Q&A: A Pit and Its Vapor
A Pit and Its Vapor
Question
Does the Rabbi have an explanation of what the “vapor” of a pit is, and of course how it kills?
Answer
No. There are of course places where vapor can kill. But when this is said about every pit, it isn’t clear to me.
Discussion on Answer
Interesting — Yishai’s explanation seems a bit strange to me, that this is the “pit spoken of by the Torah,” especially since they expound “an ox, and not a person,” meaning that the digger is exempt for a death.
In Rashi on the Talmudic passage it says: “The usual manner of falling implies into the depth, and onto its face.” According to your explanation, it makes sense that since the animal fell upside down onto its face, it suffocates even in a pit ten handbreadths deep.
Menachem — greetings,
If the ox fell on its face, it is also understandable that it would be harmed by breathing poisonous gases, as Yishai suggested.
Best regards, Shatz
With God’s help, 3 Tammuz 5780
Menachem — greetings,
See the discussion from 20 Adar 5778 on column 121, “Between the Tzomet Institute and the Weizmann Institute.” I suggested that the vapor is the moisture and carbon dioxide that accumulate in pits and cause a feeling of suffocation. However, “Yishai” linked there to sources pointing to the accumulation of poisonous gases in pits.
Best regards, Shatz