tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post6047076140611003089..comments2024-03-05T21:22:43.426-05:00Comments on parshablog: Do gentiles have more teeth than Jews? Do they have less?joshwaxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03516171362038454070noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-9948678533525998802017-08-06T04:37:18.422-04:002017-08-06T04:37:18.422-04:00Interestingly enough todays daf (Sanhedrin 21a) st...Interestingly enough todays daf (Sanhedrin 21a) states that there was a physical difference between Jewish and non-Jewish women, Jewish women had no pubic hair while non-Jewish women did (which is why Tamar did because she was teh daughter of a Yefas Toar). This would seem to contradict those rishonim you quoted who say that there are no physical differences between Jews and non-Jews.Marty Blukenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-91362362275545095302015-03-31T11:20:39.762-04:002015-03-31T11:20:39.762-04:00Hi Josh
Derech Sicha is a collection of comments ...Hi Josh<br /><br />Derech Sicha is a collection of comments Rav Kanievsky made informally and "off the cuff" to the author as they walked home form shul together. It is not at all on par with seforim authored by Rav Kanievsky like Derech Emuna and Shekel Hakodesh which are thoroughly researched and reviewed. <br /><br />Derech Sicha, in the opinions of senior rabbonim I have spoken with -- and I think obviously so, is an interesting / fun / eclectic parsha discussion that should not be taken too seriously. (It is almost like a parsha blog ;-)KGH Rebbenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-36491801266672424502013-07-24T07:03:07.337-04:002013-07-24T07:03:07.337-04:00i believe that it can be ordered from hapaamoin [...i believe that it can be ordered from hapaamoin [AT] gmail [Then a Dot] com for $5 plus shippingjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-89245344569747849632013-07-23T07:52:35.093-04:002013-07-23T07:52:35.093-04:00thanks josh i am not defending the idea i just was...thanks josh i am not defending the idea i just was filling in a few missing points in the article do you have a link/copy of that article?judahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654713449247941899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-62089309396737230442013-07-22T19:24:28.060-04:002013-07-22T19:24:28.060-04:00juda:
thanks.
there is also a whole article in ...juda:<br /><br />thanks.<br /><br />there is also a whole article in Hapaamon, Chanukah 5771, defending this idea. (parshablog gets blasted in a footnote. :)joshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-60112029615387115522013-07-20T18:47:52.388-04:002013-07-20T18:47:52.388-04:00One more point regarding Aristotle’s assertion it ...One more point regarding Aristotle’s assertion it is possible he wasn’t discussing how many teeth grow but was discussing the amount of teeth that are lost in the course of a lifetime (it was very common for teeth to rot as the field of dentistry was limited to extractions and most people did not have a full set of teeth in the ancient world) so he was explaining what had been observed that an adult male generally retains more teeth intact into adulthood than an adult female.judahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654713449247941899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-60102681221164716522013-07-20T18:46:38.661-04:002013-07-20T18:46:38.661-04:00I have been intrigued by this subject for many yea...I have been intrigued by this subject for many years and I just stumbled on your post so I am adding my findings which you can feel free to edit and turn this comment into a come lately follow up post or leave it in the obscurity of this comments box.<br />First a side point r’ chaim in asichah,http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?166908&&lang=eng&lang=eng bnei brak 2012 (this is yet another one of these recently popularized seforim were the mechaber writes an entire shctickel torah followed by r chaims 1-2 word response which usually doesn’t add anything to the shtickel and is sometimes followed by a second lengthy shtickel of the mechaber being “mevvar” his holy word(s)) on page שפ"ו r’ chaim is asked for the source of the idea that jews have 32 teeth and gentiles 33 and his response is medrash talpoit so apparently he now knows the correct version.<br />The “mistaken” version of the medrash talpioth that a Jew has 32 teeth and a non-jew 31 is already quoted and understood in a very literal fashion, to be used for determining if a circumcised corpse is Jewish on page koof vav of the sefer reah maseh http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=34944&st=&pgnum=224 which was a popular Childrens sefer printed in yerushalim in 1902 he is quoting from the chachmie ashkenaz and he brings many “remazim” to this idea including the “remaz” from “hen am lvadad yishkon” however he does not elaborate by saying that dad is Aramaic for teeth (presumably a jew in yerushalim 110 years ago knew Arabic). The chachmie ashkenaz mentioned in this source are presumably the shl”ah quoting from the rokeach "בישראל יש ל"ב שינים" (without any contrast to non-jew) “and these 32 are aligned with the 32 roots of wisdom”. <br />There apparently was at least one “rational” rabbi who heard this legend and tried to make it fit with his knowledge of the world in kol yehuda,http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=6389&st=&pgnum=191&hilite= masolton, kahir, 1937 the author writes that while it is possible non-jew have 31 teeth while all jews have 32 (this particular version makes