tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post3432280739148382054..comments2024-03-05T21:22:43.426-05:00Comments on parshablog: Avraham was 74X the stature of a normal manjoshwaxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03516171362038454070noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-51212318965791502392011-11-08T05:34:53.758-05:002011-11-08T05:34:53.758-05:00I posted about the physics of this here http://jew...I posted about the physics of this here http://jewishworker.blogspot.com/2011/11/could-avraham-avinu-have-been-as-tall.html, how based on simple physics it is impossible for someone to be that tall.blukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03774763780910614203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-15541480937612804692011-11-04T12:29:01.992-04:002011-11-04T12:29:01.992-04:00"Is nice company expected to play along? Idea..."Is nice company expected to play along? Ideas? "<br /><br />Tough one. I'm too much of a nice guy to rain on anyone's parade, but I also don't particularly care for the fact that many people just seem to be completely comfortable sharing whatever nonsense they think, assuming and expecting that I agree with them. That goes for me as well - and that's why I don't just tell people stuff without it arising organically in a conversation. You can tell the difference between someone who loves a good debate and someone who honestly has never considered that the next guy just might have a different way of approaching and thinking about something. Why just this morning a guy in line at a store made some kind of nasty crack about some political something or other that he somehow assumed I, a total stranger, heartily agreed with. I did not, and even if I did I would not have liked the way he put it. But even if I didn't agree, I didn't tell him that he's an idiot. :-)<br /><br />So . . . my view is that the answer is play along in a very, very unenthusiastic way, unless you know the other person likes a good debate.S.http://onthemainline.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-89704016576657696252011-11-04T06:00:35.024-04:002011-11-04T06:00:35.024-04:00A somewhat related discussion:
איתא במדרש פליאה (...A somewhat related discussion:<br /><br />איתא במדרש פליאה (פ' וירא) בזה"ל אכילתו של אברהם אבינו היה כנגד שבעים וארבע אנשים ע"כ. וראיתי בשם הגר"א (מדרש פליאה המבואר שם) שכתב לבאר דאכילתו של אברהם אבינו היינו האוכל שנתן למלאכים שבאו אליו והאי אוכל ר"ל הנאה מזיו השכינה. ולכן נחשב כנגד ע"ד אנשים שמצינו ויעל משה ואהרן נדה ואביהוא ושבעים מזקני ישראל ויחזו את האלקים ויאכלו וישתו (מקרא זו אינו, וע' דומה לזה בשמות כד:ט-יא) וזהו ע"ד אנשים (משה, אהרן, נדב, אביהוא, וע' זקנים) ואכילה הזאת אינה ממש אכילה אלא הנאה מזיו השכינה.Reuven Chaim Kleinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05836805247888732019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-19772976517212064732011-11-03T21:19:11.797-04:002011-11-03T21:19:11.797-04:00"I would note that it is from Masachet Soferi..."I would note that it is from Masachet Soferim that he gets that Eliezer = Og."<br /><br />Josh,<br /><br />This broaches the question of how one should deal with a person who is speaking in midrash. Some do not like conversation to be redirected to pshat and not take kindly to the idea all midrashim are not intended to be literal and refute the Rambam on this. Is nice company expected to play along? Ideas? <br /><br />AkibaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-27564272311194663872011-11-03T15:14:31.873-04:002011-11-03T15:14:31.873-04:00This makes no sense interpreted literally.
Firs...This makes no sense interpreted literally. <br /><br />First of all, it isn't anything close 1200 mil from Chevron to Damascus. And if the camp of the 4 kings was 400 parasang long (or that of Sancherib as described in Sanhedrin) the soldiers would have had to start by marching east from Bavel to about modern day Herat to get on the end of the line. The 400 is just a symbolic number<br /><br />Second if they are pursuing a retreating Army they only need to go as fast as the retreating Army they are beating up on.<br /><br />Third, if Avraham were as tall as 74 men, he'd have to be as strong as 400,000 just to hold his own weight. Which would go as the cube of his linear dimension--good luck with that. Actually, probably more than that since he'd have to be thicker in proportion.<br /><br />Fourth if he really took 3 mile steps and took 2.5 steps/second, which is not unreasonable, he would be running at escape velocity and wouldn't stay on the Earth.<br /><br />By the way, if a newborn baby is 1.5 cubits that would correspond to a cubit of about 16 inches, which would make eating matzah on Pesach far more normal. It would also fit with archaeological evidence from Hizkiyahu's tunnel.Mike S.noreply@blogger.com