Someone once told me that the Maharsha talks about Bermuda Triangle in meseches berachos.
Does anyone know where the Maharsha speaks about it?
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5It's not a Maharsha, but I've heard many people quote the Rashash to daf 8a (רש"י ד"ה כפיטרא בפי ושט) as referring to the Bermuda Triangle (all he says is that there's an area of the sea with a great magnet underneath it which confuses sailors/navigators)– הנער הזהCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 1:50
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@Matt judaism.stackexchange.com/a/51027/5323– MTLCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 2:51
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@Shokhet I guess Fred also heard people mention this, otherwise he wouldn't have posted it as an answer (I'm assuming that he isn't just intending to quote any random thing and say, "this doesn't answer your question", that would be silly)– הנער הזהCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 2:55
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@Matt Probably. Also, Fred mentions at the end of his answer that the Triangle had not yet become notorious at the time of the Rashash; likely the same reasoning applies to the Maharsha.– MTLCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 2:59
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1@Matt Also, sometimes it's hard to prove something isn't true. I'm not going to write an answer like: "I just reviewed every comment by the Maharsha on B'rachos, and nope - he doesn't say this. I shall now demonstrate how the following six far-fetched possible candidates among his comments on B'rachos cannot in fact be understood as references to the Bermuda Triangle.... In sum, you are wrong. Just as I suspected." Although that would technically make for a better and more thorough answer, it doesn't actually address what seems to be the OP's intention.– FredCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 3:20
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1 Answer
You may be referring to a comment by the Rashash, who in turn explains a comment by Rashi on B'rachos 8a (s.v. כפיטורי בפי ושט). Rashi says:
ים אוקיינוס יש בו מקומות שאינו מקבל ברזל ומחברין לוחי הספינה ע"י חבלים ועקלים שתוחבי' בנקביו ותוקעין אותו בדוחק לפי שהם גסין כמדת הנקב
My translation:
There are places in the ocean that do not tolerate iron, and the sailors instead keep the boards of the ship together with ropes and bands that fit through holes in the ship, and they fasten it with difficulty since the circumference of the ropes are fitted so that they are exactly as thick as the circumference of the holes.
The Rashash (ad loc.) comments on Rashi as follows:
יש בו מקומות שאינו מקבל ברזל. והוא מפני שנמצאים שמה בקרקעית הים אבני מאגנעט אשר טבעם למשוך הברזל אליהם
My translation:
"There are places that do not tolerate iron": This is because the seafloor in those places is made up of magnetic stones whose nature is to attract iron.
This does not seem to be a specific reference to the Bermuda Triangle, which had not yet become notorious for allegedly causing ships to disappear. Instead, it seems to be related to older notions about the effects of magnetite on ships.
The Maharsha (1555-1631) does not comment on this gemara (ואיכא דאמרי כפיטורי בפי ושט) or this Rashi. In any case, since the Maharsha was born almost 300 years before the first reported disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle, it is implausible to attribute any mention of the Bermuda Triangle to him.
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This answer would be stronger if you noted that the Maharsha was also equally unlikely to refer to the Bermuda Triangle either (since the question is about the maharsha after all)– הנער הזהCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 3:03
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@Matt Fair enough. I also noted that the Maharsha doesn't comment on that part of 8a or on that Rashi.– FredCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 3:13
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@Matt Also, for a couple of instances where people connect this Rashash to the Bermuda Triangle, see here and here. I've gotta run for now, but I may get around to editing this in as motivation for providing an answer primarily about the Rashash. Or you can feel free to edit this answer accordingly, if you are so inclined.– FredCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 3:39