tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post8039906446070856595..comments2023-11-02T12:16:19.495+02:00Comments on The Jewish Worker: Could Avraham Avinu have been as tall as 74 men?blukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774763780910614203noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-57610944344664956802011-11-21T15:17:00.161+02:002011-11-21T15:17:00.161+02:00It all works out, if you use the shortest man in t...It all works out, if you use the shortest man in the Bible:<br /><br /><b>Bildad the Shuhite</b>JBHorenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07403369078267809626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-54299652448174189432011-11-10T03:17:00.689+02:002011-11-10T03:17:00.689+02:00The point of R' Chaim I think is that the numb...The point of R' Chaim I think is that the number 74 is not just something pulled out of a hat -- it fits perfectly with the cheshbon. Whether it should be taken literally or not is a different question. The point is that in the context of Torah (in the broadest sense), the numbers add up, which is an amazing thing. <br /><br />L'shitascha, what's the big deal here? There are dozens of examples where some Achronim take aggadita literally and make all kinds of cheshbonos to work things out while other Achronim take things symbolically.Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-59378212862326541862011-11-09T16:12:22.697+02:002011-11-09T16:12:22.697+02:00Lisa,
Of course he does, otherwise all his calcul...Lisa,<br /><br />Of course he does, otherwise all his calculations make no sense. If the medrash meant that Avraham was equal spiritually to 74 people then it has nothing to do with the size of the camp etc.blukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03774763780910614203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-31174721248659603062011-11-09T16:10:50.216+02:002011-11-09T16:10:50.216+02:00The Maharal in Chidushei Aggados Bava Metzia 84a (...The Maharal in Chidushei Aggados Bava Metzia 84a (http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14192&st=&pgnum=37&hilite=) understands that Moshe was not really 10 amos tall and that Chazal are describing his spiritual attributes.<br />The Maharal writes:<br />אין זה שיעור גשמי רק כי היה ראוי לשלימות ומעלות נפשו עשר אמות<br /><br />My translation:<br />This [Moshe being 10 amos tall] is not a physical measurement but rather that Moshe was fit for the perfection and spiritual heights of 10 amos.blukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03774763780910614203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-33228916784759842172011-11-09T16:00:46.723+02:002011-11-09T16:00:46.723+02:00Bluke, he does not take it literally. Like other ...Bluke, he does not take it literally. Like other rabbanim, he recognizes that midrashim, even midrashei aggadah, have to be consistent within themselves. So he discusses the topic within the world of the midrash. This is how midrashim are meant to be learned. They aren't just cute fairy tales; they're intended to be puzzled out. Riddled out for all the detail they contain. Taking what R' Kanievsky writes there are meaning that he thinks Avraham Avinu was literally the height of 74 regular men is an insult to R' Kanievsky.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18104724066252254654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-91208421538006260512011-11-09T15:30:58.048+02:002011-11-09T15:30:58.048+02:00Lisa, you may not take it literally but many do up...Lisa, you may not take it literally but many do up even today. R' Chaim Kanievsky in <a href="http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49911&st=&pgnum=16" rel="nofollow">Taama de-Kra</a> does understand this medrash literally.blukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03774763780910614203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-80861394336209698702011-11-08T18:54:28.381+02:002011-11-08T18:54:28.381+02:00Gah. He was not literally 10 amot tall. Nor was ...Gah. He was not literally 10 amot tall. Nor was Avraham Avinu literally as big as 74 men.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18104724066252254654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11287959.post-87505915995592091862011-11-08T18:43:04.924+02:002011-11-08T18:43:04.924+02:00That's all very well, but what about Moshe Rab...That's all very well, but what about Moshe Rabbenu? He was 10 amot tall, which is still much taller than any modern man could possibly be without being a cripple. And I don't see how one can take that maamar chazal figuratively; the context in which it appears is very practical.Milhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14350874508580081286noreply@blogger.com