>written
by many Gdole Yisrael, other Rabanim who are experts in these
subjects and a scientist who specialized in rabbit biology.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
New letters were added throughout
the last years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A document compiling all of them is
available <a href="http://www.tovnet.org/files/ShafanBookHaskamot5779.pdf">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="NL">Dr.
Yitzchak Betech </span><span class="eudoraheader"><span lang="NL"><isaacb@tovnet.com></span></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/Shafan%20Hyrax%20updates%205779.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">For example, the common rabbit, taxonomically classified as <i>Oryctolagus</i>
spp. or the <i>Pronolagus</i> spp.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/Shafan%20Hyrax%20updates%205779.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">For example, the cape hare taxonomically classified as <i>Lepus capensis</i>
or the brown hare (<i>Lepus europaeus</i>).</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-24002269700441789302017-01-15T17:49:00.000-05:002017-01-15T17:55:59.957-05:00Design of minimal genome refutes chemical evolution<br />
Clyde A. Hutchison III, et. al.<br />
<i>Design and synthesis of a minimal bacterial genome</i>,<br />
<i>Science</i>, 25 Mar 2016:<br />
Vol. 351, Issue 6280,<br />
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad6253<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
CONCLUSION<br />
The minimal cell concept appears simple at first glance but becomes more complex upon close inspection. In addition to essential and nonessential genes, there are many quasi-essential genes, which are not absolutely critical for viability but are nevertheless required for robust growth. Consequently, during the process of genome minimization, there is a trade-off between genome size and growth rate. JCVI-syn3.0 is a working approximation of a minimal cellular genome, a compromise between small genome size and a workable growth rate for an experimental organism. It retains almost all the genes that are involved in the synthesis and processing of macromolecules. Unexpectedly, it also contains 149 genes with unknown biological functions, suggesting the presence of undiscovered functions that are essential for life. JCVI-syn3.0 is a versatile platform for investigating the core functions of life and for exploring whole-genome design.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x9koKRwOqJs/WHv5QZ9q-sI/AAAAAAAAALY/UvZpjFv8O00aHXp5QT5XBTPB3lJ8rE4RgCLcB/s1600/F1.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x9koKRwOqJs/WHv5QZ9q-sI/AAAAAAAAALY/UvZpjFv8O00aHXp5QT5XBTPB3lJ8rE4RgCLcB/s320/F1.large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Four design-build-test cycles produced JCVI-syn3.0.</i></div>
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(A) The cycle for genome design, building by means of synthesis and cloning in yeast, and testing for viability by means of genome transplantation. After each cycle, gene essentiality is reevaluated by global transposon mutagenesis. (B) Comparison of JCVI-syn1.0 (outer blue circle) with JCVI-syn3.0 (inner red circle), showing the division of each into eight segments. The red bars inside the outer circle indicate regions that are retained in JCVI-syn3.0. (C) A cluster of JCVI-syn3.0 cells, showing spherical structures of varying sizes (scale bar, 200 nm).</div>
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Notice the use of Design in the Science article.<b> </b>The following is from [1].<br />
<br />
<b>The Simplest Living Organism Ever Has 437 Genes</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
You need at least 500,000 perfectly organized base pairs in order to have a living cell [2].<br />
<br />
Excerpt: "If synthetic biology has a rockstar, it’s Craig Venter, and he’s back with a new hit. Venter and his team say they’ve created one of the simplest organisms theoretically possible using a combination of genetic engineering techniques, in-lab DNA-synthesis, and trial-and-error.<br />
<br />
The work, published Thursday in <i>Science</i>, describes a self-replicating bacterium invented by Venter and his team that contains just 437 genes, a “genome smaller than that of any autonomously replicating cell found in nature,” according to the paper. The work sheds light on the function of the individual genes necessary to have life, and it also shows us just how little we actually know about specific gene functions."<br />
<br />
My comment: The number of base pairs in a gene varies a lot. You need about 1,000 base pairs for having a 'simple' protein coding gene. But in some genes there are even 100,000 base pair in ONE gene. And you need at least hundreds of genes for creating a living cell. This means that in order to have a living cell you need at least 500,000 base pairs that need to be perfectly organized in their places. But genes by themselves are not able to form a living cell. You need much much more. Craig Venter's team tried to <b>design</b> a synthetic living cell by using complex computer software alone, but their every effort failed. The only way for creating a minimal living cell was to knock down genes one by one in a living organism, with trial-and error, and find the final working combination of genes by which the cell was able to live and reproduce.<br />
<br />
<b>The message of this experiment is crystal clear: Random undirected processes are not able to create life.</b> Life arises only from LIFE itself. Life is much more than a cocktail of chemical elements. The simplest living cell seems to be a super complex organism and it doesn't start to live without perfect design. Abiogenesis is a false theory.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrVPjJ1OaHA/WHv8Lg3dZUI/AAAAAAAAALs/_zKpHqSI8HYqKtsc8bmfBFa1ea8hsi-FQCLcB/s1600/PD-Beatiful-DNA-RNA-1024px-How_proteins_are_made_NSF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrVPjJ1OaHA/WHv8Lg3dZUI/AAAAAAAAALs/_zKpHqSI8HYqKtsc8bmfBFa1ea8hsi-FQCLcB/s320/PD-Beatiful-DNA-RNA-1024px-How_proteins_are_made_NSF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(1) <a href="http://sciencerefutesevolution.blogspot.ca/2017/01/the-simplest-living-organism-ever-has.html">http://sciencerefutesevolution.blogspot.ca/2017/01/the-simplest-living-organism-ever-has.html</a><br />
<br />
(2)<a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/craig-venter-created-the-simplest-living-organism-possible-in-a-laboratory"> http://motherboard.vice.com/read/craig-venter-created-the-simplest-living-organism-possible-in-a-laboratory</a><br />
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</style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-9392442914044658602016-08-05T06:57:00.001-04:002016-08-05T08:06:41.724-04:00Dinosaurs, Scientism and Propaganda<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">R. Slifkin has dinosaurs on his mind again (<a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2016/07/strengthening-emunah-via-denying.html">see </a></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2016/07/strengthening-emunah-via-denying.html">Strengthening Emunah: Via Denying Dinosaur Eras, etc</a>.<span style="background-color: white;">, July 31, 2106). He writes:</span></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unlike the Discovery seminar, however, <i>Emunah: A Refresher Course</i> also included extensive pseudo-scientific material attempting to prove that there was no era of dinosaurs; the universe is only 5776 years old, and <i>dinosaurs</i> lived just a few thousand years ago, concurrently with contemporary species. Likewise, there was extensive presentation of kashyas on evolution, arguing that it is false and nonsense. This material all appeared to be from computer scientist Jonathan Ostroff, well known to long-time readers of this blog as a Young Earth Creationist with bizarre debating tactics and even more bizarre beliefs. Rabbi Saperman [<i>sic.</i>] apparently rates Ostroff as some kind of scientific expert and unhesitatingly accepts all his material. He appears to believe that convincing people that modern science is all wrong will strengthen people's emunah.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">R Slifkin calls the beliefs of his opponents "bizarre" and the like. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For other egregious accusations see "</span><a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2011/01/r-slifkin-and-mental-illness.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Slifkin and Mental Illness</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> "(e.g. calling his opponents an "idiot", "dishonest", "scurrilous", and the like). </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What is he trying to achieve? Surely he does not mean to demonize his opponents, rather than answering their questions. That would smack of Arlinsky style tactics used by the atheistic left, which he surely does not intend?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Also, notice that I actually quote R. Slifkin -- rather than attributing to him what he does not say. Whereas, R. Slifkin does not quote what R. Sapirman actually says. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let's start with his comment on dinosaurs. Dinosaurs of the kind you find on the front of R. Slifkin's book are supposed to be tens of millions of years old. R. Sapirman's book refers to researcher Mary Schweitzer's discoveries [who is, interestingly, an evangelical]. Here is how her discovery was reported by the pro-evolution camp [<i>Discover Magazine</i>, April 2006]:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever since Mary Higby Schweitzer peeked inside the fractured thighbone of a <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i>, the introverted scientist's life hasn't been the same. Neither has the field of paleontology. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two years ago, Schweitzer gazed through a microscope in her laboratory at North Carolina State University and saw lifelike tissue that had no business inhabiting a fossilized dinosaur skeleton: fibrous matrix, stretchy like a wet scab on human skin; <i>what appeared to be supple bone cells, their three-dimensional shapes intact; and translucent blood vessels</i> that looked as if they could have come straight from an ostrich at the zoo. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By all the rules of paleontology, such traces of life should have long since drained from the bones. <i>It's a matter of faith among scientists that soft tissue can survive at most for a few tens of thousands of years, not the 65 million </i>since T. rex walked what's now the Hell Creek Formation in Montana.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I got goose bumps,” recalls Schweitzer. “It was exactly like looking at a slice of modern bone. But, of course, I couldn’t believe it. I said to the lab technician: ‘The bones, after all, are 65 million years old. How could blood cells survive that long?’ ” A “good <i>kashya</i>,” but it drives Schweitzer crazy when creationists suggest that this may be evidence for a recent creation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, why can R. Slifkin not report the <i>kashya</i> accurately? Good questions make for good science, after all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">(1) This problem for the theory of evolution was discussed by R. Coffer in more detail over </span><a href="http://www.toriah.org/articles/coffer-2008-DefendingTheMessorah.pdf" style="line-height: 21.56px;">here</a><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"> (2008), with more detail from the literature such as the <i>Smithsonian and Nature. </i>R. Slifkin is welcome to re-engage in the debate with R. Coffer. The evidence today of soft tissue and blood cells in supposedly ancient dinosaurs is now even more established than it was in 2006. By the way, what experiment can R. Slifkin quote that demonstrates that the <i>T. rex</i> on the cover of his book is, say, 65 million years old. Even a proof that that his dinosaur is at least 6.5 millions years old or even at least 0.65 million years old would also be acceptable. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">(2) Now what about the R. Slifkin's warm embrace of Darwin's theory. How about the eye of the dinosaur on R. Slifkin's front page. How did that come about? What experimental evidence can R. Slifkin cite that demonstrates that random and natural processes can show how we get from a an organism without and eye to one with an eye. What we seek is <i>a detailed Darwinian pathway</i>, not hand-waving speculation. For an example of something that might at least be a first step, consider the material in David Berlinski's article <i>A Scientific Scandal</i> (<i>Commentary</i>, 2003). </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">Just such a demonstration, I noted in my essay, is what the biologists Dan-Erik Nilsson and Susanne Pelger seemed to provide in a 1994 paper. Given nothing more than time and chance, a "light sensitive patch," they affirmed, can "gradually turn into a focused-lens eye," and in the space of only a few hundred thousand years-a mere moment, as such things go. </span></span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="color: #222222;">Nilsson and Pelger's paper has, for understandable reasons, been widely circulated and widely praised, and in the literature of evolutionary biology it is now regularly cited as definitive. Not the least of its remarkable authority is derived from the belief that it contains, in the words of one of its defenders, a "computer simulation of the eye's evolution."</span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="color: #222222;">If this were true, it would provide an extremely important defense of Darwin's theory. Although a computer simulation is not by itself conclusive-a simulation is one thing, reality another-it is often an important link in an inferential chain. In the case of Darwin's theory, the matter is especially pressing since in the nature of things the theory cannot be confirmed over geological time by any experimental procedure, and it has proved very difficult to confirm under laboratory conditions. </span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="color: #222222;">The claim that the eye's evolution has been successfully simulated by means of Darwinian principles, with results falling well within time scales required by the theory, is thus a matter of exceptional scientific importance. And not just scientific importance, I might add; so dramatic a confirmation of Darwinian theory carries large implications for our understanding of the human species and its origins. This is no doubt why the story of Nilsson and Pelger's computer simulation has spread throughout the world. Their study has been cited in essays, textbooks, and popular treatments of Darwinism like <i>River Out of Eden</i> by the famous Oxford evolutionist Richard Dawkins; accounts of it have made their way onto the Internet in several languages; it has been promoted to the status of a certainty and reported as fact in the press, where it is inevitably used to champion and vindicate Darwin's theory of evolution. </span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In my essay, I suggested that Nilsson and Pelger's arguments are trivial and their conclusions unsubstantiated. I also claimed that representations of their paper by the scientific community have involved a serious, indeed a flagrant, distortion of their work</i>. But in a letter published in the March issue of COMMENTARY, the physicist Matt Young, whom I singled out for criticism (and whose words I have quoted here), repeated and defended his characterization of Nilsson and Pelger's work as a "computer simulation of the eye's evolution." It is therefore necessary to set the matter straight in some detail. <i>I hope this exercise will help to reveal, with a certain uncomfortable clarity, just how scientific orthodoxy works, and how it imposes its opinions on the faithful</i>.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">In the end it turned out that there was no actual computer model in Nilsson and Pelger's paper. Dan-Erik Nilsson denied having based his work on any computer simulations. Nilsson and Pelger never state that their task was to "set up computer models of evolving eyes" for any reason whatsoever. What they report is a rather trivial result (with some errors) that is irrelevant to demonstrating how the eye evolved by random mutation and natural selection. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">So the famous Oxford evolutionists Richard Dawkins (the one who argues for the evolution of the eye in the </span><i style="line-height: 21.56px;">Blind Watchmaker</i><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">) got it all wrong. Berlinki's article makes for enjoyable reading. Please see the full exchange for the details. It gives an idea of what a detailed Darwinian pathway would have to look like: a sequential sequence of step-by-random-steps with an estimate of likely probability over the proposed time frame. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">Talking about the blind watchmaker, supposedly "bad designs" are the hall-mark of evolution. R. Slifkin [</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><i>Challenge</i> p. 303-304</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">] mentions the "poorly designed" Panda's </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">thumb makes sense in light of Darwinian evolution as it is too inefficient a limb to be the work of a wise Creator (see <a href="http://www.toriah.org/misc/RNS/topics/Challenge-303-Panda.htm">here</a>). But as it turns out: </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">The way in which the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, uses the radial sesamoid bone — its ‘pseudo-thumb’ — for grasping <i>makes it one of the most extraordinary manipulation systems in mammalian evolution</i>. ...</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"> The radial sesamoid bone and the accessory carpal bone form a double pincer-like apparatus in the medial and lateral sides of the hand, respectively, enabling the panda to manipulate objects with great dexterity.</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;">[Endo, H., Yamagiwa, D., Hayashi, Y. H., Koie, H., Yamaya, Y., and Kimura, J. 1999. Nature 397: 309-310. Emphasis added]</span></span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(3) Thus, can R. Slifkin provide a detailed Darwinian pathway for Panda's thumb, free of hand-waving speculation. R. Slifkin also thinks that evolution can easily turn a land-based animal like the precursor of a cow into a whale. Well that is quite as tale (see <a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2015/07/whale-evolution-and-skepticism.html">Whale Evolution and Skepticism</a>). What does it take, in an engineering sense, to transform a car into a submarine? Quite a bit. I am an Electrical Engineer by training, so I think I am allowed to say: quite a bit of intelligence. Here are some points made by David Berlinksi:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The suggestion that Darwin’s theory of evolution is like theories in the serious sciences —quantum electrodynamics, say—is grotesque. Quantum electrodynamics is accurate to thirteen unyielding decimal places. Darwin’s theory makes no tight quantitative predictions at all. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The astonishing and irreducible complexity of various cellular structures has not yet successfully been described, let alone explained. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A great many species enter the fossil record trailing no obvious ancestors and depart for Valhalla leaving no obvious descendants. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tens of thousands of fruit flies have come and gone in laboratory experiments, and every last one of them has remained a fruit fly to the end, all efforts to see the miracle of speciation unavailing.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let's end with one of Rabbi Sapirman's quotes by Richard Leowntin, at the time Professor of Zoology and Professor of Biology at Harvard University:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that <i>we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive,</i> no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, <i>for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.</i>... (Richard Lewontin, "The Demon-Haunted World," The New York Review of Books, January 9, 1997, p. 28., emphases added)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So what we have is evolutionary propaganda, not solid science. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, has Rabbi Sapirman relied on Jonathan Ostroff or on the opinions of the relevant scientists, while reserving the right to adjudicate their findings? Or, is it rather R. Slifkin who relies on the undeserved <i>authority</i> of the evolutionist, rather than his own independent assessment of the data, once qualified scientists have done the experiments?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We addressed three questions to R. Slifkin, all asking for experiments demonstrating detailed Darwinian pathways. In the past, he has always avoided answering this question, preferring to push it away with irrelevant objections. So let's face the question head on. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If there are is no evidence for detailed Darwinian pathways -- then there also is no experimental evidence for Darwin (a fact that Darwin himself recognized). This might even suggest that R. Slifkin might reject the useless theories mentioned in his books.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-40180283987402734912015-12-08T14:28:00.000-05:002015-12-08T14:28:15.226-05:00"Practically Speaking, Torah Does NOT Protect": Apikorsus Defined<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This post is a continuation of the
preceding one entitled <a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2015/12/practically-speaking-torah-protects.html" target="_blank">Practically Speaking, Torah Protects</a>. In the previous
post we demonstrated that – as opposed to Rabbi Slifkin’s assertion that practically speaking Torah does no provide protection </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">– Chazal were clearly of the opinion that the merit of <i>limud haTorah </i>results in very real and practical results such as
physical protection from harm. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In this post we will discuss several <i>ma’amarei</i>
<i>Chazal</i> that describe both the spiritual and physical harm engendered by adopting
the attitude that “<a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2015/11/practically-speaking-torah-does-not.html" target="_blank">practically speaking Torah does not protect</a>”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Gemara (Yerushalmi
Chagiga 1:7) relates,</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">R’ Shimon bar Yochai taught: If
you encounter cities in Eretz Yisrael that have been uprooted, it is because
the inhabitants did not support teachers of Torah, as indicated in Yermiah
(9:11) “Why did the land go lost…And Hashem responds, because they have
abandoned my Torah”.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Rabbi Yuden, the exilarch,
dispatched R’ Chiya, R’ Asi and R’ Ami to travel throughout all of the cities
of Eretz Yisrael and establish teachers of Torah. One time they arrived at a
city and discovered that it possessed no teachers of Torah. They asked them
[the city leaders]:</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">“Where are the guardians of the
city?” </span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">They [the city leaders] brought
them the centurions [soldiers guarding the city]. </span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">“These are not the guardians of
the city!” exclaimed the rabbis. “These are the destroyers of the city!”</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">“So who are the guardians of the
city?” asked the city leaders.</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">“The teachers of Torah,” answered
the rabbis. “As it is written (Tehilim 127:1): If Hashem will not build the
house, its builders have toiled in vain; if Hashem will not guard the city, its
watcher keeps his vigil in vain.” </span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Before we proceed, I cannot
resist mentioning that this Gemara is yet another example which proves that
Rabbi Slifkin’s fundamental thesis ("Practically Speaking, Torah Does NOT
Protect") is</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">kineged</i><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">(contra) Chazal. But this is not the
point we are attempting to bring out here. Our current point is this:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">To state that the primary
protection for a city is Torah and not soldiers is a concept that can
reasonably be understood. But why did the rabbis state that the centurions were
the “destroyers” of the city?</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">My rebbi answered as follows. The
issue here is the attitude. It’s the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>attitude</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that the centurions are the protectors
which is destructive. The soldiers possessed this attitude and so did the
inhabitants of the city. The rabbis were remonstrating with the people. They
were telling them that such an attitude is materialistic in nature and causes
one to lose sight of reality – the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>spiritual</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>reality. And once one loses sight of
the spiritual reality, one risks the possibility of physical destruction.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This type of attitude is
discussed at length by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Chazal</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in tractate Sanhedrin (90b). After the
Mishna states that every Jew has a portion in the world to come, it lists
several exceptions to this rule. One of them is an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>apikorus</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(an heretic). On<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>daf</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>99b, the Gemara discusses this
classification.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">'What is an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>apikorus</i>?' asks the Gemara.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Rav Yoseph says, for example,
those who claim, ‘Of what benefit are the rabbis to us? Their study of Torah is
for their own benefit. Their study of Mishna is for their own benefit.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">From here it is clear that Chazal
considered one who believes that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>limud
ha’Torah</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>does not afford
benefit to others is an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>apikorus</i>,
G-d forbid! But let’s continue studying…</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Abaye responds to Rav Yoseph that
such a claim ("Of what benefit are the rabbis to us") is even worse
than a<i>pikorsus</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(heresy)
and falls under the category of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>mi’galeh
panim ba’torah,</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>which means
“acting brazenly against the Torah.” Rashi (ad loc.) explains that this
category is worse than<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>apikorsus</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>because it involves willful impudence
against the Torah. Abaye then goes on to support his claim by quoting the
famous verse in Yermiah (33:25): <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"If it were not for my covenant
day and night, then the laws of nature (lit. heaven and earth) I would not have
established." </span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The term “covenant” in this verse
is understood by Abaye to refer to the Torah, and so there is an open verse
that the study of Torah not only provides physical protection but is actually
responsible for the ongoing existence of the entire universe!</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok supports
Abaye’s position from another verse (Bereishis 18:26): <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Then I will spare the entire
place for their sake."</span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Once again, this demonstrates
that the study of Torah by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Torah
scholars</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>does not only
provide personal protection; it even provides local protection and sometimes
(as per Abaye’s position) even global protection.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Notwithstanding any <i>kushyos</i> or
objections Rabbi Slifkin may have, it is abundantly clear from countless <i>ma’amarei</i> Chazal
that <i>limud haTorah</i> produces physical benefits in a very
practical way, and nothing he says or asks can change this fact. Furthermore, we
have demonstrated from several<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>ma’amarei</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Chazal that Rabbi Slifkin’s attitude
that “<a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2015/11/practically-speaking-torah-does-not.html" target="_blank">Practically Speaking, Torah Does NOT Protect</a>” is not only contra-Chazal
but is even categorized by them as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>apikorsus</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>mi’galeh
panim ba’torah r”l</i>! In this writer's humble opinion, Rabbi Slifkin
would do well to cease his strident and ongoing assault against the Torah and
its students. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I would like to end with the
famous<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>ma’amar</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Chazal quoted all over in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Shas</i>.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i>Talmeeday chachamim marbim shalom
ba’olam</i>. </span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Those who study the Torah increase peace in the world! The Gemara
in Brachos (64a) lists five<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>pesukim</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to support the idea that Torah brings
peace to the world, and includes things that are merely related to Torah such
as “places of Torah” and even "those who love Torah". Rabbi Slifkin
believes that Torah does not provide any practical protection. As we have seen,
his attitude is diametrically opposed to that of Chazal’s. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">To our
readers: If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave a
note in the comments section and I will do my best to respond. If I have made
any errors in the <i>ma’amarei</i> Chazal I quoted, I would greatly appreciate
being notified.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-46067082005647823062015-12-02T23:30:00.001-05:002015-12-08T14:27:00.309-05:00Practically Speaking, Torah Protects<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">Rabbi
Slifkin's personal disapproval of the Chareidi attitude to the IDF is well-known
to his readers and has been extensively documented over the past two years in
his numerous posts on this topic. A central subject in his writings is the
Charedi claim that <i>limud HaTorah</i> provides protection, a claim which he
seems particularly bent on refuting. As we’ve mentioned in the previous post on
this topic entitled </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2014/07/bitachon-and-idf.html">Bitachon
and the IDF</a></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">, for
the most part we have ignored his writings due to the fact that his</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span lang="EN-US">posts</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">
have long ago ceased being academic in nature. Unfortunately, his latest post on this
topic – <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2015/11/practically-speaking-torah-does-not.html">Practically
Speaking, Torah Does NOT Protect</a> – is exceptionally egregious in its <i>siluf</i>
(distortion) of Chazal’s idea. <i>Something</i> should be said to address the
issue. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">Rabbi
Slifkin asserts:</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">There is no
unequivocal claim in the Gemara that someone learning Torah receives protection
from being killed by a terrorist… <span style="color: #222222;">It's just as well
that the Gemara does not make any such claim, because such a claim is quite
clearly <i>not true</i>.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">The only
thing “quite clearly not true” is his assertion. Ironically, his post appeared
on November 16, the very day that the world was learning Sotah <i>daf </i>21 in Daf
Yomi. The Gemara compares the learning of Torah to light. Just as light
protects the world, so too does the learning of Torah. In fact, the Gemara specifically
goes on to provide a <i>mashal</i> of how the Torah protects an individual from
<i>listim</i>, robbers (read: terrorists)! This <i>ma’amar</i> Chazal alone serves to defeat
Rabbi Slifkin’s thesis. Nevertheless, let’s spend some time analyzing some of the more salient points
in his post. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">Rabbi
Slifkin asks, rhetorically:</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">"Torah
scholars do not need protection"? We saw the terrible tragedy of the Torah
scholars who were massacred in Har Nof… "Someone on their way to do a
mitzvah (shaliach mitzvah) cannot be harmed"? Some of the stabbing victims
of the last few weeks were on their way to daven or to give shiurim. "When
you're learning Torah, you can't be harmed"? We saw otherwise in the
tragedy a few years ago at Mercaz HaRav.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">Let’s conduct
an experiment. Let’s repeat Rabbi Slifkin’s argument, but instead of Torah,
let’s substitute, <i>li’havdil</i>, the IDF, with the objective of demonstrating
that “Practically Speaking, the IDF Does NOT Protect.” Here’s the way the
argument would read. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">It's just
as well that the State of Israel does not make the claim that the IDF provides
protection for the people of Israel, because such a claim is quite clearly not
true. ‘The people of Israel are protected by the IDF'? We saw the terrible
tragedy in Har Nof. 'People in Israel who are travelling on the road are
protected by the IDF from Arab terrorists'? What about the stabbing victims of the last
few weeks. 'If you live in Israel, you are protected by the IDF'? What about
the tragedy a few years ago at Mercaz HaRav?</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">The
argument is clearly absurd. Reasonable people do not consider the cited cases
as evidence that the IDF does not provide practical protection for the people
of Israel. True, sometimes terrorists
slip through despite their efforts. But does this render the assertion that the
IDF protects Israeli citizens "not unequivocal," or only true "<span style="color: #222222;">in some abstract or hyper-qualified sense, but clearly
not true in any practical sense today</span>"? Does it lead to "<span style="color: #222222;">the bottom line that there is no <i>practical </i>truth
or ramifications" for the assertion that the IDF protects Israeli
citizens? Obviously not.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">And just as
obviously, when Chazal say that Torah protects, they naturally do not mean that
Torah is a 100% barrier against any harm. Only a fool (or a person with an
agenda) understands Chazal that way. Chazal, who were painfully aware of the
death of almost every <i>talmid chacham</i> in Eretz Yisroel by the Romans in the
war of Beitar, <i>knew</i> that Torah does not provide protection unconditionally.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Anyone with
even a modicum of theological sophistication understands that it is not the
Torah itself which provides protection but rather Hashem who provides
protection in the <i>merit</i> of the Torah. Obviously there may be additional
conditions and considerations that come into play. Any rational claim that
"x protects against something" is not meant to guarantee that “x” is
the only factor in determining the outcome. The only logical way to understand
Chazal is that Torah does indeed provide protection but sometimes Hashem
decides that there are overriding considerations which necessitate an
ostensibly harmful result that would normally be shielded against by the merit
of the Torah. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">Rabbi
Slifkin writes:</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">Now, many
people, even in the charedi world, realize this, at least to some degree.
