BS"D
I am sorry for asking a question on a daf that is not being learned at the moment.
The gemora's explanation for what thunder is, such as clouds rubbing together or lightning smashing hail, are clearly scientificaly wrong. How then are we to understand this gemorah? Is it telling us the mechanism by which thunder works or is it teaching something else. It appears that Chazal are trying to eplain the mechanism and not the meaning behind the phenomena.
Shmuel's oppinion of clouds rubbing together has an element of truth, as friction within clouds does cause the electricity wich gives rise to lightning.
Thank you
Yosef Geller, England
Yosef, below you will find what we wrote about this in our Insights to the Daf there. Be well,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Kollel Iyun Hadaf
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Berachos 59
1) EARTHQUAKES AND THUNDER
QUESTION: The Gemara cites various opinions concerning what causes earthquakes (or, according to the Rashba, thunder): the tears of Hash-m, Hash-m clapping His hands, stamping His feet, or pushing with His feet under His throne.
How are we to understand this Gemara?
ANSWER: RABEINU CHANANEL explains that the Gemara is teaching that loud noises are expressions of Hash-m dissatisfaction with the fact that the Jewish people are in exile. By causing these loud noises to occur, He is showing His frustration, as it were, with the fact that the Jewish people are still in exile. He wants to redeem them, but the time has not yet come.
The RASHBA adds that even though claps of thunder during storms seem to be no more than a natural occurrence, thunderclaps in the times of the Beis ha'Mikdash were very infrequent. Only nowadays are storms frequently accompanied by loud thunder, because, as the Gemara says, they are reminding us to straighten the crookedness in our hearts. This is similar to the phenomenon of a rainbow that comes after a storm, which is a sign that Hash-m will not bring another flood upon the world even though He may not be pleased with man's actions. Even though it is a natural occurrence, it did not appear before the flood. Even now it does not appear when there are Tzadikim in the world, because Hash-m does not want to destroy the world when there are Tzadikim (see RAMBAN, Bereishis 9:12).