Q&A: Deriving Science from the Torah
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Deriving Science from the Torah
Question
Hello, Rabbi, may you live long.
Does the story about Rabbi Yehoshua and the philosopher regarding how many years a snake is pregnant prove that scientific facts can be derived from the Torah?
Answer
It shows that apparently that is what he thought. But various non-literal interpretations have been suggested for it, not as a factual claim.
Yes, ברור, but thinking something like that and writing it on the pages of the Talmud is another matter. It shows that everyone held that way, because he thought that way and taught that way.. What interpretation seems most plausible to you among those suggested non-factually? And also, what's the problem with doing a small experiment… and finding out the truth.