That's why, since the stabbings began, many charedim have been learning
self-defense, buying pepper spray, and requesting increased army protection.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But the
reason they do this is not because they "realize to some degree" that
Torah learning is irrelevant in providing protection. It's the simple matter of
combining </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">emunah</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bitachon</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> with </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hishtadlus</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. To my mind,
everyone in Israel should learn self-defence. When Shaul fell in battle, Dovid
eulogized him. The first thing he mentioned is that we need to teach our boys
self-defense! Dovid is the paragon of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">emunah</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bitachon</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in
Hashem yet he understood the importance of physical </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hishtadlus</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bitachon</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
is not a </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">stira</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> to </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hishtadlus</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (as anyone with a basic
understanding of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hashkafa</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> understands). Please see </span><a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2014/07/bitachon-and-idf.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
post for further elucidation.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This concludes our response to Rabbi Slifkin's assertion that "There is no unequivocal claim in the Gemara that someone learning Torah receives protection from being killed by a terrorist". As we have seen from a number of quoted <i>ma'amarei Chazal</i>, his claim is patently false.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the following post we will deal with the spiritual ramifications of maintaining the view that "practically speaking, Torah does not provide any physical protection" <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-69413442856685236912015-07-31T13:05:00.000-04:002015-07-31T13:05:30.667-04:00Confronting Dinosaurs - Part 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This post is a
continuation of the previous one entitled <a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2015/07/confronting-dinosaurs.html" target="_blank">Confronting Dinosaurs</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2015/06/confronting-dinosaurs.html" target="_blank">Rabbi Slifkin writes:</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And it's not as though
there was only one period of prehistoric creatures. The fossil record shows
beyond doubt that there were numerous distinct periods. The therapsids lived
before the dinosaurs; the dinosaurs lived before the mammoths. And even among
dinosaurs, different layers of rock reveal distinct eras. Stegosaurus,
Brachiosaurus and Allosaurus are never found in the same layers of rock as
Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. The conclusion is that each
existed in a different period; the former lived in a period which has been
termed the Jurassic, while the latter lived in the Cretaceous period. This is
not part of some evil conspiracy by scientists, nor the result of mistakes on
their part. Any paleontologist could win instant fame by finding a
Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in Jurassic rocks - but nobody has ever done so, which
shows that T-Rex lived much later, in the Cretaceous.</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, it shows
no such thing. Anytime supposedly later fossils are found in supposedly earlier
beds or vice versa, evolutionists simply cut up the beds to conform to the
dictates of the theory. If Rabbi Slifkin actually bothered to study
evolutionary geology, he would know this. The fact is, geologists already knew
– over one hundred years ago! – that supposedly earlier strata are regularly
interbedded among later strata. And not merely in one isolated instance. This
phenomenon occurs frequently all over the globe!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Furthermore, the fossil
record Rabbi Slifkin puts so much faith in (The fossil record shows beyond
doubt that there were numerous distinct periods) is entirely bogus. Sometimes
Jurassic is found before Cretaceous, sometimes after. This disparity is so
frequent that in order for evolutionary geologists to account for it they have
been forced to come up with a fantastic mechanical explanation called
“overthrusting”. They don’t know <i><u>how</u></i> it works; they only know <i><u>that </u></i>it works.
Why? Because they <i><u>need </u></i>it to work! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When challenged with the idea that such
incredible movements of the strata are invoked by evolutionary geologists
solely due to the fact that fossiliferous strata happen to be found in an order
that contradicts their theories, one writer (a famous Swiss evolutionary geologist)
responded as follows: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">the most incredible mechanical explanation is more
probable than that the evolution or organic nature should have been inverted in
one country, as compared with another</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It is upon such nonsense
that Rabbi Slifkin puts all his trust, allowing himself to be duped while
simultaneously duping others. The above has been discussed numerous times on
this blog wherein the scientific literature has been delineated, chapter and
verse. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t believe
the hype! There is absolutely nothing about the existence of dinosaur fossils
or the order of the beds they are found in that contradicts the timeline of our
mesora in any way.</span></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-92096295197913844142015-07-26T05:56:00.002-04:002015-07-26T05:56:37.748-04:00Confronting Dinosaurs <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2015/06/confronting-dinosaurs.html" target="_blank">recent post</a>, Rabbi Slifkin writes as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you evaluate whether a professed expert on Torah and
science is worth his salt? One step (of many) is to see whether he is ready to
confront dinosaurs… whether he is ready (and has already thought about) some
very basic questions. Like, when the dinosaurs live? Did they live at the same
time as people? Did they all live at the same time as each other? And if so,
why are their fossils consistently found in different layers of rock?</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ahhh… dinosaurs. Again. Evolutionary scientists claim that
dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. Combined with their remarkable structure
and categorical absence in today’s zoological landscape, dinosaurs have become
the very image of the purported Torah-Science loggerhead. Indeed, Rabbi
Slifkin’s <a href="http://zootorah.com/books/the-challenge-of-creation" target="_blank">primary Torah-Science book</a> has a picture of T-Rex prominently
featured on the cover.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But here’s the thing. Dinosaurs are actually the easiest
thing to answer! The truth is, the dino problem is nothing more than
evolutionary dogma combined with media hype. Dinosaurs went extinct some time
in the past just as countless other life-forms. Extinction is an ongoing reality
which most-likely attended the biological condition from its very inception. So
what? Extinction has nothing to do with age. There are over 750 documented
species that went extinct in the past 500 years alone. Dino fossils don’t come
with an “age” stamp. Fossilization occurs rapidly and there’s no way to know
how old a fossil actually is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rabbi Slifkin misleads his readers (or perhaps himself) by
asking: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did they all live at the same time as each other? And if so,
why are their fossils consistently found in different layers of rock? </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, this is simply not true. Dinosaur fossils are
consistently found in identical rock layers. All one has to do is study the
material. But rather than conducting a proper scientific investigation of the
material at hand, Rabbi Slifkin chooses to base his conclusions on sensationalist
stories in low level media outlets. This blog has already demonstrated on
numerous occasions that dino fossils are often found in identical layers and it
is merely evolutionary dogma which dupes the public into thinking otherwise.
Rabbi Slifkin has no business writing the things that he does. His blog is
supposed to be an explication of the “rationalist” approach to Judaism.
Rationalists form their opinions based on empirical observation, not subjective
belief.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rabbi Slifkin writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interestingly, the Christian Young Earth Creationists (YECs)
are eager to confront dinosaurs… Yet there is no parallel to this amongst
Orthodox Jewish YECs. Whether they ultimately claim that dinosaur bones are an
incredible work of art created by God, or that they lived before the Flood, one
finds that Orthodox YECs simply do not want to discuss the topic at all.</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually, I find this comment insulting. I am an Orthodox
Jewish YEC and I have spent countless hours, days, weeks, months, and even
years discussing dinosaurs. I personally have penned several dozen posts on
this blog dealing with this issue and in fact have discussed it directly with
Rabbi Slifkin in online debates and even discussed it with him in person when
he came to Toronto. My Rebbi, Rav Avigdor Miller, spent sixty years discussing
the issue of dinosaurs. His books are readily available. Rabbi Slifkin’s
comment is simply false.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here’s some more from the good Rabbi:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Forget abstract jargon about radioactive decay and cesium
atoms. Think about something tangible and familiar, such as animal life. The
fossil evidence clearly shows that there were dinosaurs and all kinds of other
creatures which lived before people (since no fossils of contemporary creatures
are found in the same strata).</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again, this claim is simply false. Here's something "tangible and familiar". Dino fossils were recently
found on the North Slope of Alaska in the exact same location that old cow
bones would be expected to be found. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dinosaurs pose no problem to our <i>mesorah</i>. The Torah states that Hashem Created all life forms recently over a period of six days. Science provides no evidence to the contrary and in fact all the available evidence points to rapid creation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-9044813112770860442015-07-21T23:24:00.003-04:002015-07-22T13:05:12.195-04:00Whale Evolution and Skepticism<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"But has Rabbi Shafran applied his professed "critical thinking" to the alternate understanding of life's development that is taught in his circles? Does he really think that the available physical evidence better supports the notion that <b>whales</b> were created independently, with striking internal similarities to terrestrial mammals, and an inability to breathe underwater like fish, and following a whole chain of extinct creatures that were progressively less terrestrial, rather than indicating that they are actually descended from terrestrial mammals?" </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">[<a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2015/07/neither-skeptic-nor-heretic.html" target="_blank">R. Slifkin, July 21, 2015]</a></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What does it take, in an engineering sense, to transform a car into a submarine? Quite a bit. And quite a bit of intelligence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The same is true of transforming a land based mammal like a cow into a whale. There is very little </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">(if any) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">hard scientific evidence for whale evolution. At least not through apparently unguided processes such as random mutation and natural selection</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Does R. Slifkin really have actual evidence that that whales evolved from a land animal in a few million years? Other than fanciful drawings with only a few so-called "transitional" fossils?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tVsITj9BL3k/Va74t140_hI/AAAAAAAAAI4/KefeHsZUg-M/s1600/whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tVsITj9BL3k/Va74t140_hI/AAAAAAAAAI4/KefeHsZUg-M/s400/whale.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(<a href="http://toriah.com/pdf/whale/whale.pdf"><span id="goog_654372732"></span>see pdf for enlarged view)<span id="goog_654372733"></span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the drawing, on the left, is the supposed sequence of transitional fossils from a fully terrestrial animal (like a cow) at the bottom -- to a fully aquatic whale at the top -- in about 10 million years on the evolutionary time scale.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On the right -- is a recent fossil find showing a fully aquatic whale in just the wrong place in the sequence.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span class="s1">Argentine paleontologist Marcelo Reguero, who led a joint Argentine-Swedish team, said the fossilized archaeocete jawbone found in February dates back 49 million years. In evolutionary terms, that's not far off from the fossils of even older proto-whales from 53 million years ago that have been found in South Asia and other warmer latitudes.</span> </span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span class="s1">Those earlier proto-whales were amphibians, able to live on land as well as sea. This jawbone, in contrast, belongs to the Basilosauridae group of <b>fully aquatic </b>whales, said Reguero, who leads research for the Argentine Antarctic Institute.</span> </span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"The relevance of this discovery is that it's the oldest known completely aquatic whale found yet," said Reguero, who shared the discovery with Argentine paleontologist Claudia Tambussi and Swedish paleontologists Thomas Mors and Jonas Hagstrom of the Natural History Museum in Stockholm.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">[Oct. 2011, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44867222/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.Va8LZxNVhBc">www.nbcnews.com</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The handout drawing on the right is released by the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Argentine Direccion Nacional del Antartico</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> shows an artist`s rendition of an Antartic Archaeocetes, after fossils of the creature were found at the La Meseta formation, near the Marambio Base in the Argentine-run area of the Antarctica.]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Until now, the whale series went something like this:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Pakicetids (fully terrestrial): ~50 mya<br />Ambulocetids (semi-aquatic): 49 mya<br />Remingtonocetids (semi-aquatic): 49 mya<br />Rodhocetus (a Protocetid, semi-aquatic): 47 mya<br />Basilosaurids (fully aquatic): 40 mya</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now the timeline looks something like this:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Pakicetids (fully terrestrial): ~50 mya<br /><b>New Fossil Jawbone (fully aquatic whale): 49 mya</b><br />Ambulocetids (semi-aquatic): 49 mya<br />Remingtonocetids (semi-aquatic): 49 mya<br />Rodhocetus (a Protocetid, semi-aquatic): 47 mya<br />Basilosaurids (fully aquatic): 40 mya</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The fossil record now might jump from fully terrestrial Pakicetids to fully aquatic whales <i>in just a couple million years</i> -- maybe much less than 5 million years [at least according to the shaky dating systems of evolutionists]. In fact, if this find has been correctly identified, then fully aquatic whales might have existed <i>before</i> many of their alleged semi-aquatic evolutionary precursors.[1]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now I think it is pretty amazing that evolutionists can reconstruct a whole whale from a jaw-bone. But they do this kind of thing all the time. Below is a reconstruction of an important "transitional fossil" in R. Slifkin's fossil sequence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W9CRK1zr9S8/Va78nqCAsPI/AAAAAAAAAJE/4QxMiUNyr6k/s1600/whale-rodhocetusgraffle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="357" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W9CRK1zr9S8/Va78nqCAsPI/AAAAAAAAAJE/4QxMiUNyr6k/s400/whale-rodhocetusgraffle.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(<a href="http://www.toriah.com/pdf/whale/whale-rodhocetusgraffle.pdf" target="_blank">see pdf for enlarged view</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">From a few fossils like a skull and a pelvis, Wikipedia shows a fanciful reconstruction of <i>Rodhocetus. Rodhocetus </i>is claimed to be a semi-aquatic mammal developing flippers and a whale-like tail. However there is no fossil evidence for these whale-like properties. I have superimposed red stars on the critical parts that are missing from the actual fossil evidence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As Richard Sternberg and others have argued, there are quite a few changes that have to appear in just a few million years in going from a land mammal to a whale [2]:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Counter-current heat exchanger for intra-abdominal testes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ball vertebra</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Tail flukes and musculature</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Blubber for temperature insulation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ability to drink sea water (reorganization of kidney tissues)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reverse orientation of fetus in the uterus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nurse young underwater (modified mammal)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Forelimbs transformed into flippers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reduction of hind limbs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reduction/loss of pelvis and sacral vertebrae</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reorganization of the musculature for the reproductive organs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hydrodynamic properties of the skin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Special lung surfactants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Novel muscle systems for the blowhole</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Modification of the teeth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Modification of the eye for underwater vision</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Emergence of expansion of the mandibular fat bad with complex lipid distribution (the fat pad has acoustic properties)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reorganization of skull bone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Modification of the ear bones</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Decoupling of esophagus and trachea</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Synthesis and metabolism of isovaleric acid (toxic to terrestrial mammals)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Emergence of blowhole musculature and their neurological control</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">New genes and proteins would have to be adapted or "invented" along the way. To form even a few proteins is well beyond the probabilistic resources of life on earth or the even the universe, even at billions of years proposed in evolutionary time scales. All the changes would have to be co-ordinated to develop a new body plan.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In fact, evolutionist do not even have a single detailed Darwinian pathway that could account for even one of the significant morphological changes needed to convert this speculation of whale evolution into serious science.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here is a video of the incorrigible Dr. Berlinksi that evolutionist love to hate:</span></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8iFnyCjcodY" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iFnyCjcodY"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iFnyCjcodY</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[1] <a href="http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/10/discovery_of_oldest_fully_aqua052021.html" target="_blank">http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/10/discovery_of_oldest_fully_aqua052021.html </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[2]<a href="http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/10/discovery_of_oldest_fully_aqua052021.html" target="_blank"> http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/10/discovery_of_oldest_fully_aqua052021.html</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-48589708103564920732014-07-25T19:44:00.000-04:002014-07-25T19:44:17.607-04:00Bitachon and the IDF<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It’s been a long time since anyone
has posted on this site. I cannot speak for my colleagues but as far as I am concerned
the primary purpose of this blog is (or at least was) to provide “rational”
responses to Rabbi Slifkin’s arguments against mainstream Orthodox views. Unfortunately
the Rationalist Judaism Blog is no longer academically based. The vast majority
of the material is partisan in nature (Chareidi bashing seems to be the order
of the day) and as such does not warrant a response
from this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nonetheless, I cannot deny the fact
that many of Rabbi Slifkin’s posts are a source of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">agmas nefesh</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to me.
