7 votes
Accepted

Chazal contradicting science

This is a very broad and complex topic, with multiple opinions in every direction, and the practical halacha depends on the topic being studied. Entire books have been written on it, so it is not easy ...
mbloch's user avatar
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6 votes
Accepted

What is the tosfos yeshanim?

There were many versions of tosafos on most tractates. Starting about the time of Rabeenu Tam and his nephew R"I Hazaken -R Yitzchak of Dampierre, many of the senior talmidim of the great ...
Older Amateur's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Tosefta vs Talmud in Halacha

Refer to Yad Malachi, כללי הרמב"ם אות ט, where this topic is discussed. His conclusion is that not only is the Gemara granted precedence over the Tosefta, but we also do not accord authority to a ...
user6781's user avatar
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4 votes

Identity of Rabbi in Baba Bathra 14b

Hi and welcome to Mi Yodeya! In this case it's Rabbi Yochanan bar Napacha, and the way to tell is simple: Rabbi Yochanan speaks here in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who lived a few generations ...
Harel13's user avatar
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3 votes

Book recommendation: commentaries on aggadah?

By far the most comprehensive analysis of the Aggadah sections of the Talmud that I have used is a series called שיעורים בהגדות חז"ל written by a רב חנוך גבהרד about 20 years ago. Seems it came ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
2 votes

Is there a translation of Rashi on Shas in English?

Yes, I often find myself using themercava.com. Click on the words of Rashi, and the translation of the highlighted line should appear at the bottom of the page.
ezra's user avatar
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1 vote

The search for invariants

Modern science concludes that nature is always optimizing. Between two points, light takes the path it can cross in the least time. Soap bubbles form so as to minimize surface area. When an object ...
Maurice Mizrahi's user avatar
1 vote

Chazal contradicting science

Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi said that the Sages of Israel were mistaken in their view that the sun travels behind the sky at night. There is broad support from Rishonim and Acharonim on this. See the Gemara ...
Turk Hill's user avatar
  • 1,246

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