Reply To: Continuation of Discussion on R' Slifkin and Weiss from Manchester Eiruv Thread

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#1001955
Ben Levi
Participant

Patur Avul Asur.

I fail to understand what in the world you mean.

I did not start this post by claiming that Chazal did not rely on scientific knowledge of their time at all. Nor did I state that claiming Chazal only knew the science of their times is Kefira.

I think I have been pretty clear that I take no position of my own.

What I did state is that

1) Chazal definetly far more science then was known in thier times. Again this point is made by the Rambam who states that the non-jewish knowledge of sttronomy was taken from the Jews. However due to the exile we lost it and sonsequently had to rely on the translations of the non-jews. The fact that Chazal were more advanced then the science of their day’s os made by the Rambam in Chelek.

2) The point of Aggadita is not the science it contains. And if one thinks that. Well the Rambam makes clear “They area a fool”.

Regarding you’re Mare M’Komos.

Again I don’t really know you’re point.

I gave one of them myeslf RSRH.

The other’s are pretty well known.

Were they a m inority.

Yes they were a very small minority but they existed. Pachad Yitzchok is a bad one, since he offered it with “trepidation” in his own words and virtually everyone including his Rebbi argued on him. But their are a few other’s you can find.

My point was and remains that why Slifkin was attacked by the vast majority of Rabbonim, including Rav Moshe Shapiro who is considered the formost authority on Aggadita today and is the man Slifkin claimed ot be his Rebbi, is because the totality of his shitto is one that has been rejected as outside the pale by everyone throughout History.

Again you may find individual positions supported by some but those same people attack Slifkin’s total “worldview”.

For some reason this seems a hard point for you to grasp, so i’ll give you another examploe.

Slifkin bring’s Rav Desller as one of those who support the notion that Chazal were limited in their knowledge of science to what was know in their times.

However Slifkin’s “Rational Judaisim” states that due to this some of Chazal’sd ruling’s were “mistakes”.

Rav Dessler in the piece you yourself qouted rejects this completley!

Again Slifkin states that Chazal’s scientific knowledge came from Pliny the Elder.

The Rambam states that is categorically wrong and someone who does’nt realize that Chazal knew far more then their times is a” fool”.

So again I stated before and I’ll say it again.

Slifkin’s “Rational Judaisim” was forcefully rejected by the Rabbonim because at any point that it was introduced it was condemned and rejected.

If you wish to justify the viewpoint of Ration Judaisim” you are going to have to produce a credible mainstream opinion though out the Doros that endorsed it.

So far (at least from what I’ve seen) the only one’s that do bring it up to forcefully reject it.