He consistently mischaracterizes the position of the Chareidi Jews in Israel
and does everything in his power to portray them in a bad light. And while anti-Semitism
is nothing new, it is particularly upsetting when it comes from within. In view
of the current events in Israel, I decided to write something in defense of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">acheinu
beis yisrael</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In his <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2014/07/the-soldiers-are-really-doing-stuff.html">most
recent post</a>, Rabbi Slifkin bemoans a “disturbing anti-rationalist approach
that is spreading in the current war”. He explains that there is an “extreme
but pervasive anti-rationalist approach, which I was taught in yeshivah, that
physical endeavor is of no real significance. Instead, it is simply a charade
that we must go through in order for God to operate” and that “Following this
approach, Iron Dome and the IDF soldiers are not really doing anything; it is
just a charade that we have to go through - and which some people lose their
lives for.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">He then goes on to revisit <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2012/03/rav-dessler-in-or-out.html">an
old post</a> quoting Dr. Martin Gordon’s critical comments of Rav Eliyahu
Dessler’s approach to the concept of <i>bitachon,</i> ostensibly for the
purpose of accounting for the “disturbing anti-rationalist approach” that the
IDF is “not really doing anything”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Before commenting on Rabbi Slifkin’s
remarks, I’d like to note that we responded to Rabbi Slifkin’s initial post (April
2012) with a <a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2012/04/rav-dessler-and-nature.html">post
of our own</a> delineating, in part, Gordon’s erroneous assessment of the
material in the Michtav. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">As far as Rabbi Slifkin’s comments,
they amount to a gross oversimplification of the topic at hand. Yes, the IDF is
preforming a necessary and indispensable task. Yes, we, all of us, all Jews
throughout the world, owe them a debt of gratitude. Yes, we should pray for
their welfare. And yet, what Rabbi Slifkin was taught in Yeshiva is entirely
correct and is entirely consistent with the notions stated above. Amazingly enough, Rabbi Slifkin writes the very words that reconcile this
whole dilemma yet he fails to see the resolution. He writes: “Instead, it is
simply a charade that we must go through <b>in order for God to operate</b>”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Hashem is the one who administrates
the affairs of mankind. Every <i>frum</i> Jew accepts this principle. Hashem is
the one that grants success to the soldiers. Every <i>frum</i> Jew understands
this. But Hashem only grants success to those who make an <i>hishtadlus</i>. If
there was no IDF, there is nothing to grant success to! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So yes, the IDF is really not “doing”
anything. It is Hashem who is doing everything. But that doesn't mean that
their endeavors are not necessary or that they do not possess significance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Shaul fell in battle against
the Philistines, Dovid HaMelech delivered a eulogy. The first words that came out
of his mouth were: “To teach the sons of Judah how to shoot a bow and arrow”!
We </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">need</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> soldiers who are trained in the art of warfare. We </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">need</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
the “sons of Judah” to protect their people from surrounding nations. This is
obvious! When Dovid went to war, he didn't wade into battle with a Tehilim under his
arms. He engaged the enemy with a battle mace! And he was exceedingly efficient
at his task. He leapt into action and killed 800 men in one fell swoop. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">But did Dovid attribute his success
to his physical strength? Did he attribute it to his cunning mind? Did he
attribute it to fearless nature? Did he attribute it to his strategic battle
tactics? Oh no. Here’s what Dovid actually said: “For with You I attack a troop
of soldiers, with your Name I leap over a wall”! Dovid attributed everything to
Hashem. Not because he was practicing fake <i>anava, chs’v</i>. Rather, it is because
he understood that everything that he possessed, everything that he was,
everything that he accomplished was solely due to Hashem’s assistance.
Ultimately it is Hashem who guides everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If some of the Chareidim in Israel
speak disparagingly about the IDF, it is because unfortunately there is a war
of ideology between the secular Army and the Religious right. <i>Both </i>sides speak disparagingly about each other.This is a fact of life in Israel. But this doesn't mean that the “Chareidi view” is that we don’t
need an army or that the efforts of the IDF are insignificant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Rabbi Slifkin is attempting
to drive yet another wedge between the Chareidim and the rest of <i>klal yisrael</i>.
My sincerest <i>tefila </i>is that his efforts meet with unmitigated failure. <i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-52969426264586142532014-01-19T23:05:00.000-05:002014-01-20T21:46:46.303-05:00Gaonim and the Ban on Talmudic Medicine<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In his post on a cure using the skin of a hyena (Yoma 84a), R. Slifkin returns to his well-used quote of <a href="http://torahandscience.blogspot.co.il/2006/04/rav-sherira-gaon.html">Rav Sherira Gaon</a>: </span></div>
<blockquote>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We must inform you that our Sages were not physicians. They may mention medical matters which they noticed here and there in their time, but these are not meant to be a mitzvah. Therefore you should not rely on these cures and you should not practice them at all unless each item has been carefully investigated by medical experts who are certain that this procedure will do no harm and will cause no danger. This is what our ancestors have taught us, that none of these cures should be practiced, unless it is a known remedy and the one who uses it knows that it can cause no harm.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R. Slikin then writes: </span><br />
<blockquote>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A similar statement can be found in the famous treatise of Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam, and it was also endorsed as a legitimate (albeit minority) view by Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. These views were also cited by my own mentor, Rav Aryeh Carmell <i>ztz"l</i>.</span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the other hand, according to Rabbi Moshe Meiselman, this remedy was certainly effective, at least in Chazal's time and place. Rabbi Meiselman claims that Rav Sherira Gaon just meant that we do not know how to apply Chazal's remedies, that the treatise of Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam is a forgery, that Rav Shlomo Zalman was writing off-the-cuff and should not be taken too seriously (pp. 101-2), and that Rav Carmell was a proponent of heresy! </span></div>
</blockquote>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Never mind that Rabbi Meiselman, Shlita, does not discuss Rabbi Carmell zt”l. Nor does he say that Rav Shlomo Zalman should not be taken seriously. He also does not say that the <em>maamar on aggados</em> of Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam is a forgery (more on this below). A little bit of precision would be helpful. </span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Post-chareidi inventions</strong> </span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The post-chareidi phenomenon discussed on this blog involves the invention of radical new theologies that are then justified with the claim that they are compatible with classic Jewish thought. </span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As Rabbi Meiselman has pointed out, one method used by the new literature is the superficial citation of isolated passages from Chazal and the classic commentaries. “This projects a false image of what authentic Torah analysis is about and obfuscates the views that are actually presented in these sources. One must always remember that a single statement must be understood within the context of an author’s entire work. No statement exists in isolation.” </span></div>
<blockquote>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another methodology is to seek out convenient singular or minority opinions and weave them together, thereby creating a new Torah that is radically different from the one that has been passed down from generation to generation.</span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More insidiously, in their anxiousness to show that the Torah can accommodate any theory emerging from the hallowed halls of academia, contemporary writers often find it necessary to dismiss statements of Chazal as nothing more than reflections of the primitive, outmoded conceptions of their time. If Chazal had no special insight into the material world, their views on realia obviously have no binding authority.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<h1 align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Medical quote from Rav Hai Gaon</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a case in point, consider R. Slifkin’s earlier quote attributed to Rav Sherira Gaon. The quote does say that Chazal’s medical knowledge was not derived from Torah <i>shebe’al peh </i>(“they are not matters of mitzvah”) but from contemporary practice that “they saw in their day”. This is the same stance taken by the Rashba, a staunch defender of Chazal’s authority in all other areas. Although the medical remedies in the Talmud are not to be followed, Rav Sherira (contra R. Slifkin’s constant refrain that Chazal were prone to error in realia) nowhere hints that Chazal were mistaken. Nor does he say that Chazal did not know mathematics, astronomy, or the other natural sciences. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We now turn to the responsum of Rav Hai Gaon – the son of Rav Sherira and his collaborator. Rav Hai Gaon was asked to explain a piece of Gemora containing medical advice (a passage in Brachos). He writes: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[The Braisa teaches:] Six things heal the sick.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[You asked:] How do they heal and what is the explanation of each term? To begin with you must know that today's remedies are not like those of earlier times, <strong>for there are a number of things that the earlier generations knew about what lies in this food that we do not know today</strong>. Furthermore, one may not rely on those remedies today because we do not know how they were to be applied. In addition, there is no single remedy that heals all illnesses; rather, each one has the power to heal one type of malady. [1]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The explanation given by Rav Hai for the prohibition against using Chazal's remedies is precisely the one offered in subsequent generations (e.g. the Maharil) – that we do not know how to apply them properly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Chazal knew more than we do, not less</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even more significant, the Gaon begins his response by telling us that the problem is not that Chazal were ignorant of things that we now know, but precisely the reverse - that they knew things about the powers of the various plant and animal products that we do not know! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Parma text attributed to Rav Sherira Gaon</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rabbi Meiselman points out (Ch. 16) that, to date, four fragments (mostly from the Cairo Geniza) have been found that have been associated with this responsum, one in Oxford, two in Cambridge and the remaining one in the Palatine Library of Parma, Italy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first three do not contain R. Slifkin’s quote. The first three contain various portions of Rav Sherira’s Arabic explanations of the difficult Talmudic terms. One of the Cambridge manuscripts also contains the text of the inquiry, while the Oxford manuscript contains Rav Sherira’s concluding remarks. These three manuscripts all overlap to some extent and are therefore undoubtedly part of Rav Sherira’s responsum. Not one of them contains the discussion of the prohibition against using Talmudic medicine. In fact, the Cambridge manuscript containing the inquiry skips directly from there to the explanations of terms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Parma manuscript, conversely, contains no part of the linguistic section. It begins with the inquiry, as in the Cambridge text, and then proceeds with the discussion of why we may no longer rely on <i>Chazal’s</i> remedies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since these manuscripts were first discovered, successive generations of researchers have all assumed they belong to a single responsum and that the discussion in the Parma manuscript was originally the preamble to Rav Sherira’s response. Although there are a number of serious difficulties with this view, since it is the one that most scholars have adopted over the years Rabbi Meiselman proceeds on the assumption that it is correct. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(However, R. Tuvia Katzman of Machon HaTalmud notes, in a soon to be published article, that the identification of the Parma ms. as part of Rav Sherira’s responsum is based upon a single piece of evidence – the congruence of the inquiry in this ms. with that in T-S G2.49 (Cambridge). Against this he cites three pieces of strong counter-evidence including the fact that it appears to be diametrically opposed to the reason given in his son, Rav Hai’s responsum – that <i>Chazal</i> knew <i>more</i> than we do and that <i>we</i> are ignorant of how to apply the remedies. See footnote 140 on p220 for the details.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the assumption that the Parma manuscript is Rav Sherira, it is unlikely that Rav Sherira and his son would have held diametrically opposed opinions on such a fundamental issue. Therefore if the attribution of the Parma text to Rav Sherira is to be accepted, it is reasonable to interpret it in light of Rav Hai’s statement. As we mentioned earlier, nowhere does Rav Sherira say that Chazal were mistaken.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[It was standardly taught in medical schools that stomach ulcers was from too much stress or the wrong kind of food. In the 1980s, Dr. Robin Warren hypothesized that some stomach ulcers are caused by a bacterium and could be treated with anti-biotics. For this, Dr. Warren was savagely ridiculed, and called a crackpot by the scientific and medical community and his papers were rejected in the relevant conferences. In 2005, he and his collaborator were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine and millions of sufferers have been helped. This is a helpful story to keep in mind before ridiculing the medical advice mentioned in the Talmud and at the same time a step towards becoming an informed consumer of science.] </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Rabeinu Avraham ben HaRambam</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong></strong> Rav Meiselman’s book contains a detailed analysis of the sources of the <em>maamar odos derashos Chazal</em> of Rabeinu Avraham ben HaRambam. The appendix to the book contains a painstaking analysis by Rabbi Gavriel Rubin (a friend from Ohr Sameach days). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rabbi Meiselman does not say (contra R. Slifkin) that “the treatise of Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam is a forgery”. What he does say is that there is a single manuscript of the original Arabic that has been discovered in the Cairo Genizah. The original Arabic fragment does <u>not</u> discuss the controversial quotes used by R. Slifkin which has the discussion of Chazal’s knowledge of science (p.90). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometime before the 15th century, the original Arabic (possibly a part of <em>HaMaspik leOvdei Hashem</em>) was translated into Hebrew. We do not have the original Hebrew translation and we do not have much information about the copyists. One of the manuscripts may have been written by Eilberg (or Eilenberg) in the mid 16th century. This manuscript is unusable because the author makes radical changes and inserts his own comments at will. Another manuscript (from Oxford) was included in the Vilna edition of the 1877 <em>Eyn Yaakov</em>. Certain places in the Oxford and Paris copies bear no relation to the Arabic manuscript. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rabbi Vidal HaTzrtfati (1540-1690) reports having seen the Arabic version of the <em>ma’amar</em> and gives an extensive synopsis of it. The synopsis is consistent with the Arabic text discovered in the Cairo Geniza, which, of course, does not have the controversial section. In fact, the second, fourth and fifth parts of the <em>ma’amar </em>form a complete unit. The third controversial section (which is also not in the Arabic) is not essential to the flow of the <em>ma’amar </em>(p93). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Deviating from the Rambam</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We therefore cannot rule out the possibility that controversial quote in the third section of the <em>ma’amar </em>is a later interpolation. R. Reuven Margoliot has observed that the author of the <em>ma’amar’s</em> text is different from that of the Rambam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to the Rambam the passage in Pesachim concludes: <em>Venitzchu chachmei umos ha'olam</em> - "And the wise men of the nations of the world were victorious." This variant is shared by a number of Rishonim, including Rabbeinu Tam (c. 1100-1171) as quoted by the Rosh.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The author of the <em>Ma'amar</em>, by contrast, makes much of the fact that Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi did not rule definitively in accordance with the Chachmei Umos HaOlam. He takes it as a sign of Rebbi Yehudah's integrity that he did not give their view any stronger endorsement than the evidence warranted. The version of the text he quotes is the same as what is found in the familiar Vilna edition, according to which Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi merely says that their view seems more likely.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It would be very surprising if Rabbeinu Avraham knew of both variants the Gemora yet chose to ignore the one cited by his father and base an argument specifically upon the alternative. Hence if one wishes to maintain that Rabbeinu Avraham is the author of this section one must conjecture that he did not even know of his father's text, which would be very strange indeed. (p109)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even if this issue can be resolved, there are other problems with the Hebrew copy of the ma’maar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rabeinu Avraham ben HaRambam was a staunch supported and defender of his father. We thus almost never find him disagreeing with his father’s halachik rulings, and certainly not in fundamental principles. However, this does happen in the controversial quote. For example, the <em>ma’amar</em> cites a passage from Chulin (124a) in support of the superiority of rational argument even over prophetic tradition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In this passage an Amora makes an assertion, to which his colleague replies, “I swear that even if Yehoshua bin Nun said it, I would not listen to him.” The context is a halachic debate involving the laws of purity. As the author interprets it, the implication is that when logic is involved, there can be no appeal to authority - even in matters of halachah!</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In other words, if I am not convinced logically, I must not accept any one else’s word, even if he belongs to an earlier period - even if he is Moshe Rabbeinu’s protégé and successor Yehoshua bin Nun.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Rambam was not oblivious to this passage. In his Peirush HaMishnayos he explains it to mean that prophecy plays no role in establishing the halachah. Hence it is a statement about the halachic process in specific, not about the establishment of truths in general.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, in an epistle to the people of Marseilles (Montpelier) on the topic of astrology the Rambam identifies three legitimate grounds for believing a proposition: 1) logical demonstration; 2) the evidence of the senses; and 3) receipt from an accepted authority such as a Navi or tzaddik. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From this encapsulation it is clear that the Rambam, in contrast to the author of the <em>Ma'amar</em>, does consider receipt from an authoritative personality as valid grounds for belief. This disagreement, compounded by their divergent interpretations of the Gemora, certainly calls into question the ascription of this discussion to Rabbeinu Avraham. (p112-113)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The radical position advocated in this part of the <em>Ma'amar</em> is not even hinted at in any of Rabbeinu Avraham's other writings. Moreover, it is at odds with the Rambam's positions in numerous respects. Either of these would be sufficient grounds for doubting its authenticity. It was the espousing of a similar position by Azariah de Rossi that prompted Rav Yosef Karo (1488-1575) - the Beis Yosef - to take the extreme measure of ordering his books burnt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The integrity of the text and the faithfulness of the translation has to be examined critically before it can be accepted. Rabbi Meiselman’s book is ground breaking in this regard, and hopefully more critical analysis will be undertaken. We refer the reader to the book for the full details, as we only mentioned some of the points given that this is a blog post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In light of all these doubts on the controversial third section of the <em>ma’amar, </em>it does not seem likely that it was written by Rabeinu Avraham ben HaRambam (the major part of the <em>ma’aamar</em>, though, might be imprecise copies of an original Arabic). It is unsound for R. Slifkin to base his revolutionary new approach to Torah upon this controversial sub-section of the <em>ma’aamr</em>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Likewise, the medical quote attributed to Rav Sherira Gaon can be understood in the light of his son Rav Hai Gaon’s statement that “for there are a number of things that the earlier generations knew about what lies in this food that we do not know today. Furthermore, one may not rely on those remedies today because we do not know how they were to be applied.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No one suggests that <i>Chazal</i> were simply mistaken. In fact, it appears from the Maharshal and the Maharil that to make such a suggestion would be called mocking the words of the <i>Chachamim</i>, an offense with the most serious of consequences. In short, there is nothing in the <i>teshuvos</i> of the <i>Geonim</i> to justify the propounding of a radical new philosophy concerning <i>Chazal’s</i> knowledge of the world. (p233)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to Rav Hai Gaon, how did Chazal know of remedies that we do not know? Perhaps, Chazal had a deeper understanding of the physical world based on their knowledge of Torah. There is an important passage in Rabeinu Avraham ben HaRambam’s <em>Hamaspik leOvdei Hashem</em>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People can be divided into three groups. ... The second group consists of those possessed of insight, understanding, depth of thought and contemplativeness, who have delved into the various wisdoms and arrived at an understanding of the impetuses and causal factors of each and every phenomenon.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of them even attained an understanding of the Cause of Causes - that is, HaShem, may He be exalted and praised - establishing their belief system upon the relationships between the various causal factors one to another. These are the nonreligious scholars and savants, such as the Greek philosophers and their followers. Even those individuals, however, were incapable of understanding the truth in its entirety, but came to the conclusion that HaShem, may He be exalted, never alters any natural process, nor does He introduce any cause from outside of the causal nexus..</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By contrast, observers of religion, who understand the principle of the Torah, contemplate the secondary (i. e. natural) causes and reflect upon them in the same manner as the second group, comprised of the enlightened and scholars of nature, and do not fall short of them in attainment. On the contrary! They understand everything that the scholars of nature do and receive their respect and honor. <em>But HaShem has informed them through His Torah of that which is beyond the understanding of the scholars and philosophers</em>, giving them indications and proofs of that which the philosophers denied regarding His knowledge of particular things, His observance of the circumstances of human beings and His special providence.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The wording of the phrase in italics is ambiguous. One might argue that Chazal received from the Torah only their awareness of </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hashgachah pratis</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - Divine providence - while their knowledge of “secondary causes” was obtained from other sources.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“A more natural interpretation of the phrase in italics seems to be that Chazal derived from the Torah everything known to the non-Jewish scholars, plus additional wisdom not possessed by them. It follows from this that wherever there is disagreement between the two forms of wisdom, Chazal’s must be presumed superior because of its Divine source”. (p90) </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Footnotes</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>ברכות מד ע"ב: </b>תניא, ששה דברים <b>מרפאין את החולה מחליו ורפואתן רפואה.</b> ואלו הן, כרוב ותרדין ומי סיסין, דבש וקיבה והרת ויותרת הכבד. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b>זכרון לראשונים וגם לאחרונים חלק א סי' שצד (ראה גם אוצר הגאונים לברכות מד ע"ב): </b>ששה דברים מרפאין את החולה. כיצד מרפאין ופירוש כל חדא וחדא. תחלה דע כי לא כענין רפואות שהיו הראשונים עושין רפואות שלעכשיו. <b>ויש כמה דברים שהיו הראשונים יודעים שיש במאכל זה שאין יודעין אותו עכשיו.</b> ואין לסמוך עכשיו על אותן רפואות <b>לפי שאין אנו יודעין היאך רפואה בהן.</b> ועוד, <b>אין לך דבר מיוחד מרפא לכל חלי אלא כל אחד יש בו רפואה לדבר אחד.</b></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-40523017902350869152013-10-01T13:33:00.000-04:002013-10-02T08:10:05.643-04:00Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel Shlit'a <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last month Rabbi
Slifkin wrote a post <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/09/rav-elya-ber-dismisses-geonim-rishonim.html" target="_blank">criticizing Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel’s position</a> re Science
and Torah as expressed in a <i>haskama </i>he wrote for a <i>talmid</i>. Following <a href="http://www.zootorah.com/RationalistJudaism/SodLiyreyav_haskamah.pdf" target="_blank">the link</a> Rabbi Slifkin so graciously provided, I read Rav Wachtfogel’s <i>haskama </i>and for
me it was a great <i>chizuk </i>in <i>emunas chachamim</i>. Unsurprisingly, it served as yet another
target for Rabbi Slifkin’s ongoing smear-campaign against our <i>gedolei </i>Torah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For the record, I do not
claim to be aligned with every statement Rav Wachtfogel makes in his <i>haskama
</i>but I certainly understand the thrust of his message and agree with it wholeheartedly.