me a little uneasy as I indeed have only 31 teeth (one of my wisdom teeth never developed at all even below the gums ) however I am willing to be megiur mesafek if need be) <br /> However the “mistaken” version of the medrash talpiot is far from new and in fact has an earlier source that is probably the source of the modern day version and is recorded in a sefer that predates the first printing of the medrash talpoit, 1737, izmir (I am not sure where r waxman got his earlier date of 1698 see here http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?507&&lang=eng&lang=eng pg. 19) however it is clearly even older than that sefer, as he is quoting it as the shitah of mekubalim and arguing on it. the sefer is zera berach shlishi (a grandson of the original zera berach, Krakow 1646) in his chidushim on mesachtas brachos, Amsterdam 1726 dated based on approbation of ZH from levov he explains the pussak in tehilim “sheinie reshim shebarta” as hinting to the fact that jews have 31 teeth (good for me) and non-jews have 32 I didn’t get the remaz). And then he says “and all the mekubalim have already been astounded by this as they say that it would have been fitting for jews to have 32 teeth aligning with the 32 roots of wisdom (similar to shlah in name of rokeach) and non-jews 31”. Unfortunately the HebrewBooks scan of this sefer http://www.hebrewbooks.org/5797 is corrupted (the first 39 pages are a rescan of part of the zera berach shlishi’s other sefer on drush they only have this sefer starting from page 40 and this sefer is numbered like a gemara with 2 amudim and they only scanned the amud alefs this particular piece is found on lamed beis amud beis first column a properly scanned full version of this sefer is available on otzer hachimah http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?151648&&lang=eng&lang=eng page 68 however from page 40 and on is paywalled (you can see the proper format of the sefer in the first 40 pages)<br />K.T. Judajudahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654713449247941899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-45207342955209277632013-07-18T14:47:49.966-04:002013-07-18T14:47:49.966-04:00this idea is also alluded to in the verse " L...this idea is also alluded to in the verse " LO=31 asa chein lechol goy umishpatim BAL=32 yeduim"<br /><br />also has any one substantiated the fact that Dr issac Betech is actually the source through which r zilberstien heard about this dentist in America? judahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654713449247941899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-29610505740281612382013-05-05T08:30:33.978-04:002013-05-05T08:30:33.978-04:00It is in Derech Sicha, page 227, Bnei Brak, 5764.It is in Derech Sicha, page 227, Bnei Brak, 5764.joshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-59933091483707176472013-05-04T14:57:37.718-04:002013-05-04T14:57:37.718-04:00What's the name of the sefer in which this res...What's the name of the sefer in which this response from rav Kanievsky is printed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-87907991732949056912009-09-25T00:06:19.160-04:002009-09-25T00:06:19.160-04:00I just wrote a post mentioning how deprived of sec...I just wrote a post mentioning how deprived of secular knowledge religious people can be! This just goes to further the point even more...R' Kanievsky I'm sure is a great Torah scholar, but it is a little embarrassing to have a respected Rabbi saying things like this!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-67573799402584153462009-06-30T19:31:05.508-04:002009-06-30T19:31:05.508-04:00wow. thanks.
kt,
joshwow. thanks.<br /><br />kt,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-75953388425019096682009-06-30T18:49:31.295-04:002009-06-30T18:49:31.295-04:00Rav Shmueli mentioned it in his latest Shiur at ar...Rav Shmueli mentioned it in <a href="http://hazohar.net/files/zohar09-06-28.wmv" rel="nofollow">his latest Shiur</a> at around the 34:15 mark for about a minute or so.yaakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08179304707239865515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-70111384510798286102009-06-20T18:42:03.462-04:002009-06-20T18:42:03.462-04:00"I have heard it said" - which is often ..."I have heard it said" - which is often the problem in these types of concerns. Information is passed from person to person, assumption and interpretations and not hearing every exact detail creeping in, and then we're surprised to find the information inaccurate. <br /><br />Rav Kanievsky's supposed statements about war in Israel starting during Chanukah, and therefore not to hold a wedding come to mind - which when traced back were found to be multiple "I heard it wrong" errors, come to mind.<br /><br />I believe Rav Kanievsky's reply at that time was "if you didn't hear it from my mouth, then do not consider it accurate". Similarly we've seen Kol Koreh's with carefully selected 'excerpts' of the gadol's statement.<br /><br />In an age of information overload, we are also subject to information being adjusted for the desire of the deliverer.<br /><br />Buyer beware.Akivahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042484533217272945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-62599867925351298262009-06-19T01:21:02.957-04:002009-06-19T01:21:02.957-04:00This was a beautiful post, a perfect way to prelud...This was a beautiful post, a perfect way to prelude Shabbos.Baruchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08051421355654178857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-38194293353291276442009-06-18T15:02:12.642-04:002009-06-18T15:02:12.642-04:00"When R. Chaim says it you are dumfounded, wh...