Re: Proof of the Mesorah
M. Saxon (saxonun1@atl.mindspring.com)
Mon, 19 Aug 1996 16:32:48 -0400
On Thu, 8 Aug 1996 "Y. Adlerstein" <yadler@mail1.deltanet.com> wrote:
>Harry Ganz wrote:
>>In parshas Shemini, we are given a list of all the kosher/non-kosher
>>animals. The non kosher animals are listed as those having both a
>>cloven hoof and chewing the cud. [...]
>>
>>The fact that no human being, at the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, could have
>>known this was enough for the Gemorro [Talmud] to claim this as a proof
>that >>the Torah was Min Hashamayim [from Heaven], and therefore a proof of
>>Hashem's existence.
>
>Perhaps someone could help me with this one, because I would really like to
>use the argument. However, I do have a few small questions:
>
>2) Arneves is assumed by many (not all - see question 1!) to be the rabbit.
>The rabbit doesn't chew its cud. Now I personally have no problem with
>the explanation that the Torah wants to be exhaustive, and mentions all
>animals that even LOOK like they might have one of the two signs of
>kashrut, and the rabbit looks like it is chewing its cud. But I would have
>a hard time convincing a questioning Jew of this.
I don't have all of the info in front of me, but Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler
explained once, that "Chewing it's cud" is in-fact an improper translation
of Maala Gairo.
It has more to do with re-eating previously digested food.
In the case of the rabbit, it lacks certain enzymes to digest the food
directly, however after the food has been digested and eliminated, it then
goes back and eats its feces.
So although the rabbit does not have 2 "stomaches" like the cow, it does
"eat/digest" it's food twice.
Perhaps someone in this group could write/call R'Tendler and ask him to
explain this more thorougly to us all. I'm sure we would all appreciate it.
M. Saxon