As such, I’d like to spend a few minutes responding to some of Rabbi Slifkin’s
issues with the <i>haskama</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rabbi Slifkin writes: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rav Elya Ber claims that
every single utterance of Chazal was stated by Sinaitic transmission and/or by
way of <i>sod Hashem liyreyav</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Actually, what he claims
is that Chazal’s utterances were stated either by Sinaitic tradition or by
<i>ruach hakodesh</i>. Ruach Hakodesh is a well known, universally accepted phenomenon
in our traditions. Of course, Ruach Hakodesh does not equal infallibility. Even
Moshe Rabbeinu was not infallible! (see Rashi, Vayikra 10:20). But the
unanimous consensus of our Rishonim and Acharonim is that any statement by
Chazal that made it to Talmud Bavli is sacrosanct. This notion has characterized
all of the writings of the Geonim, Rishonim and Acharonim and has served as our
<i>derech haTorah</i> since the <i>chasimas haShas</i> 1500 years ago! As Rav Yitzchok Isaac Halevi explains in Doros Harishonim, it is clear that Hashem granted Rav Ashi an especial measure of <i>siyata di'shmaya</i> (i.e. <i>ruach hakodesh</i>) when composing the Talmud. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rabbi Slifkin continues:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Astonishingly, in making
this fantastic claim, he refers to Rambam's introduction to the Mishnah; he
does not give a specific reference, presumably because Rambam said no such
thing and in fact clearly held strongly otherwise.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Really? I think not. Here’s
a snippet from the Pirush Hamishnayos L’Harambam that I am fond of quoting on
this blog (<i>my translation</i>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“And this fourth matter, that
is, the exegetical sayings found in the Talmud, should not be considered
trivial or of little benefit, for they are of enormous benefit in that they
encompass within them the most profound allusions and wondrous ideas. When an
appropriately deep examination of these sayings is conducted, the absolute good
which cannot be surpassed can be gleaned from them. All of the lofty concepts
and profound verities that the greatest of wise men concealed in their
teachings, all of the conclusions that the philosophers toiled over throughout
the generations, all can be revealed in their [Chazal’s] words…” (Kapach ed. pg.
19)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“And therefore, we must
establish the truth of their (Chazal’s) words in our hearts. We must delve
deeply into them and not hurry to dismiss a single saying of theirs. Rather, if
something is found in their words which seems strange in our eyes, we must
orient ourselves in the appropriate [corresponding] disciplines until we
understand their meaning in this particular topic, assuming that we are even
able to comprehend [their words] in the first place. For even our [latter] sages
of blessed memory, despite the fact that they delved exceedingly into their
studies, were clear of mind, were appropriately fit for the comprehension of
wisdom, attached themselves to great people and entirely detached themselves
from material pursuits, [and yet despite all this they] attributed a ‘lacking’
to themselves when comparing themselves to previous generations…so much more so
ourselves…how can we not attribute a lacking to ourselves in comparison to them.
And since they [the latter sages] knew that all of the words of the sages are
well established from every angle, they were very protective of them and
enjoined against slandering them and stated ‘whomsoever blandishes the words of
the sages is judged in boiling feces’ and there is no worse ‘boiling feces’
than the foolishness that leads one to denigrate [the words of our sages]. And
therefore, you will never find one rejecting their words but one who chases
after lust, who favors materialism, who never enlightened his mind with any
illumination whatsoever.” (Kapach ed. pg. 20-21)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So Rabbi Slifkin, this
should clear up your “astonishment” with Rav Wachtfogel’s reference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rabbi Slifkin writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And Rav Elya Ber further
claims that science has never attained the slightest insight into the universe
compared to the insights that have been obtained from the Torah (alas giving no
examples to support this extraordinary claim).</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">He doesn't need to. It’s
obvious. But here are some examples. The Torah informs us that the universe was
created. The Torah informs us that the universe is a relatively recent phenomenon.
The Torah informs us that the universe is purposeful. The Torah informs us that
there is life after death. The list is endless! Any universal insights garnered
by scientists pale in comparison to the monumental significance of the Torah’s
teachings about the nature of the universe. Rav Vachtfogel’s message seems clear.
As he writes (my loose translation):</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Scientists have been
searching for information about the nature of the universe for thousands of
years and they have still not managed to comprehend the smallest aspect of its
phenomena. Whatever they have revealed is insignificant in comparison to the
revelations of the Torah. </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The revelations of the
Torah are absolute. They are categorically true and are inherent to the nature
of the universe whereas the revelations of science are transitory at best. Today
margarine is healthy, tomorrow it’s not. Today time is constant, tomorrow its
not. Today space is linear; tomorrow gravity seems to make it bend. Today the possible
velocity of mass through space seems to max out at </span><st1:metricconverter productid="300,000 kilometers" style="font-family: Verdana;" w:st="on">300,000 kilometers</st1:metricconverter><span style="font-family: Verdana;">
per second; tomorrow there seem to be quantum events that result in spooky
actions at a distance. The point is, science is an enterprise practiced by
limited minds. It is mankind’s attempt to discover the truth of the universe. How
can that compare to the revelations of the Torah which ARE the truth of the
universe?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In any case, I don’t see
Rabbi Slifkin’s issue. It’s not like Rav Vachtfogel is the first person to make
this argument. Aish HaTorah has been holding countless seminars demonstrating
the incredibly accurate descriptions of the universe depicted in the Bible. Why
is Rabbi Slifkin picking on the Rosh Yeshiva?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rabbi Slifkin makes
several more comments in his post. Perhaps for another time… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com204tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-13327186505180550902013-10-01T07:08:00.000-04:002013-10-01T07:21:02.652-04:00Evolution and Space Shuttles<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Over Yom Tov I had the
pleasure of meeting a young man (let’s call him Zev) who follows this blog. After
introducing himself he asked me if I was interested in discussing some of my
positions on the blog and I agreed. He then began to pose several challenges in
rapid succession. I did my best to respond to him in the limited time we had but
there was one particular issue which I took special interest in and which I insisted
on discussing with him at length. Unfortunately our discussion was cut short so
I’d like to revisit it here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">About three years ago I wrote
a <a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2010/10/whats-wrong-with-rabbi-slifkins.html" target="_blank">series of posts</a> on this blog describing what, in my opinion, was most disturbing
about Rabbi Slifkin’s approach to science and Torah in general and evolution
and <i>ma’aseh bereishis</i> in particular. I argued that accepting the notion that
life evolved naturalistically over hundreds of millions of years effectively
cripples one’s ability to discern the presence of the Creator from the <i>beriah</i>. Rabbi
Slifkin responded that he discerns the presence of the Creator from the
fine-tuned laws of nature and I countered by asserting that the denial
of patent design in biological nature is logically inconsistent with the claim
of patent design in the laws of nature. In short, I accused him of maintaining
an incoherent theology. Zev challenged my rejection of “Rabbi Slifkin’s
theology” by quoting none other than my very own <i>rebbi</i>, Rav Avigdor Miller! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On page 30 of Rejoice O
Youth, Rabbi Miller writes as follows:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Youth: What is the ray of
hope [of convincing evolutionists that the universe cannot be attributed to
chance naturalistic mechanisms and therefore clearly testifies to a Designer –
<i>sc</i>] of which you speak?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sage: The Evolutionists have
blinded themselves against the evidence of the organic world. But the inorganic
world is full of marvels of plan and purpose which can open one’s eyes to the
Truth…</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rabbi Miller then goes on
to discuss physical properties such as the force of gravity, the atmosphere,
and rates of evaporation. Although there are an endless number of possible
permutations, the physical laws that govern the aforementioned phenomena all
cooperate with each other to allow for an infinitely complex, fully functioning
world. They are “finely tuned” for our specific universe despite the fact that
the probability of them being so conveniently aligned is statistically nil. This
is popularly referred to as “the argument for Intelligent Design from the fine-tuning
coincidences in the universe” and is endorsed by Rabbi Slifkin in his
book The Science of Torah (pp 39-46) and The Challenge (pp 49-57).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Based on the
aforementioned quote from Rejoice O Youth, Zev felt that my accusation against
Rabbi Slifkin was in conflict with Rabbi Miller’s statement that even if one denies
“design” in the phenomena of life, there is still a “ray of hope” that he will discern
it from the laws of nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The truth is, Zev is in
error. Just before this quote, Rabbi Miller writes (Rejoice, ibid):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I fear that even this (the
argument from the fine-tuned laws of nature - sc) will be ignored by them. If
they have the hardiness to ascribe to accident all which we have discussed
hitherto, they are quite impervious to argument. Men who are not biased are
powerfully impressed when they are told of an animal which is able to shoot a
suffocating stench against its enemies (skunk), or an animal that is able to present
javelins against its enemies (porcupine)… If men are so irresponsible as to
ascribe to accident these intricately planned devices, then I fear nothing
could move them.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, any attempt to persuade
an avowed evolutionist of design in the universe is most-likely futile. If they
are capable of ascribing the intricately planned phenomena of life to chance naturalistic
processes, they are equally capable of ascribing the laws of nature to
naturalistic processes, as they in fact do. (Stephen Hawkings’s most recent book
claims that all of the laws of physics can be accounted for by the presence of
the Law of Gravitation. As he writes: “It is not necessary to invoke God to
light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going.”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What does Rabbi Miller
mean by “a ray of hope”? Nothing. It is a form of speech. He didn’t actually believe
that there is any hope that an evolutionist can discern the trappings of design
in the phenomena of the universe. Which brings me to the topic of this post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In a recent post entitled <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/09/a-breathtaking-endeavor.html" target="_blank">A Breathtaking Endeavor</a>, Rabbi Slifkin writes: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">…upon seeing it [the space
shuttle Endeavor], I …feel a powerful emotion of awe…</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Why was it such an awesome
sight?... it was what the shuttle represented… for people my age, the space
shuttle was mankind's most glorious technological achievement… The space
shuttle is the pinnacle of man's technological prowess, which in turn is the
result of his three-pound brain. Which in turn is the single most complex
entity in the known universe - the single greatest and most remarkable element
of creation.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In The Challenge Of
Creation, I quoted the following from mathematician Morris Kline:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“A study of mathematics
and its contributions to the sciences exposes a deep question. Mathematics is
man-made. The concepts, the broad ideas, the logical standards and methods of
reasoning... were fashioned by human beings. Yet with the product of his
fallible mind, man has surveyed spaces too vast for his imagination to
encompass; he has predicted and shown how to control radio waves which none of
our senses can perceive; and he has discovered particles too small to be seen
with the most powerful microscope... Some explanation of this marvelous power
is called for.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Who would predict a
universe in which the laws of nature are able to produce a being that can
figure out a way to leave its home planet? Baruch Oseh Maase Bereishis!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Evolutionists Rabbi
Slifkin! Evolutionists claim that the human brain is the end product of biological evolution over hundreds of
millions of years. Actually, it's even worse than that. Evolutionists make the astonishing claim that the human brain began as a
chimpanzee brain a mere 7 million years ago and evolved naturalistically to encompass
mathematical concepts, ideas, logical standards and methods of reasoning! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Does Rabbi Slifkin believe
in Evolution? If so, what stirred him to proclaim Baruch Oseh Maaseh Bereishis when
considering the human brain?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What is wrong with Rabbi
Slifkin’s theology? The answer is, it makes no sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-49771001044557590922013-07-29T17:27:00.000-04:002013-09-17T13:02:33.576-04:00Is Rav Saadia Gaon’s “wabar” the rabbit?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
B”H<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear Readers:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This week we read <i>Parashat Ree</i> where the issue of the <i>shafan</i>
is again mentioned. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As you probably know, after the publication of the book “<span lang="ES-MX"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #015782; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://store.blurb.com/my/books/4548275-the-enigma-of-the-biblical-shafan">The Enigma of the Biblical <i>Shafan</i></a></span></span>” many blogspots and comments have been
published in the Jewish blogosphere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Now I would like to concentrate only in a specific point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the book we have tried to demonstrate that the rabbit is compatible
with all the descriptions of the <i>shafan</i> that have been published in the
Jewish classic literature, including Ibn Janach and <i>Rishonim</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Rav Saadia Gaon expressed his identification of the <i>shafan</i> very
shortly. In our book this issue was elaborated on chapter 5 (d).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
In the
short Arabic explanation to the <i>Pentateuch</i> (<i>Leviticus</i> 11:5)
attributed to Rav Saadia Gaon<!--[if supportFields]><span lang=ES-MX
style='mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> TA \l "</span><span style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'>Rav Saadia Gaon</span><span style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-US'> on <i>Leviticus</i> 11:5" \s "Rav Saadia Gaon on <i>Leviticus</i>
11:5" \c 1 </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span lang=ES-MX
style='mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]-->, who lived over one
thousand years ago, <a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span lang="ES-MX"> </span>we find the word <i>shafan</i>
translated to a three (<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">وبر</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) <a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> or five (<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">الوبر</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) <a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> letter Arabic word, which
can be transliterated to <i>“wabar</i><!--[if supportFields]><i><span
lang=ES-MX style='mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span></i><i><span
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> XE "</span></i><i><span style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'>wabar</span></i><i><span style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-US'>" \t "See al-wabar" </span></i><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><i><span
lang=ES-MX style='mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></i><![endif]--><i>”</i> (literally meaning “hair, wool or
fur”) or <i>“al-wabar”</i> (“the hair, the wool or the fur”). <a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a><span lang="ES-MX"> </span><a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a><span lang="ES-MX"> </span><a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
This word (<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">وبر</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) is also the modern common
name in certain Arabic countries to describe the hyrax<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=ES-MX style='mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> XE "</span><span style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'>hyrax</span><span style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>"
</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span lang=ES-MX style='mso-bidi-language:
HE'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--> (<i>Procavia capensis</i><!--[if supportFields]><i><span lang=ES-MX><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span></i><span style='mso-ansi-language:
EN-US'> XE "<i>Procavia capensis</i>" \t "<i style='mso-bidi-font-style:
normal'>See</i> hyrax" </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><i><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></i><![endif]-->).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
It is thus
understandable that in the last 150 years, some Torah commentators and some
researchers have claimed this source as evidence that Rav Saadia Gaon
considered the hyrax, and not the rabbit, the Biblical <i>shafan</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
However,
the results of our extensive research show that there is no conclusive evidence
that this necessarily was Rav Saadia’s opinion, for the four reasons explained
in the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After the book went to press, I found B"H the description of the “<i>wabar”</i>
in <b>Tafseer Ibn Katheer</b> (Damascus, Syria 1301-1373) on Surah 103:1 where Ibn Katheer
wrote the following two paragraphs:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AB6EzVAqlrw/UfbcFu5pd_I/AAAAAAAAABg/j9w45OkFbeA/s1600/IbnKatheer1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="60" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AB6EzVAqlrw/UfbcFu5pd_I/AAAAAAAAABg/j9w45OkFbeA/s320/IbnKatheer1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">"</span><b style="text-align: justify;">O wabar</b><span style="text-align: justify;">, o wabar! You are only two ears and a chest, and
the rest of you is digging and burrowing...''</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcQH7PQ-q1Y/UfbdtpmMzLI/AAAAAAAAABs/g22jMkMnyZ8/s1600/IbnKatheer2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcQH7PQ-q1Y/UfbdtpmMzLI/AAAAAAAAABs/g22jMkMnyZ8/s320/IbnKatheer2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>"And the wabar is a small animal that resembles a cat, and the
largest thing on it is its ears </b>and
its torso, while the rest of it is ugly." <a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
I think we could use this
medieval source -whose description of <i>wabar</i> (“<b>big ears</b>” and <b>"digging
and burrowing"</b>) <b>seems to match with the rabbit and not with the
hyrax</b>- as evidence that when Rav Saadia Gaon translated <i>shafan</i> as
"<i>al-wabar</i>" perhaps he was speaking about the rabbit and
not the hyrax.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify;">
As you remember the source of
Ibn Janach -elaborated elsewhere- indicates the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Kol Tuv!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Born in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>
in 882; at the age of about thirty he moved to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>, until 921, when
he returned to <st1:place w:st="on">Babylonia</st1:place>, where he remained
until his death in 942 CE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://vbm-torah.org/archive/parshanut/02parshanut.htm accessed 28/jul/13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://archive.org/stream/saadiagaonhislif00malt/saadiagaonhislif00malt_djvu.txt
accessed on 28/jul/13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.2pt; mso-bidi-font-family: David;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.2pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="RTL"></span> ערוך השלם,
ד"ר חנוך יהודה קאהוט, חלק רביעי דף נ"ט ערך טפז, בהערה.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: David;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="RTL"></span> פירוש רבינו
סעדיה גאון ע"י יוסף קאפח מוסד הרב קוק, ירושלים, תשנ"ד על ויקרא
י"א ה' ע' ק"כ</span><span lang="HE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> http://www.angelfire.com/hi/UAECAMELS/group.html <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">accessed on 16/jul/06<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> http://ummah.com/forum/printthread.php?t=61361 accessed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">on 16/jul/06<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -9.05pt; margin-right: -9.05pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: distribute-all-lines;">
<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Stevenson Thomas B. "Domestication"
of hyrax <i>(Procavia capensis), </i>in <st1:place w:st="on">Yemen</st1:place>. <i><span lang="ES-MX">J.</span></i><span lang="ES-MX"> <i>EthnobioI. </i>Summer 1990;10(1):23-32.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -9.35pt; margin-right: -9.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/RavSaadiaGaon%20Waber%20IbnKatheer%20Blogspot.doc#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> See Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz' 30 (part 30):
An-Nabaa 1 to An-NAS 6, 2nd edition, London 2009. <span lang="ES-MX">By Muhammad Saed
Abdul-Rahman. Page 221</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-65610863476574249452013-07-21T19:42:00.001-04:002013-11-13T23:17:20.943-05:00Were there Rabbits in Biblical Israel?<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(Click <a href="http://www.toriah.com/pdf/Shafan-HyraxOrRabbit.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, for a revised version of this post; an earlier version appeared in Dialogue Fall 5774, No. 4)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Could the </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">shafan</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> be the rabbit?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> R. Slifkin's answer is no. He concedes that many <em>rishonim</em> understood the <em>shafan</em> to be the rabbit, but summarily dismisses their position. He claims that, as Europeans, the rishonim were unaware of the fauna of the Middle East. On his <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/01/where-are-pandas-penguins-and-polar.html" target="_blank">blog</a> R. Slifkin has written that:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The original study was by Tchernov [2000], who notes that the hare is "the only endemic species of lagomorph known from the Middle East since the Middle Pleistocene".</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Lagomorphs include hares, rabbits and pikas. So the study by Tchernov claims that hare remains have been found in the Middle East, but not the remains of rabbits. On the other hand, R. Slifkin claims that early authorities such as Rav Saadia Gaon (who lived in the Middle East) and Ibn Janach (about 100 years later) identified the <em>shafan</em> as the hyrax.</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Traditional sources for identifying the <i>shafan</i> as the the hyrax include Rav Saadia Gaon (882-924CE), Ibn Janach and <em>Tevuos Ha-Aretz</em>. [N. Slifkin, <em>The Camel, the Hare and the Hyrax</em>, p88, 2011, 2nd edition]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">R. Slifkin thus concludes that the <em>shafan</em> is the hyrax. Even though the hyrax does not regurgitate its food, the Torah calls it <em>ma'aleh geira </em>because its chewing motion superficially resembles that of ruminants, even though the chewing action is not needed for nutrition. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">This weakened criterion poses a problem as it would apply to other animals not mentioned in the Torah's exhaustive list (e.g. the kangaroo). As a consequence, R. Slifkin is forced to assert that the Torah's list is limited to just those animals in the general region surrounding the land of Israel. This contradicts Chazal's exegesis of the applicable verses in the Torah in which the Almighty (the "Ruler of His World") uniquely identifies the four types possessing a single sign of purity (according to one opinion in the Talmud, there is a 5th species called <em>shesuah</em>).</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">What is the shafan according to Rav Saadia and Ibn Janach?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Dr. Betech's recent book (<a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-shafan.html">here</a>) has raised important challenges to R. Slifkin's thesis. First, R. Slifkin erred when he wrote that Ibn Janach identified the <em>shafan</em> as the hyrax. This is what Ibn Janach actually wrote:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">"And the <em>shafan</em>". It is the <em>wabr</em>, an animal the size of a cat, which is found [only] a little in the East, but is abundant among us. Nevertheless the masses do not know it by that name, but by the name <em>conilio</em>, a Spanish name (for rabbit). [Ibn Janach, <em>Sefer Hashorashim, </em>translated from the Arabic]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">R. Slifkin's error is significant. Ibn Janach unambiguously identifies the <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">shafan</em> (Arabic: <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">wabr</em>) as a rabbit. R. Slifkin's response is that Ibn Janach (living in Spain) did not know of the hyrax, but he did know of the rabbit, and that some people called the rabbit by the term<em> wabr</em>, and so he assumed that this was the meaning of R. Saadia's term.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Now, it is possible that the term </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">wabr</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> was used for both the hyrax and the rabbit. But, we also note that Ibn Janach was a Torah authority, a grammarian, and an expert in Arabic. He lived soon after the times of Rav Saadia Gaon. Was he unaware of the fauna of the Middle East? Apparently not. He writes that the </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">wabr</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> (rabbit) is abundant where he lived (in Spain) but scarce in the East (where Rav Saadia lived). This matches the rabbit very well, but rules out the hyrax, which is hardly found in Spain. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This also raises the issue of what Rav Saadia meant by <em>wabr</em>. R. Slifkin refers us to Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon. This was published in the 19th century with definitions taken from older Arabic dictionaries, some from the time of Rav Saadia. </span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><strong>Second sub-entry in Lane:</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">وبر [Wbr]…</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">[The <em>hyrax Syriacus</em>; believed to be the animal called in Hebrew <em>shafan</em>] <em>a certain small beast</em><strong>, </strong>(Lth, T, S, Mgh, Msb, K,) <em>like the cat</em><strong>,</strong> (Msb, K,) <em>or of the size of the cat</em>, (Lth, T, M, Mgh,) <em>or smaller than the cat</em>, (S,) <em>of the beasts of the desert</em>, (M,) <em>of a dust-colour</em>, (Lth, T, Mgh, Msb,) <em>or of a hue between dust-colour and white</em>, (...) <em>or white</em>, (TA,) <em>having beautiful eyes</em>, (Lth, T, Mgh,) <em>or having eyes bordered with black, or very black eyes</em>, (xxx, Msb,) <em>having no tail,</em> (S, Msb,) <em>or having a small tail</em>, (Mgh,)...". </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><strong> Fourth sub-entry in Lane: </strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">وبر [Wbr] A camel <em>having much</em> وبر [Wbr] [i. e. <em>fur</em>, or <em>soft hair</em>]; (S, M, A, Msb, K;) and in like manner, a hare or rabbit, and the like; (K;)…</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Many of the older dictionaries are no longer available so that we cannot check the complete entry. But Lane does quote snippets from these dictionaries. The older dictionaries refer to the <em>wabr</em> as cat-like, a dust colour or white, and having no tail or a small tail. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">It is Lane [in the square brackets] who interprets these dictionaries to be describing the hyrax. But Lane does not state how he knows this, as the cat-like attributes may also refer to the rabbit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">In Lane's fourth-sub entry, <em>wabr</em> refers to animals having much hair, such as the camel, the hare or the <em>rabbit</em>. So, ultimately, Lane's lexicon does not rule out the rabbit. In fact, <em>wabr</em> as rabbit is explicitly allowed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">As we have already mentioned, the claim that Ibn Janach had no awareness of the fauna of the Middle East is unsupported. It is one thing for R.Slifkin to conjecture that the rishonim living in Christian France and Germany had no awareness of the fauna in the Middle East. But it is quite something else to conjecture the same for the early rishonim living in Arab Spain, and living in the cultural milieu of the Arab Caliphate.</span></div>
