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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Using a Magnifying Glass for Halachah

The Aruch Hashulchan writes:
"There are those that say in the name of scientists that if one looks through a magnifying glass, they will see many insects in vinegar. Now, with vinegar, there is no problem... but I hear that all water, specifically rain water, is full of microscopic insects that are not visible to the naked eye. In my youth, I heard from someone that traveled far and used a microscope that enlarged the object thousands of times, and he saw all these insects. If so, how can we drink this water?
The truth is that the Torah does not forbid that which the naked eye cannot see, for the Torah was not given to angels. If one does not say so, now are there not scholars who say that the air is also filled with microscopic insects and when a person opens his mouth, he swallows many of them?! Surely they are speaking nonsense! Even if it is indeed so, being that the naked eye doesn't see them, it is nothing..."
He says the same thing about microscopic scales on fish - it still doesn't make them kosher:
"...Know, it is given, that with anything that needs to be visible, seeing it through a magnifying glass does not qualify; the naked eye must be able to see it. This holds true with anything in the entire Torah that needs to be visible."
ערוך השולחן יו"ד סי' פ"ד סל"ו וסי' פ"ג סט"ו
ועי' חכמת אדם כלל ל"ח בבינת אדם סקמ"ט
ועי' טוב טעם ודעת (למו"ר שלמה קלוגער) מה"ת קו"א (הל' טריפות) תשובה נ"ג
See here, and here

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