Q&A: Regarding the Common Denominator Between Them
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Regarding the Common Denominator Between Them
Question
With God’s help. In honor of my teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Michael Abraham, may he live long. Pure and red, and his garment is red; with his understanding he causes the wise to perish from Edom. A golden crown, the joy of the world and its splendor.
In your latest lecture on Kiddushin you explained the principle of “the common denominator between them” using Ockham’s razor (instead of attributing P to y and t, it is preferable to attribute P only to w). And I, the small one, had difficulty with this: why not infer from the outset that P depends on w?
Answer
You need to prove that it depends on w, since it is possible to attribute it to t or to y. The common denominator is the proof, because attributing it to w is simpler.