<blockquote>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The Moorish conquest and rule of most of the Iberian peninsula and the open Moslem imposition of the Arab language and culture upon it served to open Spain to the influence of its neighbours on the shores of the southern Mediterranean. The <em>open channels of communication to the entire Moslem world of that day</em> acted as a homogenizing factor giving a certain sense unity to the Jewish communities in this region. <em>Migration to and from the diverse and far-flung corners of the Arab Caliphate strengthened this tendency</em>. [Rabbi Hersh Goldwurm, <em>The Rishonim</em>, Artscroll, revised edition, p16-17, 2001. Emphasis added.]</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">To take another example. R. Tovya ben Eliezer, author of <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Lekach Tov, </em>was originally thought to have lived in Mainz. However, according to the editor of the Vilna edition (S. Buber) of <i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Lekach Tov</i>, he lived in Kastoria, Greece. According to Buber, this is why he demonstrated great familiarity with the state of affairs in the Middle East. This also means that we cannot totally discount his knowledge of the fauna of the Middle East. R. Tovyah writes:</span></div>
<blockquote>
<div dir="rtl" style="font-family: David; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">פסיקתא זוטרתא (<strong>לקח טוב)</strong> ויקרא פרשת שמיני דף כט עמוד ב: את זה תאכלו. לא הוצרכו לפרט את אלו, אלא מפני שיש להן סימני טהרה. <strong style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">שפן </strong>מין חיה הוא<strong style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> וטלפו כשל חתול,</strong> וכן הארנבת טלפיה דומות לחתול.</span></div>
<div dir="rtl" style="font-family: David; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><em>Shafan</em> is a type of <em>chaya</em> and its foot is like that of the cat. <em>Lekach Tov</em></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Again we have the theme that the <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">shafan</em> is cat-like. Specifically, R. Tovyah writes that the distal foot of the <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">shafan</em> is cat-like. This is true of the rabbit. As a lagomorph, it moves about as if walking on its toes (digitigrade locomotion) like a cat. However, the hyrax has hoof-like claws (stumpy toes with four hoof-like nails on each front foot and three on each back foot) and is plantigrade. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thus, the early authorities such as Ibn Janach and <i>Lekach Tov </i>provide clear unambiguous indicators that the <i>shafan</i> </span><span style="font-size: large;">is the rabbit (and not the hyrax). </span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The high hills are for the ibex, the rocks are a refuge for the shefanim</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">In his letter to <i>Dialogue</i>, R. Slifkin writes: "But to reiterate the main point: When David HaMelech writes that <i>The high hills are for the ibex, the rocks are a refuge for the shefanim</i>, he was not describing the behavior of animals from southern Africa. Instead, he was referring to the animal in the immediate vicinity of the ibex, which characteristically hides under rocks: the hyrax."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> R. Slifkin believes that all the phenomena described by King David in Psalms, must have been local to the land of Israel. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I don't see why this <b>must</b> be so. King David is describing the whole scope of creation with <em>ruach hakodesh</em>. According to the Rambam, Psalms was written with the second level of <em>ruach hakodesh</em>:</span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The second degree [of prophecy] is this : A person feels as if something came upon him, and as if he had received a new power that encourages him to speak. <strong>He treats of science, or composes hymns, exhorts his fellow-men, discusses political and theological problems; all this he does while awake, and in the full possession of his senses</strong>. Such a person is said to speak by the holy spirit. <strong>David composed the Psalms</strong>, and Solomon the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon by this spirit; … This class includes the seventy elders of whom it is said, "And it came to pass when the spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, and did not cease" (Num. xi. 25): also Eldad and Medad (ibid. ver. 26): furthermore, every high priest that inquired [of God] by the Urim and Tummim; on whom, as our Sages say, the divine glory rested, and who spoke by the holy spirit; … [<em>Moreh Nevuchim</em>, Friedlander translation, II:45, emphasis added]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">So it is entirely possible that King David was describing rock rabbits in South Africa. But, we do not need to go all the way to South Africa for rock rabbits. <i>Bunyoro</i> rabbits (<em>Poelagus marjorita</em>) are found in rocky habitats as far north as Sudan in association with the hyrax:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Habitat and Ecology: <em>Poelagus marjorita </em>exists primarily in moist savanna grassland, woodlands with rocky outcrops, and less prominently in forested areas (Duthie and Robinson 1990). They often dwell in rock crevices, and are associated in some areas with hyrax habitat (Kingdon 1974). ...</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Range Description: The accounts are restricted to Uganda, southern Sudan, northeastern DRC, and eastern (and possibly central) Central African Republic (Happold and Wendelen 2006). (<a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41292/0">link</a>)</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It also seems that, today, you can see the ibex, the hyrax and the rabbit in the red sea area of Egypt. </span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Today the area [mountain of porphyry] is uninhabited except for the occasional Ma'aza Bedouin grazing his camels. <strong>Ibex</strong>, <strong>hyrax</strong>, and <strong>rabbit</strong> live here now. Around water holes, trumpeter bullfinches, desert larks, and mourning chats flock in sayaal trees (Acacia raddiana) and the wispy-needled yasar trees (Moringa peregrina). In the fall, thousands of white storks cross overhead, riding thermal currents on their way from the Sinai to central Africa. [Via Porphyrites, <em>Stonexus magazine</em>, Louis Werner, Issue 5, Summer 2004, p. 64-65. Emphasis added.]</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> In Egypt, there are three breeds of rabbits, Giza White, Baladi and Gabali. For Baladi rabbits, there are three strains; Baladi Red, Baladi White and Baladi Black, while Sinai Gabali and Desert Gabali are considered the two strains of Gabali rabbits. Giza White rabbits are usually called improved Giza or El-Giza El-Mohassan. These Egyptian rabbits are medium-sized breeds and used mainly for meat production. [M.H. Khalil, <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Rabbit genetic resources of Egypt</em>, AGRI 1999 26: 95-111]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Dr. Betech has pointed out that some breeds of rabbits are native to Egypt. Among them the Baladi rabbit, which in Arabic means "native" rabbit and the "Sinai Gabali" rabbit which live in the Sinai and eastern and western deserts of Egypt and are raised by the Bedouins for food consumption. They are referred to by Mahmoud (1938) as native Egyptian rabbits. (See <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Enigma</em> p98). R. Slifkin writes (<a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/01/where-are-pandas-penguins-and-polar.html">here</a>):</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">And I can give you plenty of sources that I am a native Englishman. For the last three generations! … If you want to say that they were already released and established in Egypt in Biblical times, the onus of proof is on you. Then, of course, you also have to bring evidence that they were in Israel.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">I am not sure if R. Slifkin's ancestors were in England in the stone age. But it is believed that already very early on, rabbits had spread from Spain to North Africa.</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The oldest anthropogenic transportation of a mammal could be the introduction of the rabbit to North Africa. The Palaeolithic material attributed to this species is represented by two questionable old findings from Algeria and Morocco (Romer, 1928; Gobert & Gaufry, 1932). <b>The abundance of the species in Neolithic deposits </b>(Romer 1928; Hopwood & Hollyfield 1954) <b>suggests an early introduction from Iberia</b>, where the species has been know since at least the Mindel. [C. Cheylan, Pleistocene turnover, current distribution and speciation among Mediterranean mammals, in <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasion</em>, R. H. Groves, F. Di Castri (eds.), p247-248, Cambridge 1991, Emphasis added).</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> At the other end of the Sahara, species have travelled northwards following the Nile valley; these species are likely to be found in the Israel, sometimes reaching Lebanon and Southern Turkey: e.g.. species of <em>Mellirova</em>, <em>Genetta</em>, <em>Herpestes</em>, <em>Procavia</em>, <em>Alcephalus</em>, and <em>Acomys</em>. [<em>ibid</em>. p239]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">So rabbits arrived on the African continent early on, and just as the ibex and the rabbit are reportedly found together in Egypt today, so too they may have been there in Biblical times. Given that there are species of rabbits (such as those in South Africa and Sudan) that live in rocky areas, rabbits (like the hyrax) may have built-in adaptability to a variety of terrains. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Cheylan explicitly identifies a Sahara migration route, north through the Nile Valley and into Israel. One of his examples is the genus <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Procavia </em>which includes the Cape hyrax<em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. </em>Given that the hyrax and the rabbit are found in the same habitat, this is a possible route for rabbits to get to Egypt and ultimately Israel. Even if rabbits never actually reached Israel, nevertheless, the <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Bnei Yisroel </em>lived in ancient Egypt for many years and there were also established Biblical trade routes between Egypt and Israel from at least the times of the Patriarchs. So it is possible that this knowledge could have been preserved. </span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The fossil record</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Given that there are rock rabbits in the southern Sudan and Sahara migration routes going north, following the Nile valley to Israel we cannot rule out either knowledge, or actual presence, of rabbits in Biblical Israel. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
Thus, R. Slifkin is forced to refer us to the Tchernov [2000] paper stating that the hare is "<i>the only endemic species of lagomorph known from the Middle East since the Middle Pleistocene</i>". Tchernov et. al. are experts in the zooarcheology of the Levant and thus their opinion seems to count heavily in R. Slifkin's favour. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">However, we may always ask what evidence do Tchernov et. al. advance for their claim. Several months ago, Rabbi Coffer emailed Dr. Theodora Bar-El (at the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences Hebrew University of Jerusalem) for clarification. Here is R. Coffer's letter:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">I am currently doing some research in lagomorph paleontology specifically as relates to Israel and came upon your paper "Lagomorph Remains at Prehistoric Sites in Israel and Southern Sinai" which appeared in Vol. 26 N1 of the science journal <em>Paleorient</em> (2000). In your paper you document six locations in Israel (Hayonim Terrace, Netiv Hagdud, Ohalo II, and the Caves of Hayonim, Kebara and Nahal Hemar) where lagomorph remains were unearthed. These remains are identified in your paper as belonging to the species Lepus capensis (Cape Hare) and in your abstract you write that Lepus capensis "has been the only species of lagomorph known from this region". I'm sure you are very busy but I have two questions which relate to your presentation. I tried to contact your colleague (and collaborator on this project) Dr. Eitan Tchernov but unfortunately he has since passed away so and I would be very grateful if you managed to find some time to provide me with some clarification. The first issue relates to methodology so I'll begin with that.</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> 1) On page 95 under the heading Materials and Methods, you write as follows: "For identification and taxonomic appraisal, bone fragments were compared with those of Lepus capensis from the Comparative Collection of Mammals at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. <strong>Schmid's Atlas of Animal Bones</strong> was also referred to." My question is, were there any methods utilized to distinguish between the Leporid species Lepus capensis and other Leporid species such as, say, Lepus timidus (mountain hare) or Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbit)? After all, their skeletons are practically identical. In fact, although Schmid's Atlas deals specifically with eight animals (Horse, Ox, Sheep, Pig, Wolf, Bear, Beaver and Hare), the author writes that "<strong>the hare stands for all Leporidae</strong>" (pg 11, under the section Sequence of the Animals). Since all hares and rabbits fall under this category, is it possible that some of the bone fragments you found may indeed have belonged to another species from the Leporid family?</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> 2) As mentioned earlier, you write that "Since the Middle Pleistocene the cape hare (Lepus capensis) has been the only species of lagomorph known from this region." What I am wondering is, how reliable are the results of nine locations (several of them caves) over the size of such a region (roughly 30,000 sq. kilometers)? How authoritative are the conclusions based on these results? When you write that the cape hare is the only known species in the region, do you mean to say that it is reasonable to conclude that no other species of lagomorph occupied this region in the past, or do you mean to say that as of now (the time of your paper) there are simply no other known species of lagomorph that have been documented in the strata?</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Looking forward to your response, I remain</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Sincerely yours,</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Indeed, as Schmid states, the bones in her atlas stand for all <em>Leporidae</em> which includes the hare and the rabbit. Thus the atlas itself cannot be used to specifically distinguish the hare from the rabbit. No evidence is presented in the Tchernov paper that indicates how the authors made the identification that the bones they dug up were specifically that of the hare. This does not mean that they did not employ such a determination. It is just that the paper itself does not present the relevant evidence. There is thus a rather large gap between claim and evidence for the claim.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">So are there methods that might be used to distinguish between the hare and the rabbit? Dr. Betech writes:</span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">However, because of the adaption of <i>Lepus</i> towards fast locomotion, reflected in an enlongation of the distal parts of the hind limbs, and the digging adaptation of <i>Oryctolagus</i>, reflected mainly in the forelimbs (see e.g., Sych, Donard, Fladerer, Fostowicz-Frelik ) differences between the two genera in the proportions of several postcranial elements are obvious and can be used to distinguish them. [<em>Enigma</em>, p92]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">However, given the similarity of the hare and rabbit, this determination is not always an easy task. </span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> <strong>The differences between the living species of rabbits and hares are subtle, even though we have the whole animal for comparison</strong>. Since most fossil and sub-fossil finds consist of isolated teeth or small fragments of skull or other bone, t<strong>he difficulties of confidently distinguishing species in the fossil record is acute.</strong>The problem is exacerbated by the burrowing ability of the rabbit and consequent difficulty of recognizing remains that have thereby been intruded into earlier strata. [<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">“Taxonomy and origins”, G.B. Corbet, p4, in </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">The European Rabbit: The History and Biology of a Successful Colonizer</em><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">, edited by Harry V. Thompson and Corolyn M. King, Oxford University Press, 1994. Emphasis added]</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As Dr. Betech writes, <span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Wible has studied 59 osteological cranial characteristics among lagomorphs, and found that </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Lepus </em><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">capensis</em><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"> (cape hare) and </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Pronolagus </em><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">crassicaudatus</em><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"> (the rock rabbit) differ only in one of them, i.e. in the size and location of the sphenopalatine vacuity (SPV). </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">[</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Wible J.R. "Cranial Osteology of the Lagomorpha". <em>Bulletin Carnegie Museum of Natural History</em>. 2007; 39:213-234.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Thus, some of the fossils found in Biblical Israel and indiscriminately identified as fossils of </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Lepus</em><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">capensis</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">, could indeed correspond to </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Pronolagus crassicaudatus</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">, a species which dwells specifically in rocky habitats. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"> Another major issue is that the fossil record for Lagomorphs is incomplete. Many living lagomorph genera lack a fossil record.</span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><strong>Only 12 genera and about 75 lagomorph species are still living in recent times, most of them almost devoid of paleontological record</strong>. (p27)</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"> (8) <strong>Many living lagomorph genera lack a fossil record</strong>. The others are mainly recorded by extinct species, indicating a recent renewal of the lagomorph fauna. (p44, summary)</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> <span style="text-align: justify;">Living leporids with a palaeolagine-type p3, which appear as a natural group in some molecular phylogenies, are poorly represented in the fossil record. Among them, the Japanese </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Pentalagus</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the only one with a fossil relative, +</span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Pliopentalagus</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> from the European and Asiatic Pliocene. It assesses the refugee status of the surviving insular Amami rabbit. From the remaining palaeolagine-like living taxa (</span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Bunolagus</em><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Pronolagus</em><span style="text-align: justify;">, and </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Romerolagus</em><span style="text-align: justify;">), only </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Pronolagus</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> has been documented by fossil remains from South African Plio-Pleistocene.</span><sup style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;"> </sup><span style="text-align: justify;"> (p. 37-38)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> <span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">[</span><em style="font-family: Garamond; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">The Lagomorph Fossil Record and the Origin of the European Rabbit</em><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">, Nieves Lopez-Martinez, in </span><em style="font-family: Garamond; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">Lagomorph Biology</em><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">, Springer-Verlag, 2008, pp 27-46. Extinct taxa have a ‘+’ preceding their names. Emphasis added]</span></span></blockquote>
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<div style="font-family: Garamond; margin: 0px 0px 2px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">So, for example, Lopez-Martinez mentions the genus <em>Bunolagus</em> as lacking documentation in the fossil record<em>. </em>The<em> </em>riverine rabbit (<em>Bunolagus monticularis</em>), also called the bushman rabbit, is the only living member of this genus. This rare and endangered species of rabbit, living in the Karoo (in South Africa), has no fossil record. As another example, there is a rare species of rabbit in Mexico (genus <em>Romerolagus</em>) that has no fossils record. </span></div>
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<h1 style="font-family: Garamond; margin: 0px 0px 2px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Conclusion</span></h1>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">In summary, the hyrax is disqualified </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">ab initio</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"> as it is not a </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">ma’aleh geira</em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">. </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">The hyrax is not a ruminant. It does not have an alternate regurgitation mechanism such as cecotrophy, analogous </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">to that of ruminants. It is doubtful that the hyrax practices merycism, and certainly not as a nutritional imperative.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;"> <span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18px;">The fossil record is known to be incomplete and cannot be used to exclude the rabbit from Biblical Israel. There are many living species of lagomorphs for which there is no rock record. The differences between the living species of rabbits and hares are subtle, even though we have the whole animal for comparison. Since most fossil and sub-fossil finds consist of isolated teeth or small fragments of skull or other bone, the difficulties of confidently distinguishing species in the fossil record is acute. No evidence has yet been presented that appropriate measures have been taken to confidently identify lagomorph fossils as hares rather than rabbits. Even if such measures have been taken, is the sample size sufficiently large?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="text-align: justify;">The most reasonable candidate for the </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">shafan</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the rabbit, as per our </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">mesora</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> going back to early authorities such as Ibn Janach, Lekach Tov and many others</span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">. </em><span style="text-align: justify;">The Talmud states that the Almighty, Ruler of His world, knows that there is no creature that is <i>maaleh geira</i> and is non-kosher except for the camel, hare and </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">shafan</em><span style="text-align: justify;">. With the </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">shafan</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> now identified as the rabbit, the Torah’s list of four (or five, according to one opinion in the Talmud) exceptions is exhaustive, as identified by </span><em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify;">Chazal</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> in their exegesis of the relevant verses in the Torah.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">And if the <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">shafan</em> is the rabbit as per our <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">mesora</em>, then there were indubitably rabbits in the region of Biblical Israel, and it would indeed be expected that rabbits lived in the same habitat as the ibex. Contemporary writers describe the ibex, the hyrax and rabbit (or at least lagomorphs) occupying the same habitat in mountains in the Red Sea area. There are rock rabbits as far north as Sudan and migration routes north to the Nile valley and Israel. This fits in with King David’s description of the high mountains as the habitat of the wild goats (ibex) and the rocks as a refuge for the <em style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">shafan</em> (rabbit). At first glance, the remote and barren mountains appear to serve no purpose; but in fact they were created to provide a habitat for the ibex. Even the rocks and boulders which litter the wilderness are created with plan and purpose to protect the fragile rabbits from the predatory birds which seek to swoop down on them (see <em>Radak</em>). </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-25915138796902833152013-07-07T00:25:00.001-04:002013-07-12T10:37:22.429-04:00Truth in Advertising: What is the Yesh Atid Agenda for Educational Reform?<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">By, <em>Rabbi Eliezer Breitowitz, Rosh HaYeshiva, <a href="http://darchei.ca/" target="_blank">Darchei Torah</a></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">(Posted by Rabbi Korobkin, BAYT, 5 July, 2013, <a href="http://www.toriah.com/pdf/REB-Lipman.pdf" target="_blank">pdf version</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
The recent visit of Chaver Knesset Rabbi Dov Lipman to Toronto raised a myriad of questions. To many, however, all of these can be reduced to a single question: The positions of Yesh Atid seem so reasonable and so progressive; why is the Chareidi community so blind to its own self-interest? The Chareidi community, rather than vilifying party leader Yair Lapid, should instead embrace him as the leader who will bring the Chareidim to enlightenment, prosperity, and full participation in Israeli society.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
This question presumes that the Yesh Atid platform has been correctly presented and that Chaver Knesset Lipman's statements accurately represent the Yesh Atid platform. But is this the case?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Let us examine one small - but extremely important - aspect of the Yesh Atid agenda: educational reform.</span><br />
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In a recorded interview with Rabbi Daniel Korobkin (posted on <a href="http://bit.ly/1a2vfOY">KosherTube.com</a> on June 28, 2013) Chaver Knesset Lipman was asked about the government's plan to introduce secular studies into the Chareidi schools. In his response he affirmed that the government is only interested in introducing basic math and English, nothing more. When asked whether schools which refuse to comply will be forced to close, he replied,</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"<em>We've never said any Yeshiva has to close; they'll be funded instead of 55%, they'll be funded at 35%.</em>"</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chaver Knesset Lipman goes on to say that the publication of reports to the contrary in the Chareidi press illustrate the erosion of commitment to the Torah ideal of Emes in the Chareidi community.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
What are the facts?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