<i>"When R. Chaim says it you are dumfounded, when Wikipedia says it you accept it"</i><br /><br />:)<br /><br />except of course that when Wikipedia says it, it is put into a context which makes sense with what we know of the world. and there is a strong implication that there are scientific studies such as this one:<br />http://www.springerlink.com/content/r597008xv754130x/<br />) which have studied it. And it is not that all gentiles are different by having one extra, or on less, tooth, and where all Jews are the ones who have the "famous" number of teeth. And where Rav Kanievsky's evidence is something which is obviously an urban legend, a story about an anti-Semitic doctor in America. <br /><br />But of course you know this.<br /><br /><i>If this is what are gedolim are like, there is no need to be frum.</i><br />What Shlomie W. said. And of course I could point you to a number of rabbonim whose word should be granted at least as much credence, who either know the science or know where and how to consult for the science.<br /><br />kt,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-31948515395311373182009-06-18T14:17:38.329-04:002009-06-18T14:17:38.329-04:00If this is what are gedolim are like, there is no ...<i>If this is what are gedolim are like, there is no need to be frum.</i><br /><br />An understandable statement, but mistaken. What you mean is, there is no need to be charedi.Shlomie W.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-35501892474764124032009-06-18T12:54:17.876-04:002009-06-18T12:54:17.876-04:00This is what led to the rise of the scorned "...This is what led to the rise of the scorned "Rabbiner Doktor" phenomenon. The disconnect between R. Chaim Kanievsky and many are too wide. In a way it is a shame to make too much out of this, but at a certain point the gap just can't be bridged.Mississippi Fred MacDowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734864605700159687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-9630292219799809842009-06-18T12:42:50.280-04:002009-06-18T12:42:50.280-04:00If this is what are gedolim are like, there is no ...If this is what are gedolim are like, there is no need to be frum.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-36585200261845746782009-06-18T12:31:28.891-04:002009-06-18T12:31:28.891-04:00I know, that's what left me dumbfounded.I know, that's what left me dumbfounded.Mississippi Fred MacDowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734864605700159687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-86160515487366772442009-06-18T12:16:03.573-04:002009-06-18T12:16:03.573-04:00Does he think Jews and Gentiles are different spec...<i>Does he think Jews and Gentiles are different species of Homo sapiens?</i><br /><br />I am sure he does. I have heard it said that there is no evidence that smoking is harmful for JEws, since the tests were done with non-Jews who are a different briyah.Shlomie W.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-42204738556879028682009-06-18T11:30:22.078-04:002009-06-18T11:30:22.078-04:00Reading further in Wikipedia, I just saw that it ...Reading further in Wikipedia, I just saw that it says "Ethnicity can also have an impact on the age at which [the appearance of wisdom teeth] occurs, with statistical variations between groups."<br /><br />Given this, maybe it's slightly less bizarre than it seemed at first glance.<br /><br />Cue the responses: "When R. Chaim says it you are dumfounded, when Wikipedia says it you accept it."<br /><br />Well. ;-)Mississippi Fred MacDowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734864605700159687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-57016711617585764942009-06-18T11:28:54.932-04:002009-06-18T11:28:54.932-04:00Personally I am -- not quite disturbed, but more o...Personally I am -- not quite disturbed, but more or less dumfounded -- that this even sounds plausible to R. Chaim. Does he think Jews and Gentiles are different species of Homo sapiens? I just don't get it. (Although I actually saw this in print two or three years ago, so I am not dumfounded at the moment, being used to it.)<br /><br />BTW, only one of my wisdom teeth ever popped to the surface, so I have 29 exposed teeth. In theory, someone examining my mouth -- but not carefully -- might assume I have an extra tooth in the back, not three missing. It might look like I have 33 in that case. But still, you have to think. Is it plausible that Jews and Gentiles differ physically? What happens to converts, do they lose a teeth? What if two converts marry, do their genes not get passed on?Mississippi Fred MacDowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734864605700159687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-47245992419094596372009-06-18T09:59:28.457-04:002009-06-18T09:59:28.457-04:00can you give me a reference of where to find it?
...can you give me a reference of where to find it?<br /><br />i would not that for individual species, this is indeed the case - that scientists operate based on absence of evidence and thought a species to be extinct, only to have one pop up somewhere. but i don't think this is plausible in the general case. where are the dinosaurs hiding?<br /><br />kt,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-23957587304501987182009-06-18T08:42:40.142-04:002009-06-18T08:42:40.142-04:00I have also seen a statement by Rav Chaim K. that ...I have also seen a statement by Rav Chaim K. that no animals have ever gone extinct; those that are claimed extinct are just hiding somewhere.Shlomie W.noreply@blogger.com