Language:
Hebrew
Year of publication:
2018
Titel der Quelle:
בד"ד - בכל דרכיך דעהו; כתב-עת לענייני תורה ומדע
Angaben zur Quelle:
34 (תשעט) 7-24
Keywords:
Karelitz, Avraham Yeshayahu,
;
Weights and measures, Jewish
;
Space and time (Jewish law)
;
Judaism and science
Abstract:
The Halachic dispute among the authorities of the past generations regarding the correlation of halachic standards from the Torah ("shiurim") with standard units of measure commonly used today, arises from a basic question: are halachic standards given in terms of natural measures (e.g., parts of the body, fruits, eggs, etc.) an attempt to express absolute units using the limited means of the ancient world, or are they themselves the true standards, and thus subject to change with time and place and even subjectively dependent on the individual? This dispute has been understood to have arisen from diverging community traditions; moreover, some view it as a dispute between the written word and the popular tradition ("minhag"). In this paper we suggest that the opinions of the Chazon Ish and Rabbi Chaim Naeh are two comprehensive approaches towards reconciling the mismatch among the various halachic units brought down by the sages, both within the Halachic framework, as well as vis-à-vis presently known values in nature. While both these approaches are based on halachic sources and various accepted traditions, their main innovation lies in each one's attempt to create a single consistent rule for halachic standards which actually depart from current common practice. The viewpoint of the Chazon Ish, as described in his book Handbook of Halachic Standards ("Kuntros Hashiurim"), reveals an attempt to deal with central issues in the halachic world, e.g., an opposition to reliance on sources extraneous to Halacha-even physical, archaeological or scientific-for rendering halachic decisions. His opposition to adopting absolute methods of measure for halachic standards has been consistent, despite the development of modern methods of measurement. Furthermore, the Chazon Ish understands the shiurim as natural estimates, and their estimation for the purpose of establishing a "shiur"
URL:
אתר את הפרסום בקטלוג המאוחד של ספריות ישראל
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