The Hebrew Yesh Atid <a href="http://yeshatid.org.il/hinuch-plan/">website</a> , which presumably represents the party position accurately, declares,</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"<em>The party will work toward the <strong>abolition, or at least the reduction</strong>, of 'private' and 'recognized but not official' educational institutions. The Israeli taxpayer must only support the public schools that are open to all and educate in accordance with the fundamental principles of the State of Israel.</em>" [Emphasis added]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>[המפלגה תפעל <strong>לביטולם</strong>, <strong>או לכל הפחות לצמצומם</strong>, של מוסדות חינוך פרטיים ומוכרים שאינם רשמיים. על משלם המסים הישראלי לתמוך רק בבתי ספר ציבוריים הפתוחים לכל ומחנכים על פי עקרונות היסוד של מדינת ישראל.]</span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="direction: rtl;">The designation "recognized but not official" refers to Chareidi education in which, according to the Ministry of Education </span><a href="http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/ChinuchMukar/Minhal/Odot/" style="direction: rtl;">website</a><span style="direction: rtl;"> , over 395,000 students</span><span style="direction: rtl;">are educated in 5774 kindergartens, 724 primary schools, 381 secondary schools, and 78 special-education institutions. </span>The abolition of this system is Yesh Atid's declared objective. This may not be the immediate goal of the Ministry of Education under Yesh Atid Minister of Education Shai Piron; in politics and governance there is always a gap between ultimate goals and achievable policies. But the claim that Yesh Atid has "never said any Yeshiva has to close" is just patently false.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is the platform on which Chaver Knesset Lipman ran for office. He may deny ever having said this - see below - but, given the proportional representation system of the State of Israel in which voters vote for parties and not for individual candidates, this is certainly the platform he was elected to implement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The claim that schools that refuse to introduce secular studies will retain 35% funding is also contrary to the Yesh Atid platform. As the Yesh Atid website states,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"<em>It is the responsibility of the State of Israel to define the basic core curriculum </em>(ליב"ה, i.e. לימודי יסוד במערכת החינוך)<i> as that which will comprise a portion of the 'educational basket' to be provided for every child...Schools in which the core curriculum </i>(ליב"ה)<i> is not studied </i><strong style="font-style: italic;">will not receive any appropriation from the State</strong>." (Emphasis added.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">[על מדינת ישראל להגדיר את לימודי היסוד במערכת החינוך, כחלק מסל החינוך שיוגדר לכל ילד. מקצועות היסוד מבטיחים הכשרה בסיסית ומוביליות חברתית לבוגרי המערכת. לימודי הליב"ה מהווים חלק מהותי ביצירת מרקם חברתי משותף. העדרם של לימודי הליב"ה פוגע בעתידם של הבוגרים ובעתידה של המדינה. בתי ספר בהם לא יילמדו לימודי הליב"ה, <strong>לא יזכו לתקציב מהמדינה</strong>.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chaver Knesset Lipman has affirmed this position and defended it. In an Open Letter to the Baltimore Jewish Community (posted on the Baltimore Jewish Life <a href="http://bit.ly/15nLgOg">website</a>, May 8, 2013) , Chaver Knesset Lipman writes,</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I was quoted as saying that 'all yeshiva ketanos in Israel should be closed' and then for all intents and purposes I was called a rasha and equated with Amalek and Haman. The following is what I actually have said and what my political party Yesh Atid is working for: "The Israeli government should not fund institutions which don't teach basic math and English. Yeshivos which don't do so will not be closed down but they won't receive government funding. It should be pointed out that there are numerous yeshivos which already take zero government money and continue to flourish... I believe it is a sound decision for a government to make and look forward to seeing the Yeshiva Ketanos flourish and continue producing Gedolei Torah while teaching basic math and English.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">In addition, Chaver Knesset Lipman's repeated references to "basic math and English" - both in the recorded interview and in the Open Letter are quite disingenuous. The Ministry of Education core curriculum - </span>ליב"ה<span style="font-size: large;">- is a State mandated program. It includes civics as a central component in order to promote the State's ideal of good citizenship. Needless to say, from the Chareidi perspective, the promotion of the State - not the Ribbono Shel Olam and not the Torah - as the primary object of a citizen's devotion is far more objectionable than basic math and English.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Minister of Education Piron has repeatedly stated that appropriations will be linked to implementing the civics curriculum the State cannot be expected to provide funding contrary to its own interests. While the ultimate Ministry of Education policy has not yet been finalized, any compromises will be undoubtedly rooted in considerations of feasibility and political opposition, not goodwill and open-mindedness to Chareidi concerns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chaver Knesset Lipman's criticism of the Chareidi community for its lack of commitment to the ideal of Emes in suggesting that Yesh Atid's policies are anti-Charedi has already been noted. Before making such rash accusations, I would suggest that he examine his own public proclamations.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-38601675938426262013-07-07T00:05:00.001-04:002013-07-09T14:56:36.913-04:00The Identity Of The Israeli People Is At Stake<div class="contentdetails" style="background-color: white; margin: 3px 0px 12px; outline: none; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wednesday, May 08, 2013</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By Rabbi Moshe Boylan<br />Yated Neeman </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"The Identity Of The Israeli People Is At Stake” - Understanding The Current Situation In Eretz Yisroel</span></strong></div>
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An Interview with Rav Moshe Meiselman<br />Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Moshe, Yerushalayim<br /><br />The chareidi community is currently grappling with the plans of the recently elected Israeli government, particularly the efforts to draft bnei hayeshivos into the Israeli army.<br /><br />As rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Moshe in Yerushalayim, Rav Moshe Meiselman is directly affected by the situation. His insight and perspective can help us understand the root causes of the current reality and the mindset we must have in standing strong against the proposed legislation of the government coalition.</i></span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.yated.com/-the-identity-of-the-israeli-people-is-at-stake-understanding-the-current-situation-in-eretz-yisroel.7-949-7.html#" id="largeImageLink" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s; color: #666666; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; outline-style: none; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="bigImage" src="http://www.yated.com//_sub/_yated/uploads/content/Moshe_Meiselman-md.jpg" style="-webkit-border-image: url(data:image/png; border-style: none; border-width: 9px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold;">What is the proper hashkafic view of the current situation regarding the drafting of yeshiva bochurim into IDF?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In order to understand the current circumstance, we must go back almost 100 years in time. In 1917, the British army conquered Palestine - as it was called at the time - from the Turks. Around 28 years later, in the aftermath of World War II, it became clear that the British could not maintain their control over Palestine and had to give over control to someone else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In November 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine to two different groups, the Jews and the Arabs. The question was which members of the Jewish community the British would hand control over to. In order for the Jewish Agency to represent a united front, there had to be a status quo that would allow for the continued existence of religious people in Eretz Yisroel. This would allow the religious Jewish community to consent to the Jewish Agency representing them - at least to some extent - in its desire to found a state. The status quo was thus agreed upon at this time, with the consent and participation of many Torah leaders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The status quo was handed down by David Ben-Gurion in Yerushalayim. In a short letter, which he signed on June 19, 1947, he declared to Agudas Yisroel that the Jewish Agency’s executive empowered him to promise that Shabboswould be the day of rest; kashrus would be observed in the kitchens of all government-related institutions; laws of personal status would be administered so as to prevent the division of Beit Yisrael (in other words, according to the laws of the Torah, in keeping with the Orthodox interpretation); chareidi education, like the other educational streams, would be given autonomy; and the “government would not undermine, in any way, the religious consciousness or religious conscience of any part of the Jewish nation.” (This can be found at http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4339456,00.html.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In summation, in order for the Zionists to claim to the British that they represented everyone, they had to have a status quo. Ultimately, this status quo, which preceded the founding of the State of Israel, enabled the transition of government from the British to the Zionists. This was also the reason that Agudas Yisroel agreed to sign the Declaration of Independence, as they felt that the special needs of their community would still be represented, even if the state would not be totally religious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The “social contract” that the whole State of Israel was founded upon was the status quo just discussed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How long was this status quo to be in effect?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When the State of Israel was founded, a number of major issues came up that required for this status quo to be extended in a number of ways. During the first two years after the founding of the state, the issue of the participation of bnei hayeshivos in the Israeli army was discussed and determined. Prime Minister Ben Gurion decided to allow thebnei hayeshivos to have a dichuy tzava (a deferral from being drafted into the army). As Yair Lapid mentioned in his famous Kiryat Ono speech, the reason that Ben Gurion agreed to this condition was because he thought that thebnei hayeshivos were anyway an endangered species that would go away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meanwhile, everyone else in the country - besides the bnei hayeshivos - was expected to serve for three years in the Israeli army. One would think that this was due to security concerns. While this is partially true, there was another, more sinister reason for requiring almost everyone to serve in the Israeli army. Ben Gurion mentioned that the army was the social leveler, enabling all the diverse elements of Israeli society to be united and molded in a new Israeli mentality and nationality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">In what way was the army to impact the culture and atmosphere of the country?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The army served the purpose of allowing Ben Gurion and the Zionists to impose their anti-Torah lifestyle, philosophy and ideology on the thousands who would serve in Tzahal. One must understand that being in the army means that soldiers must totally subjugate themselves to the rules and orders of their superiors. This enables those running the army to create a new social identity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was the reason that the gedolim leading the chareidi community insisted very strongly that bnei hayeshivos not go to the Israeli army. They rejected the new social identity that the Zionists were trying to impose on the residents of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Was this the reason that the gedolim felt that joining the army at the time was “yeihoreig ve’al yaavor”?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indeed. We can now understand the famous story of the Brisker Rov zt”l refusing to sign a statement that sheirutleumi was yeihoreig ve’al yaavor. The Brisker Rov said that if he would sign it, it would sound like only army/sheirutleumi for women was yeihoreig ve’al yaavor, but not army service for men. In fact, the Brisker Rov felt that even for men to go to the Israeli army was yeihoreig ve’al yaavor. We can now appreciate why this is so, as the Israeli army was meant to create a new social identity to replace any commitment to Torah life, and it would therefore beyeihoreig ve’al yaavor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How effective was Ben Gurion’s plan?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is important to realize that Ben Gurion’s plan was, in fact, successful to a large extent. Thousands of previously religious immigrants were successfully indoctrinated with Zionism through the army and ultimately lost their commitment to Torah. Even those who remained shomer mitzvos were given a new identity that was antithetical to true Torah values and a true Torah lifestyle. Our society demands that we be more than observant secularists. Torah is also a whole outlook on life that encompasses the whole personality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The phenomenon of abandonment of mitzvos as a result of the army is not unique to the early period of the founding of the state. In a recent article, Yonason Rosenblum quoted Rabbi Melamed, a religious leader in the Dati Leumicommunity, as saying that 25% of the Dati Leumi people who enter the Israeli army ultimately become chilonim.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On Lag Ba’omer, Naftali Bennett visited Bnei Brak and declared that the lifestyle of the chareidi community is a greater existential threat to Israel than the Iranian nuclear threat. [see *, below, YSO] What Ben Gurion said sixty-five years ago our enemies say today. He declared that he will force us to integrate into secular Israeli society. In fact, one of Bennett’s campaign goals was to make Sunday a day of rest so that the Dati Leumi community could share cultural events with the secular community and achieve cultural unity. While his primary goal is to secularize the chareidim, his secondary goal is to do likewise to the Dati Leumi community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Were the issue one of national defense, there would not be an option of sheirut leumi, national service. If the goal is one of acculturation, then the army is only one tool. In the words of one activist, “If you serve in sheirut leumi, your children will already serve in the army.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How about Nachal Chareidi?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even the Nachal Chareidi units have not been successful in maintaining commitment to Torah. Very high percentages of those who enter Nachal Chareidi have removed themselves from Torah observance. Even among those who have maintained observance, their identity as Torah Jews has been seriously undermined. Even some of the leaders of the Nachal Chareidi units have complained about this and have also mentioned that they are often met with a lack of flexibility from the army people in meeting the needs of chareidi individuals. This has extended to the Shachar group, which is another chareidi segment of the army. Last summer, the chief recruiter for Shachar wanted to resign when he saw the negative impact on the Shachar recruits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the proper response to those in Israeli society who say, “Why should our sons go out on the front lines and put their lives at risk, while your children get to sit in the safe confines of their yeshivos or homes?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The answer is dual. First, we cannot even discuss this under the current climate. When the issue will be only one of defense, then we can discuss the defense issue. However, since this is not even the major issue, to discuss it on this level is meaningless. Since the government will not in the foreseeable future desist from its historic goal of forcing us into their social mold, I do not see that this question will be relevant for a long time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Second, we must realize ourselves that the greatest defense of the country is our learning of Torah. The Netziv writes in Haamek Dovor that when society is involved with arayos, Eretz Yisroel spits them out of the land and they will go into golus. The learning of Torah is what protects us from this horrible punishment. However, if those who learn Torah are weakened and adopt the prevailing lifestyle, then this defense is also weakened and the land will spit all of us out. Our learning of Torah and rejection of their lifestyle is what is keeping us safe in Eretz Yisroel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">If the chareidi community doesn’t want the Israeli army to impose its sense of social identity on us, where does our social identity come from instead?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We can answer this question with the words of the maskil, Chaim Nachman Bialik, a former student in Volozhin, who called the yeshivos “beit hayotzer lenishmat haumah” (the place where the soul of the nation is created). By spending our initial years in the environment of the yeshivos hakedoshos, we are able to imbibe and attain the social identity of the chareidi community, which is the ideology and life of true Torah commitment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now let us continue to the next part of the social contract. Shortly after the issue of army participation was resolved, another issue had to be dealt with. Where would the chareidi community be educated? The leaders of the Torah community understood that if the secular state would run our system of education, this would prevent us from perpetuating our culture and mesorah. As said before, the yeshivos are the place where our nationality is formed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How was this accomplished in light of the efforts of the government to impose its social views on its citizens?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This issue was resolved in three ways. Certain schools in the chareidi community (e.g., the Eidah Hachareidis schools) maintained complete and total separation from the secular state. The mainstream chareidi chadorim andyeshivos ketanos initially did not take any money from the government in order to maintain independence. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the government tried to bring a greater part of the chareidi school system under its wing and began funding yeshivos ketanos and chadorim to a large degree. They promised them educational independence. While some were nervous about becoming economically dependent on the government, most chadorim and yeshivos ketanos accepted the governmental offer. Even the Chinuch Atzmai schools, which always received some money from the government, insisted on having their educational system and curriculum independent from the government.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meanwhile, the Israeli government used the power of their own schools to indoctrinate students with a non-Torah ideology and approach. As mentioned previously, thousands of immigrants - such as the Teimanim, the immigrants from North Africa, the Yaldei Tehran, etc. - were removed from the Torah way of life that they had been accustomed to in the countries they came from. Our Torah leaders from the very beginning insisted that we are the only ones who will dictate the nature of our educational system.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Using the power of indoctrination of the Israeli schools and the Israeli army, the government succeeded in creating a new Israeli social identity that took numerous people away from the way of Torah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How does this all apply to the current realities in 2013?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fast-forwarding about sixty years to our current situation, the yeshivos and mosdos hachinuch that continue ourmesorah have successfully helped many to maintain the Torah, despite the danger presented by those in the non-Torah community in Eretz Yisroel who want to remove us from it. Meanwhile, many in the non-Torah world have emigrated from Israel and/or have a relatively smaller birth rate compared to the chareidi population.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As Yair Lapid mentioned in one of his speeches, about 50% of the first graders entering schools in Israel are religious. This means that in 25 years, larger and larger percentages of Israel will be religious, with a higher percentage of that being chareidi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">So not all is bleak. There seem to be reasons to be encouraged.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, there are, but while we may be happy to hear this, people like Yair Lapid and his partners are horrified that there may be a chareidi takeover of the country. In order to prevent this from happening, the members of the coalition are planning to destroy the status quo that has enabled chareidi Jews to function and flourish in Eretz Yisroel for the last 65 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The way to undo the status quo is to require bnei hayeshivos to join the Israeli army, thus enabling them to be influenced by and indoctrinated with the non-Torah ideology and way of life. Without the “beit hayotzer lenishmathaumah,” the social identity of the chareidi community will be replaced by one that has chareidim becoming like the rest of Israeli society.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">In addition to implementing a mandatory draft, how does the government coalition wish to impact the yeshivos and educational institutions?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The current coalition plans on imposing requirements regarding the curriculum of mosdos hachinuch in the chareidicommunity. This will be in the form of serious adjustments to the curriculum. However, it also represents a destruction of the independence of our educational system. Thus, in addition to trying to influence chareidim through requiring entrance into the Israeli army, the government is attempting to cause the children of chareidim to be influenced by the secular world through the standards imposed by secular and non-Torah individuals. In addition, even chareidi mosdos haTorah which educate talmidim from chutz la’aretz are facing proposed budget cuts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">The secular element in Israel, and even some segments of the religious sector, use the term “share the burden” to express their feelings that the chareidi community is not contributing its fair share.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It must be crystal clear that the ultimate purpose of the new gezeiros of the coalition is not “shivuy netel” - their catch word for saying that everyone must contribute equally in society. Instead, the purpose of these laws and requirements is nothing less than a blatant attempt to undermine the chareidi community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Part of this modern-day attack on the chareidi community is the fact that Lapid, Bennett and their allies are attempting to demonize and delegitimize the entire chareidi community. Thus, the actions of a few incorrect and misguided individuals in the chareidi community - such as those who acted in a crazy fashion in the Beit Shemesh incident last year - are used to tarnish and paint the entire chareidi community as backwards and illegitimate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The attempt to portray the chareidi community as being discriminatory toward women, referred to as “hadratnoshim,” is part of this attempted demonization and delegitimization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A similar campaign has been waged by the secular, leftist community against the mitnachalim, the settler community. Not that long ago, this community was respected in Israeli society. Through a concerted attempt to delegitimize them, the leftists have succeeded in having them viewed negatively by the average Israeli citizen. This began with the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin and ended with the destruction of the community in Gaza.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One has to remember that the settlers’ efforts were undertaken with governmental approval and active encouragement. Without first demonizing them and delegitimizing them, the government would not have had the ability to destroy them. Now the secularists have set their sights on delegitimizing the chareidi community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the proper response to the “share the burden” claim?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In order to counteract the negative publicity campaign against the chareidi community, it is important to realize the falsity of the canard that “chareidim don’t pay their fair share in Israeli society,” otherwise known as “shivuy netel.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even if nobody in the chareidi community worked, they would still be paying tremendous amounts of money to the Israeli government. The reason for this is that the Israeli taxation system - unlike the U.S. system - is especially regressive. In Israel, there is a large sales tax called V.A.T of 17% on all goods and services, with the exception until now of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, there is an extremely large tax on land and new construction. This means that whenever any chareidi buys a dirah for his son or son-in-law, which is standard whenever chareidim get married in Israel, they are in effect paying hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxes to the Israeli government. These two represent the largest part of the income of the national government. Income tax is not the major source of national governmental income as it is in the United States.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> It is also important to realize that a very large portion of the top financial echelon in Israel is comprised of chareidim. This is in addition to the numerous chareidim who are gainfully employed. (This number has increased in the last number of years.) As an example, in the shul I daven in, Chanichei Hayeshivos in Har Nof, at least 60% of themispallelim are working.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shai Piron of the Yesh Atid party, the current Minister of Education, was interviewed by the Israeli press for an Independence Day article. His point was simple: If you don’t listen to me, I won’t give you money. He made a simple mistake. He is a public representative representing the entire citizenry and dispensing public tax money, not his private money. We are all tax-paying citizens entitled to our own lifestyle and a portion of our tax money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">The rosh yeshiva has remarked in the past that the government’s efforts to impose its view on chareidi Jews is unprecedented.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, it is. The attempt of the current Israeli governmental coalition to impose its standards on an entire minority -chareidim - is totally against the concept of democracy as espoused by Jefferson and as practiced in America. While Bennett and Lapid may have the democratic right to believe that chareidim should be educated a certain way, they have no right to try to force this down their throats and prevent them from educating their children and young adults in the way that they have for thousands of years. Hamilton’s idea of the majority electing an elite to manage the affairs of the primitive masses was rejected by the American people as it was rejected by all western democracies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While Jeffersonian democracy is not “Torah miSinai,” it is important to keep the above point in mind when explaining our position to those outside of the machaneh haTorah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">What exactly should be done by the chareidi community in order to fight against the current suggested plan of the Israeli government?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Clearly, American Torah Jewry, both individually and collectively, must make strong statements that we will not tolerate this non-democratic attempt to uproot and undermine the very existence of the chareidi community in Eretz Yisroel. By voicing one’s opinion, one is not an enabler to the suggested plan of the current government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Are we to reach out to those in the secular or Religious Zionist camps and try to explain our outlook and hashkafos or are we to ignore them and simply follow our mesorah without bothering to respond to or interact with them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously, we must reach out. However, it has to be done in a clear way. We want to be able to keep our lifestyle, and the issue is not one of defense or imposing our will on the Israeli secular majority. We want to continue the social contract that has enabled us to exist and flourish over the past sixty-five years. We do not want a social and cultural identity imposed on us. Only when the kulturkampf ceases together with the demonization and delegitimization can we sit down calmly and see how both cultures can coexist. Yair Lapid’s challenge in his speech in Kiryat Ono to jointly share the burden of managing Israeli society is a pipe dream under current circumstances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dov Lipman, an MK with Yesh Atid, Lapid’s party, has distorted the views of his rebbi, Rav Yaakov Weinberg zt”l, and the mesorah of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel. As a talmid of the yeshiva, I can personally attest that the roshei yeshiva - both past and present - have nothing whatsoever to do with Lipman’s ideologies and suggested policies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold;"> In fact, Rav Aharon Feldman, current rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, wrote: “The views expressed by MK Dov Lipman do not represent the views or the education of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel. Furthermore, the statements attributed to our former rosh hayeshiva, Rav Yaakov Weinberg zt”l, were taken out of context and misrepresent his opinion.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold;">Can the rosh yeshiva share any final comments on this matter?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Mei’oyevai techakmeini mitzvosecha” can be understood as telling us that we can learn from the enemies of Torah what the Torah commands us to do. If a person like Dov Lipman is having a speaking tour in the U.S., including at many Modern Orthodox mosdos hachinuch, this is because he understands correctly the importance of public opinion in the U.S. By influencing public opinion in America, Lipman is trying to help his party succeed in their plans for thechareidi community, r”l.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We can learn from these misguided people the importance of American public opinion and likewise voice our opinion loudly and clearly so as not to enable the enemies of Torah to determine how the chareidi community in Eretz Yisroel should educate the future generations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again, I cannot say it enough: We must realize clearly that the issue at hand is not shivuy netel. The real issue is that the very identity of the Israeli people is at stake. Will our identity be formed by the beit hayotzeir lenishmat haumah, our yeshivos hakedoshos, or by the Israeli government and army?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the very same time, the government is attacking the chareidi community at all angles. This includes, besides drafting yeshiva bochurim into the army, proposing new lower standards for geirus, new requirements for mosdoshachinuch, new standards to be accepted at the Kosel Hamaarovi, and numerous other measures to destroy our community and lifestyle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These things are all aimed at undermining the social contract - the “status quo” - which has enabled the chareidicommunity to exist and flourish for the last six and a half decades. We are fighting for our very existence and ability to function.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<hr align="center" color="black" size="2" width="80%" />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*According to one report (</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">http://bit.ly/12kMPay)</span></span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0in;">Bennet said: "The inclusion of tens of thousands of Chareidim to the workforce - with love - is a national goal, exactly like stopping the Iranian nuclear threat." Bennet has joined forces with Lapid in the current coalition; see the next post for Lapid's ultimate goals. In a letter written by t</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0in;">he leaders of the zionist yeshiva </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0in;">Har Hamor, Rabbis Tzvi Tau, Amiel Sternberg and Mordechai Sternberg <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/religious-zionist-rabbis-slam-bennett-lapid/" target="_blank">wrote</a> (12 March, 2013) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0in;">"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0in;">a biting critique of Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid" stating that "</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0in;">it is forbidden to harm Torah students, and that funds previously earmarked for the yeshivas should not be cut. 'Diminishing the stature of Torah', they wrote, 'undermines the state [of Israel]'."</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-37525164831828218202013-06-21T13:47:00.000-04:002013-06-21T16:03:05.623-04:00The Shafan<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Dear Reader;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">After a much-anticipated arrival, we are
