Q&A: An Error in the Writings of the Sages and Its Implications
An Error in the Writings of the Sages and Its Implications
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In tractate Shabbat we learned that it is forbidden to kill animals on the Sabbath because in the Tabernacle they killed rams dyed red and tachash animals for the hides. But it is permitted to kill lice because they do not reproduce like animals; rather, they are generated from sweat.
1. But today we know that lice are not generated from sweat; they reproduce through eggs like many animals. Why did they write in Jewish law something that is factually incorrect?
2. In light of modern science, will the Jewish law change? If not, then Jewish law is being based on an incorrect fact. If so, where is the boundary between that and the Reform movement?
3. In the Tabernacle they also used tekhelet, which is a dye produced from a snail. Snails reproduce as male and female, but each snail is also both male and female and can also reproduce with itself. Can the rule that they do not reproduce like animals be applied to snails, and therefore permit killing them on the Sabbath even though they were used in the Tabernacle? Can we learn from the snail that the whole rule of “reproducing” is actually nullified, and then why is it permitted to kill lice?
Thank you
Answer
1. Regarding lice, this is probably an error of the Sages due to a lack of scientific knowledge.
2. If it is an error, then of course the Jewish law changes. What does that have to do with Reform? We are talking about a mistake. See my columns on Modern Orthodoxy.
3. It is unlikely that this is considered not reproducing.