happy to announce the publication of the book <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4377252-the-enigma-of-the-biblical-shafan" target="_blank">The Enigma of the Biblical Shafan</a> by Dr. Yitzchak Betech and Dr. Obadia Maya. The
material contained in this book is the result of decades of research and is accompanied
by the <i>haskamos</i> of a number of <i>gedoley</i> Torah.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The following is the Abstract as
found on page 3 of the book. </span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The Torah included the <i>shafan </i>and the
<i>arnebet </i>among the non-kosher animals with only one kosher sign. Throughout the
centuries, the traditional translations of these terms were, respectively,
rabbit and hare.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Indeed, current science shows that
all the characteristics Jewish classic literature attributes to these animals
do occur in the rabbit and the hare.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This publication will make the case
that the Torah/Talmudic definition of “<i>maaleh gerah</i>” includes a qualified form
of cecothropy practiced by the rabbit and hare.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The following essay <i>B”H</i> refutes
different options (like the hyrax, the llama and the pika) suggested and
published by some as the identity of the <i>shafan</i>. And additionally, it answers
in a systematic approach, the published challenges to our conclusions regarding
the identity of the <i>shafan</i>.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">After extensive research, as
presented in a comprehensive chapter (which analyzes the kangaroo and the
capybara among other animals), we did not find any additional species with only
one kosher sign besides the four enumerated in the Torah, and we can recognize
with admiration, today as always, that only the Master of the World could state
this accurate information thousands of years ago. </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Dr. Betech is a frequent contributor
to this blog and has graciously consented to respond to any queries relating to
the conclusions of his thesis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like to preview the
book, please visit <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4377252-the-enigma-of-the-biblical-shafan" target="_blank">this link</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com396tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-77174758666024538482013-03-12T18:00:00.000-04:002013-03-12T18:04:25.097-04:00Lacking in derech eretz and in knowledge<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="ES-MX">B”H</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lacking in <i>derech eretz</i>
and in knowledge</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This post is the
continuation of the <a href="http://slifkin-opinions.blogspot.mx/2013/02/and-zoo-rabbi-did-not-answer.html">previous</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If someone sent a
letter by electronic means, how long is it reasonable to wait until it is acceptable
to say: I did not receive an answer? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course it is
relative, but I have Natan Slifkin’s own criteria, i.e. two days (<span lang="ES-MX"><a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/01/where-are-pandas-penguins-and-polar.html?showComment=1359479169798#c8780431459297445461" title="comment permalink"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #990066; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">January 29, 2013 at 7:06 PM</span></a></span>)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I will use the same
one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After hundreds of
comments in NS’s rationalist blogspot, I sent the following:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<span style="color: #222222;">B”H<br />
Dear Natan,<br />
<br />
My latest questions that you have not answered are:<br />
<br />
IB: 17.1 My insistence that you have to provide the source is based on common
sense (whoever presents a piece of information, has the responsibility to give
the complete and precise reference to it) and in what I wrote above on 7.1 IB<br />
<br />
<b>And specially now, when you are still refusing to give the page number on
your book where the names of the two zoologists that said what you claim they
said are written, seems to be another evasive strategy to cover YOUR lie.<br />
</b><br />
<br />
IB: Do you agree or disagree with the following:<br />
Whoever presents a piece of information has the responsibility to give the
complete and precise reference to it.<br />
If you disagree, please explain why.<br />
<br />
IB 19.1 … If you think they are incompatible please explain why.<br />
<br />
IB 20.1 ... Please tell me where you wrote in your book your definition of
maale <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">gera</st1:place></st1:city>?<br />
<br />
IB 21.1 Could you please give me your definition of “compatible”?<br />
<br />
<br />
Are you planning to answer the <b>unanswered questions</b>?<br />
<br />
The latter could be <b>summarized</b> in my posts dated:<br />
<br />
February 1, 2013 at 5:09 PM (20.1 IB)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
February 2, 2013 at 1:44 AM<br />
February 5, 2013 at 1:07 AM (first and second part)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
February 11, 2013 at 8:24 AM (first and second part)<br />
February 11, 2013 at 8:27 PM<br />
February 14, 2013 at 12:09 AM<br />
February 14, 2013 at 7:20 PM<br />
February 18, 2013 at 7:52 PM (first and second part)<br />
March 3, 2013 at 8:36 PM (first and second part)<br />
March 4, 2013 at 7:46 PM<br />
March 4, 2013 at 8:39 PM<br />
March 8, 2013 at 5:22 PM<br />
March 8, 2013 at 5:28 PM<br />
March 8, 2013 at 5:33 PM<br />
<br />
<b>Dear Natan:<br />
Are you planning to answer all the unanswered questions?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<span class="comment-timestamp"><span lang="ES-MX" style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/02/ruach-hakodesh-and-reason.html?showComment=1362895963823#c672636788289262724" title="comment permalink"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #990066; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">March 10, 2013 at 8:12 AM</span></a></span></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More than two days
after that, I did not receive any answer from Natan Slifkin, so it seems that
he is not ready to provide answers to my challenges against the letter he sent
Dialogue Magazine in response to my article on the Biblical <i>shafan</i> =
rabbit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few days ago, in
response to one of NS’s comments, I wrote an answer that I am now expanding
with additional bracketed recent developments:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<span style="color: #222222;">IB:<br />
13.1 There is no need now that I would try to operate as a “religious
polemicist”, since as everyone knows, about thirty leading Great Talmidei Chachamim
already signed letters disqualifying the religious contents of your books.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
On the other hand, meanwhile you have not published letters of support of
leading Great Talmidei Chachamim.<br />
<br />
Additionally, there is no need now that I would try to operate as a “religious
polemicist”, since as everyone knows, you have publicly acknowledged that you
do not believe in a basic Chapter of the written Torah, as you wrote:<br />
<br />
“Sorry to shock you, but I don't believe in a global flood, either!...”<br />
February 20, 2013 at 11:21 PM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<span style="color: #222222;">[Additionally, there is no need now that I would try to
operate as a “religious polemicist”, since as everyone knows, you have publicly
shared your pictures eating locust which reveal your hallachic standards...]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<span style="color: #222222;">[Additionally, there is no need now that I would try to
operate as a “religious polemicist”, since as everyone knows you have not
answered the following public challenge:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span lang="ES-MX"><a href="http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2013/02/26/principle-or-pragmatism/comment-page-1/#comment-417055"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #c29914; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">March 7, 2013 at 5:20
pm</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 4.0pt;">
Anyhow, the entire conversation with xxx and
Natan Slifkin is fruitless until we determine one fundamental point – do you
believe that Torah study contributes to the security and the economic wellbeing
of the Jewish people? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 4.0pt;">
<b>If your answer is no, I would like to know
how you explain the Gemara in Sanhedrin which seems to declare you Apikorsim</b>. We can then move forward.<span style="color: #222222;">]<br />
<br />
Now, I am operating in the framework of an academic approach because people
probably do not know that even your publications in zoology-related-issues, are
not easy to support in light of modern zoology (as written in the front cover
of your hyrax book).<br />
<br />
Incidentally, an additional facet is becoming public, that instead of
intellectually defending your two books on the hyrax, and defending what you
wrote in your recent letter to Dialogue Magazine, you are evading and making
false accusations against an academic opponent.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 10.0pt; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 3.65pt;">
<span class="comment-timestamp"><span lang="ES-MX" style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2013/02/ruach-hakodesh-and-reason.html?showComment=1362335809861#c1333989902360952475" title="comment permalink"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #990066; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">March 3, 2013 at 8:36 PM</span></a></span></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, when NS’s
locust-eating was publicly challenged, NS wrote the following:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.15pt;">
...<span style="color: #333333;"> It's just a
pity that almost every time I am attacked from the right,<b> my opponents
reveal themselves to be somewhat lacking in derech eretz (aside from lacking in
knowledge).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; letter-spacing: 1.2pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://zootorah.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-locusts-are-coming-yum.html?showComment=1362587904962#c1246767238677203522" title="comment permalink"><span style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">MARCH 6, 2013 AT 6:38 PM</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<span style="color: #333333;">lacking in <i>derech eretz</i>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If the
reader is interested, he could check the lack of derech eretz of NS’s writings
the same dates in his rationalist blogspot...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<span style="color: #333333;">lacking in knowledge” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me present three
examples of <span style="color: #333333;">lacking in zoological knowledge by the “zoo-rabbi”
as evident from NS’s letter to Dialogue magazine and the subsequent comments
thread:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>“But rabbits do not, and did not, live in Eretz Yisrael or anywhere nearby</b>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
IB:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
is not true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
b)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NS
wrote:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“With
the hare and rabbit, interpreting <i>ma’aleh gerah </i>as caecotrophy requires
going <b>against all classical interpretations</b> of <i>ma’aleh gerah</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
IB:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
is not true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
c)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NS
wrote:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>“Some zoologists</b>, however, have observed that hyraxes do in fact regurgitate small
quantities of food for remastication...”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NS
wrote:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well,
you can find the names of two zoologists in my book, and I could add two or
three others...”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
IB
published many days ago:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please
provide me the page number of your book where the zoologists have observed that
hyraxes do in fact regurgitate small quantities of food for remastication, and
please add the two or three others that you are offering me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
IB:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS is
still refusing to give the page number on his book where the names of the two
zoologists that said what he claims they said are written. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This
seems to be another evasive strategy to cover NS’s lie.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">PS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Nevertheless,
I am still willing B”H to continue this interchange with Natan Slifkin (the author
of the letter to Dialogue Magazine) immediately after he publishes the names of
“the two zoologist appearing in his book” and answers the unanswered questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com116tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-72745983735019991012013-02-18T00:48:00.002-05:002013-02-18T00:48:16.017-05:00And the “Zoo-Rabbi” did not answer!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
B”H<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
“<i>Chazaka</i>” in Torah literature means that
if something happened three times in a similar way, you may presume that it was
not an accident but follows a particular pattern.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Natan Slifkin (NS) in his “rationalist blogspot”
explicitly refused three times to answer my questions which challenged his
published position.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b>A brief background:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
1. I published an article on Dialogue Magazine
No. 3 (Fall 5773) about the identity of the Biblical <i>shafan, </i>where 15
reasons are presented to support the rabbit as the Biblical <i>shafan </i>and 6
reasons to disqualify the hyrax as a candidate<i>. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Being that it is a short article, I did not
include in it an analysis of the objections that could be presented to my
identification of the rabbit or against my suggested definition of “<i>maale <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">gera</st1:place></st1:city></i>” and my response
to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
2. NS published in his blogspot an extensive
but non-systematic response to it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
3. I asked <span style="color: #222222;">if <i>he</i>
was ready to discuss the contents of <i>his</i> letter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4. He initially agreed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
5. I decided to begin the discussion by
pointing out to one of his published erroneous statements written in his
response, i.e.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>“But rabbits do not, and
did not, live in Eretz Yisrael or anywhere nearby”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
6. Since I think that the above statement is
not accurate, I posted a comment including nine sources, among them, six
supporting the existence of native rabbits in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The latter is particularly significant -even
according to my opponents’ position- for the following reasons:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
a) Bene Yisrael lived in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> for more
than two hundred years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
b) <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> is very close to Eretz
Yisrael and both countries were connected by a common trade route.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
7. Then, a long comment-thread developed, where
most of my questions and challenges were repeatedly ignored.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Many <b>evasive strategies</b> were used by NS,
including omissions, distortions, taking texts out of context, citing mutilated
paragraphs, inadequate generalizations, unsupported claims, faulty cause-effect
connections, “appeal to authority”, proclaiming premature conclusions, sarcasm,
“straw man arguments”, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
8. Although NS initially agreed to discuss, now
despite a long list of unanswered questions, he has decided to stop answering
my challenges, questions and comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The <b>unanswered points</b> could be
summarized in my posts dated:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 1, 2013 at 5:09 PM (20.1 IB) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 2, 2013 at 1:44 AM<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 5, 2013 at 1:07
AM (first and second part) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 11, 2013 at 8:24 AM (first and second part)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 11, 2013 at 8:27 PM<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 14, 2013 at 12:09 AM<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
February 14, 2013 at 7:20 PM<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b>Additional thoughts:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
9. An important point is that even if no
evidence of rabbits in the ancient Middle East could be found, that would not
be a challenge to my suggestion that the Biblical <i>Shafan</i> is the rabbit,
since Bene Yisrael got acquainted with the rabbit when Moshe presented it to
them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The inherent difficulty<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/evasive%20zoo%20rabbi.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> in identifying these species and their signs
is evident from the very first moment when Hashem instructed Moshe <i>Rabbenu</i>
regarding them, and told him<i> </i>(<i>Leviticus</i> 11:2<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> TA \l "<i>Leviticus</i> 11:2" \s
"Leviticus 11:2" \c 1 </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]-->):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>“</i><u>Z<i>ot</i></u> <i>hachaya asher tochelu</i>…<i>”</i> (<u>This
is</u> the living thing that ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the
earth).<span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The Talmud (<i>Chulin</i> 42a<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> TA \l "<i>Chulin</i> 42a" \s
"Chulin 42a" \c 1 </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]-->) reports that, as indicated by the words “this
is”, when enumerating the various species, the Almighty miraculously showed
Moshe each and every species<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/evasive%20zoo%20rabbi.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> and exclaimed, “this one you may eat” or,
“this one you may not eat”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It is also reported that Moshe did the same with Bene Yisrael.<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/evasive%20zoo%20rabbi.doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Thus, even in the remote case that Bene Yisrael were
not yet acquainted with the rabbit in Egypt, and
even if there were no rabbits in Eretz Yisrael, nevertheless David HaMelech and
Shelomo HaMelech were not speaking about an unfamiliar species.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Even if rabbits were absent in Eretz Yisrael in
Biblical times, and even in the whole <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>,
Am Yisrael -in any case- would become familiar with them in their journeys
through the exile-long centuries; thus it would be necessary to warn them against
their consumption.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
10. Besides questions regarding rabbits in the
ancient <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Middle East</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">NS</st1:state></st1:place> refused to answer additional important
questions, among them:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
a) NS wrote in his response to my article in
Dialogue Magazine:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
“Some <b>zoologists</b>, however, have observed
that hyraxes do in fact regurgitate small quantities of food for remastication”,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
IB:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Could you please provide the sources supporting
that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
NS never published any support to his
questionable statement. <i>Nullius in verba.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
b) IB: The hyrax cannot be the <i>shafan</i>, because even the
proponents of identifying the hyrax as the <i>shafan</i> acknowledge that there
is <i>no</i> evidence that the hyrax practices rumination, caecotrophy or even
merycism<!--[if supportFields]><span lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span></span><span style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> XE
"merycism" </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]-->; thus, the<b> hyrax is not <i>“maaleh gerah”</i></b><!--[if supportFields]><b><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span></b><span
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> TC "<span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346798015'><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346796874'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346795583'><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346793786'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346660465'>a)
The<b> </b>hyrax <b>is not </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346798015'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346796874'><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346795583'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346793786'><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346660465'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US'>\</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:
_Toc346798015'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346796874'><span style='mso-bookmark:
_Toc346795583'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346793786'><span style='mso-bookmark:
_Toc346660465'><b><span style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>“<i>maaleh gerah</i></span></b></span></span></span></span></span><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346798015'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346796874'><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346795583'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346793786'><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346660465'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US'>\</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='mso-bookmark:
_Toc346798015'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346796874'><span style='mso-bookmark:
_Toc346795583'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346793786'><span style='mso-bookmark:
_Toc346660465'><b><span style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>”</span></b></span></span></span></span></span><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346660465'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346793786'></span><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346795583'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346796874'></span><span
style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346798015'></span><span style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>"
\f C \l "2" </span><![endif]--><b><span lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportNestedAnchors]--><a href="" name="_Toc346660465"></a><a href="" name="_Toc346793786"></a><a href="" name="_Toc346795583"></a><a href="" name="_Toc346796874"></a><a href="" name="_Toc346798015"></a><!--[endif]--></span></b><!--[if supportFields]><b><span
lang=ES-MX><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]-->.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
In any case, as explained elsewhere, merycism (practiced by the
kangaroo) is not equivalent to <i>“maaleh gerah”</i>, because nutritionally it
does not resemble rumination or caecotrophy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
NS never tried to engage in discussing with me to
refute this argument<i>.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
11.<b> More challenges</b> against NS’s
response could not be presented because the discussion was abruptly aborted by
NS on February 14, 2013 at 12:13 AM.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
12. As a side note, it should be emphasized
that <b>NS’s refusal to debate is very significant</b>, because I agreed to
debate with NS in a clearly non-neutral environment, i.e. in his blogspot, a
forum where comments are moderated by NS himself, where he can decide what to
publish and what not, when to publish, when to erase a comment, allowing or not
bloggers using simultaneously double identities, etc. All this censorship and
manipulation is done without the public’s awareness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
13. Sadly, the number and intensity of <i>ad
hominem</i> attacks made by NS and other “bloggers” (not filtered by NS), were
a big hindrance to the flux of ideas. Needless to say, these attacks were not
reciprocated by me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
14. With NS´s refusal to continue the
discussion on the Biblical <i>shafan</i> we could integrate another “<i>chazaka</i>”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
In the past NS declined to debate the scientific
evidences in favor of “his” evolution of the species, then he refused to debate
the reproductive characteristics of lice and now the zoological characteristics
of the biblical <i>shafan</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
15. All the above, should give us something to
think about...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Finally, I do believe I have partially
presented my case for any objective reader.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Yitzchak Betech<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
P.S. Nevertheless, I am still willing B"H
to continue this interchange immediately after NS will start answering the
unanswered questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></div>
<div>
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-left: -9.35pt;">
<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/evasive%20zoo%20rabbi.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>Bamidbar Rabba</i> 15:4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-left: -9.35pt;">
<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/evasive%20zoo%20rabbi.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>Midrash Tanchuma Shemini</i> 8 s.v. “<i>veim
tameah</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-left: -9.35pt;">
<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/evasive%20zoo%20rabbi.doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>Sifra</i> <i>Shemini</i> 11:62<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-68856437357423571382013-01-28T05:30:00.000-05:002013-01-28T05:30:37.037-05:00Torah MiSinai<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Professor <a href="http://www.yorku.ca/univsec/board/biography/lockshin.html" target="_blank">Martin Lockshin</a> teaches
Humanities and Hebrew at <st1:placename w:st="on">York</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Toronto</st1:place></st1:city>.
In a <a href="http://www.cjnews.com/past-news?q=node/100281" target="_blank">recent article</a> in the Canadian Jewish News, Lockshin reviews a “courageous
new book” by Rabbi Norman Solomon entitled “Torah from Heaven: The
Reconstruction of Faith”. This is not the proper forum for a detailed refutation
of Rabbi Solomon’s thesis, but some of Professor Lockshin’s comments do call
for a response. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lockshin writes as
follows: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Usually “Torah from
heaven” in Orthodox circles is understood to mean that God dictated the entire
text of the first five books of the Bible (with the possible exception of the
last eight verses of Deuteronomy) to Moses, who then wrote it down.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So far, so good. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Furthermore, the text of
the Torah scroll that we have in our synagogues today is precisely what Moses
wrote.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Unfortunately, this idea
is not part of the doctrine of “Torah from Heaven” and is, most likely, not
correct. Anyone possessing even a passing familiarity with Rabbinic literature
(Talmud, Midrashim, and subsequent halachic texts), knows that the Torah scrolls
we possess today are not necessarily identical, letter for letter, with what
Moses wrote. Yes, the sentences – along with the message they convey – are indeed
the same. However, the precise spelling of the words has, in some cases, been
lost to us. The biblical phenomenon of Defective and Plene Spellings (</span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">chaseiros
v’yisairos</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">) is well-known to students of the Talmud and is clearly not dogmatic
to the doctrine of “Torah from Heaven”. This point cannot be overemphasized. Its
assumption renders the vast majority of issues raised by Solomon/Lockshin irrelevant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lockshin continues: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But Rabbi Solomon notes
that the Hebrew word “torah” in the Bible just means “teaching” or “instruction.”…
Only many centuries after Moses did people begin to use the word Torah to refer
to the first five books of the Bible and did anyone write down the claim that
Moses was the author of the so-called Five Books of Moses.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This remark is a product
of rank ignorance. The very first book after the Torah makes several references
to the “Book of the Torah of Moshe” and the “Book of the Torah”. When Joshua (chapter
8) gathers the people to fulfill the covenant at </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana;" w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Mount</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Gerizim</st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">
and Eival, he does so in conformance with the “Book of the Torah of Moshe” and
the “Book of the Torah”. Joshua built an altar at </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana;" w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Mount</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Eival</st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">
“as was instructed in the Book of the Torah of Moshe” and wrote the “Repetition
of the Torah” on large rocks “as Moshe wrote down for the Jewish nation”. He
then “read all of the words of the Torah, the blessings and the curses in
conformity with all that was written in the Book of the Torah”! Jews have been referring
to the teachings of Moses as the Book of the Torah from the day he died. The
claim that it took centuries for this to occur is patently false.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lockshin writes: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rabbi Solomon argues
further that historical scholarship makes it impossible to believe that Moses
was the author of Genesis to Deuteronomy, or that our text of the Torah today
is identical to the original one. The Talmud often quotes biblical verses whose
wording or spelling differs from our own (as do Rashi and basically every other
Bible commentator who lived before the days of the printing press).</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ever since Julius
Wellhausen and the advent of biblical criticism, modern academia has been on a
mission to undermine the historical authenticity of the Torah. In line with this
attitude, Lockshin quotes the same old tired canard of the Bible critics, to
wit, “historical scholarship makes it impossible to believe that Moses was the
author of Genesis to Deuteronomy”. He then repeats his original error of conflation
by attempting to identify “absolute textual identicalness” with the doctrine of
“Torah from Heaven”. As we noted above, there are several examples of defective
and plene spellings in our traditional rabbinic literature. This phenomenon was
fully acknowledged by our sages. The doctrine of Torah from Heaven is in no way
compromised by this fact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There is much more to say
on this topic, perhaps for another time. Comments welcome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Simcha Coffer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Toronto</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana;">, <st1:state w:st="on">Ontario</st1:state></span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-67458908753561379842013-01-21T00:47:00.000-05:002013-01-21T00:47:50.528-05:00Lice: response to NS<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">B”H<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dear
Natan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A few days ago I published a
very short version of my approach regarding the biological characteristics of lice
as related to the Talmudic statement in Masechet Shabbat 107b </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(http://www.toriah.com/pdf/Betech-MesechtaShabbos-On-Lice.pdf).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In your
blogspot you said that the four refutations you wrote on your website refute my
approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I will
copy your four claims verbatim (emphasis mine) and I will try B”H to analyze
them by interspersing my comments:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: Some have attempted to defend the notion of the scientific
infallibility of the Talmud, or at least the applicability of this ruling, by
reinterpreting this statement about lice. A popular argument is that the Sages
actually meant only that the eggs of lice are halachically insignificant due to
their <b>small size</b>, not that they do not exist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.1. IB 20/Jan/13: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I did not claim that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: Similarly, some claim that the life-force of a louse is not
halachically classified as an animal life-force (just as a plant is alive and
yet is not classified in a halachah as a living creature). An alternate claim
that is advanced is that since the eggs or larvae require this particular
environment in which to develop, it can be said that they are generated from
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.2. IB 20/Jan/13: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Although these are not my claims, some could think that my approach can
be categorized together with the two above. Thus, I will try to analyze the
continuation of your “refutations” as they could theoretically apply to my
approach. Please continue reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: However, there are numerous problems with such explanations,
notwithstanding their obvious appeal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.3. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I agree that “appeal” is not
enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: <b>First</b>, there is no <b>independent evidence</b> for these
explanations; they are presented simply on the grounds that there could not be
a scientific error in the Talmud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.4. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Although absence of “independent evidence” is not an evidence that
Chaza”l did not mean that particular suggested explanation on their statements
about lice, nevertheless I want to present the following that could be an
independent evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I have found three</span><a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/LiceDay%20SlifkinBetech%20Jan13%20Response.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 14pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> <a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/LiceDay%20SlifkinBetech%20Jan13%20Response.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 14pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/LiceDay%20SlifkinBetech%20Jan13%20Response.doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 14pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: David; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rishonim</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> that clearly spoke about the “nits” (the eggs of lice),
so they understood that there are lice and additionally there are egg-lice
(besides the “<i>betze kinim</i>” a type of organism which is called eggs of
lice).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: Yet, as we discussed in the introduction to this work, most
authorities understand that the Sages of the Talmud did make a scientific error
in believing that the <b>sun</b> passes behind the sky at night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.5. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Undoubtedly this is an important issue I have also written about; but by
now, it is beyond the scope of this short analysis on the reproduction of lice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: And since the Sages spoke of a <b>mouse</b> that grows from dirt,
they <b>clearly</b> did believe in spontaneous generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.6. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I do not agree that it is so “clear” in the case of the mouse that you
have mentioned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I will write B”H my view on this specific case you mentioned. But it
should be clear that a detailed discussion of the mouse, is beyond the scope of
this short analysis on the reproduction of lice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the case of this Talmudical
“half-mouse” we are not discussing inanimate matter transforming into animate
matter, but</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
soil that is already an integral part of a preexisting living entity, which
transforms (by an unidentified process) to organic material.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Miriam; mso-fareast-language: HE;">In this soil, maybe there were
already organic residua, or certain organic material migrated from the
flesh-part to the soil-part, and then became flesh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Miriam; mso-fareast-language: HE;">Today we know from the cloning
of Dolly, that from a single cell, we may obtain a complete organism, not only
from a zygote, but even, a differentiated cell may recover its
totipotentiality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Miriam; mso-fareast-language: HE;">Therefore the case of the
half-mouse is <i>not</i> a “clear” case of spontaneous generation</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Miriam; mso-fareast-language: HE;"> (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Miriam; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: HE;">ד"ע</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Miriam; mso-fareast-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: Thus there is no reason to accept that they could not have believed
that lice generate this way, which was the common belief in their era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1.7. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We have found some cases where Chazal “scientific” statements were
independent from which was the common belief in their era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: <b>Second</b>, the words of the <b>Talmud</b> say nothing about the
eggs being halachically insignificant, or about the life-force of lice not
being like that of other animals. It <b>simply</b> <b>states</b> that they do
not reproduce <b>sexually</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">2.1. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I could not find the latter in Chazal writings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS: While <b>it is not impossible</b> that this could be a shorthand
reference for something else, the burden of proof is certainly upon those who
would make such a claim. Especially since, in Talmudic times, the entire world
believed that lice spontaneously generate, it is highly unreasonable to state
that when the Sages spoke of lice as not reproducing sexually, they intended a
different meaning entirely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">2.2. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">See above 1.7 and 2.1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NS:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Third</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">,
such explanations are inconsistent with the views of the traditional Talmudic
commentators. Rambam, Rashba, Ran, Tosafos and others all state that lice
spontaneously generate from sweat or dust. True, it is not impossible that they
misunderstood the nature of the Talmud’s ruling—indeed, we posited similarly in
the case of mermaids. Yet in the case of mermaids, there was compelling textual
evidence that the Talmud was referring to dolphins instead; here, no such
evidence exists. Furthermore, those who posit that the Talmudic statement about
lice must be scientifically correct are usually the same people who are
reluctant to posit that the traditional commentators all erred in their
understanding of the Talmud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3.1. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The apparent inconsistency between my approach and the <i>Rishonim’s</i>
commentaries is addressed in the Hebrew expanded version of my article on lice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Please see the linked document.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.toriah.com/pdf/Betech-MesechtaShabbos-On-Lice3.pdf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
NS: The <b>final</b> objection to such reinterpretations of the Talmud’s
statement is that there is a straightforward refutation from the continuation
of the Talmud:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Abaye said: And do lice not reproduce? Surely it was said, “God sits and
sustains from the horns of aurochsen to the eggs of lice” (which shows that
lice come from eggs)? — That refers to a type [of organism] which is called
eggs of lice (but not that lice actually hatch from these).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If the
Sages were not denying the existence of lice eggs, why do they reject the
simple meaning of the statement that speaks about God sustaining the eggs of
lice, and resort to difficult explanations instead? Let them simply state that
although lice do hatch from eggs, these are too small to be halachically
significant! It therefore seems that they did not consider this possibility. (I
am aware that some claim that the Talmud means that since the eggs are
halachically insignificant, they cannot be the subject of the statement about
lice eggs. However such a reading is highly contrived, lacks any evidence, and
is certainly not how the Rishonim and Acharonim understood the Talmud.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4.1. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The apparent inconsistency between my approach and the Gemara-text is
addressed in the Hebrew expanded version of my article on lice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Please see the linked document.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.toriah.com/pdf/Betech-MesechtaShabbos-On-Lice2.pdf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">P.S. IB 20/Jan/13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am ready B”H to analyze comments directly related to our issue: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="" name="_Toc343783322"></a><a href="" name="_Toc343781893"></a><a href="" name="_Toc343781066"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Killing lice
on <i>Shabbat -- </i>scientific
analysis</span></b></a><!--[if supportFields]><b><span
lang=ES-MX style='font-size:14.0pt;font-variant:small-caps'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span></b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> TC "<span style='mso-bookmark:_Toc346190732'><b><span
style='font-variant:small-caps'>III.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>Killing<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>lice<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>on<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><i>Shabbat<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span></i>scientific<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>analysis</span></b></span>" \f C \l
"1" </span><![endif]--><b><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 14.0pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><!--[if !supportNestedAnchors]--><a href="" name="_Toc346190732"></a><!--[endif]--></span></b><!--[if supportFields]><b><span
lang=ES-MX style='font-size:14.0pt;font-variant:small-caps'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(http://www.toriah.com/pdf/Betech-MesechtaShabbos-On-Lice.pdf).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/LiceDay%20SlifkinBetech%20Jan13%20Response.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR" lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="ES-MX"><span dir="RTL"></span> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ע'</span><span lang="HE"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">רבינו</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">חננאל</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">על שבת</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">דף</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ק</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">"</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ז</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">עמוד</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ב</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">'</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;"><span dir="RTL"></span>(</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">נמצא</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">בדף</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ק</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">"</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ח</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">.)</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/LiceDay%20SlifkinBetech%20Jan13%20Response.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR" lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="RTL"></span> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ספר</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">הרוקח</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">הגדול</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">רבינו</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">אלעזר</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">מגרמיזא</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">. </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">הלכות</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">שבת, ס' ע</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">"</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ח וע"ט</span><span dir="LTR" lang="ES-MX"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Eudora%206%20data/attach/LiceDay%20SlifkinBetech%20Jan13%20Response.doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span dir="LTR" lang="ES-MX"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="RTL"></span> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ראבי</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">"</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ה</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">(</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: David; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;">רבי</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: David; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">אליעזר</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">בן</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">יואל</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">הלוי)</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">ח</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;">"</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">א</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: David;"> - </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">מסכת</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">שבת</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">סימן</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David;">
</span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: David; mso-bidi-language: HE;">רל"ו<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com97tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-1667527967859279572013-01-18T11:23:00.000-05:002013-01-20T20:00:01.088-05:00Lice redux: don't debate your critics<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There is a fascinating exchange between R. Slifkin and Dr. Betech at "rationalist" Judaism. In the immediately preceding post to this one, Dr. Betech addresses the issue of lice (<i>Mesechta Shabbos</i>). This is one of R. Slifkin's classical "proofs" that Chazal are prone to scientific errors. Here is R. Slifkin's response to Dr. Betech's novel response (<a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6906205856510467947&postID=3007564751082953251" target="_blank">link</a>):</span><br />
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<dt class="blog-author" id="c3575790247186424115" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.25em; white-space: nowrap;"><img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-image: url(http://www.blogger.com/img/cmt/comment_sprite.gif); background-position: -45px -117px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; height: 16px; width: 16px;" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07903561261083292772" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;">Natan Slifkin</a></span> said... <span style="line-height: 18px;">January 18, 2013 at 9:07 AM</span></dt>
<dd style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px;"><div style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Greetings Dr. Betech! Thank you for giving us a free extract from your book. However, if you were to have read the post that you just commented upon, you would have seen that I refuted your approach on numerous grounds. It's a pity that you didn't read my book before preparing yours. .......<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">I have read R. Slifkin's book and am not aware of where he has refuted Dr. Betech's approach (which is novel so far as I can see). I think his approach merits further discussion. Hence:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-image: url(http://www.blogger.com/img/cmt/comment_sprite.gif); background-position: -45px -117px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 16px; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap; width: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span dir="ltr" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;">Dr. Isaac Betech</a></span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;"> said... </span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap;">January 18, 2013 at 9:28 AM</span></dd><dd style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
BH<br />
Dear Natan,<br />
You wrote:<br />
However, if you were to have read the post that you just commented upon, you would have seen that I refuted your approach on numerous grounds.<br />
<br />
IB:<br />
Lets go one by one. Please select one of your refutations to my approach, and will analyze it BH.</div>
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<dt class="blog-author" id="c4900653906060818901" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.25em; white-space: nowrap;"><img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-image: url(http://www.blogger.com/img/cmt/comment_sprite.gif); background-position: -45px -117px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; height: 16px; width: 16px;" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07903561261083292772" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;">Natan Slifkin</a></span> said... <span style="line-height: 18px;">January 18, 2013 at 9:45 AM</span></dt>
<dd style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Sorry, I'm not falling into this trap again. Everything is spelled out in my post. You are welcome to prepare a comprehensive response, and post a link to it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Don't debate. Don't debate <i>shavan</i> and <i>arneves</i>. Don't debate the so called facts of evolution. Don't debate the <i>rakia</i> supposedly a solid dome. </span></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Don't debate the issue of lice.</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> Not very rationalist. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It is my sincere hope that R. Slifkin will engage in vigorous defense of his claim that he has already refuted Dr. Betech's approach to the sugya of </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">kinnim</span><i style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">. </i><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">He can do this by presenting one of his refutations, perhaps starting with what he considers his strongest point.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Addendum</b>: On p351 of <i>Sacred Monsters</i>, R. Slifkin discusses (and rejects) an approach based on the fact that larvae require a human host to develop and it can thus be said that the lice are generated from there (see his footnote 14). However, Dr. Betech's approach goes beyond that. </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Dr. Betech's post starts with the following biological fact that the blood-sucking lice are regarded by entomologists as being the <i>most</i> parasitic of all insects. This would explain why Chazal select the louse as the exemplar for the halacha that lice are not <i>para verava</i> like the <i>eilim</i> in the mishkan whereas fleas, for example, are <i>para</i> <i>verava</i> (see <i>Keren Orah </i>to <i>Shabbos </i>107b for the <i>pashtus</i> of the <i>gemora</i>). If one is a proponent of spontaneous generation one is forced to learn the <i>gemora</i> not according to its simple meaning as both lice and fleas are spontaneously generated. At any rate there are sufficient issues here to re-open and debate the <i>sugya</i>.</span></div>
</dd></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-68116013044360887372013-01-17T23:47:00.002-05:002013-01-17T23:52:45.953-05:00Louse biology in today´s Daf Yomi<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">B"H</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In today’s Daf Yomi the famous matter of "k<i>ina ena para veraba</i>" is
mentioned.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In our forthcoming
book "The enigma of the Biblical<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Shafan</i>"
we have included a short English appendix on this issue and also an
expanded Hebrew version.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Please follow the link (<a href="http://www.toriah.com/pdf/Betech-MesechtaShabbos-On-Lice.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>) for a version without footnotes and illustrations.</span></div>
Dr. Isaac Betechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378845941377831107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999467500145167346.post-73021577157601163632012-11-11T03:14:00.000-05:002012-11-11T03:26:35.002-05:00Reactions<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In his <a href="http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2012/11/strange-reactions.html" target="_blank">most recent post</a>, Rabbi Slifkin reminisces about the theological
impasse that results from traditional Judaism’s confrontation with evolution. He
writes: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One aspect of this that always puzzled me was, why did
people care so much? Many of these people had no real interest in this topic, let
alone expertise. It's not as though evolution poses any serious theological
problems… Why do people care about evolution so much?</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The answer is twofold.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1) Evolution <i>does</i> pose a serious theological problem.
The most important message of the Torah – the fact of all facts – is that Hashem
is the Creator. But the Torah doesn’t leave it at that. It delineates the specific
details of Creation. The verses of the Torah make it clear that Hashem Created
the world recently, rapidly, and supernaturally. In direct contrast, evolution maintains
that the earth was initially formed billions of years ago, that it evolved over
billions of years, and that the evolution of the earth was naturalistic. This poses
a direct contradiction to virtually every detail of <i>ma’aseh bereishis</i> as
depicted in the Torah and therefore undermines (<i>chs’v</i>), or at the very least throws suspicion (<i>chs'v</i>) on the Torah’s very
claim of Creation by a Creator. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2) Evolutionary theory is actually an atheistic world view posing
as science. Unfortunately, evolution is widespread in the popular media and is
taught as scientific fact in all mainstream universities. Even governments have
been influenced to act in promotion of its goals. Put simply; evolution is currently
the most powerful tool in the furtherance of atheism and the philosophy of
materialism (notwithstanding the misguided few that believe in the God of the
Bible yet feel justified in adopting the evolutionary paradigm). </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Eventually I realized that it has very little to do with
either science or theology. Rather, it was about the social aspects. For
various historical (but not theological) reasons, evolution has become the
signature area of battle between religion and atheism. It's "us" versus
"them." My own involvement led to even more emotional social struggle:
Loyal Followers of The Gedolim, versus Jews who are Against The Gedolim. This
battle wasn't about science or theology; it was about personal identity. No
wonder emotions ran high.</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Rabbi Slifkin is not entirely wrong. Evolution has indeed
become one of the primary fields of battle between religion and atheism, it is often attended by high drama, and yes, it <i>is</i> “us” versus “them”.
But to say that it has little to do with science or theology is naïve. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Eighteenth
century European Enlightenment was a movement whose express goal was to
counteract the abuses of the Church. And although it lost its momentum in the early
19th century, the need for reform persisted. When <st1:city w:st="on">Darwin</st1:city> came along in 1859 and provided the
world with a <i>naturalistic</i> explanation for the presence of complex and
purposeful biological phenomena, they jumped on it! This is exactly what they
were looking for; a way to counteract religious doctrine in order to undermine
the authority of the Church. <st1:city w:st="on">Darwin</st1:city>’s
explanations provided the perfect tool. Once the presence of the world could be
explained without recourse to a Creator, God becomes unnecessary and the Church
becomes irrelevant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The reality is, biological Evolution is <i>specifically</i> a
non-theistic explanation for complex life and is actively used by the scientific
community as a means of marginalizing the Bible’s teachings about God,
Creation, Morality, Free Choice, the Divine element in man, and host of other religious
principles. Evolution is an all-out assault on religion, nothing less. In this
sense, the “battle” Rabbi Slifkin mentions above has <i>everything</i> to do
with theology and science. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Rabbi Slifkin would like us to believe that the strident
and ongoing Science/Theology debate can be reduced to immaterial causes such as
“personal identity”, partisanship, and petty emotion. But these are not the <i>causes</i>;
they are the <i>effects</i>. They are merely the <i>results</i> caused by Evolution’s
powerful and sustained attack on the very heart and soul of religion. Unfortunately
Rabbi Slifkin is either unaware of the situation “on the ground” or chooses to
ignore it. Whatever the case, his continued attempts to integrate evolution
into the very fabric of religion itself – in direct opposition to the stated
opinion of all the current Gedoley Torah – is nothing less than tragic.</span>Simcha Cofferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243327012385531727noreply@blogger.com10