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RebE, he started learning as a teenager, I doubt he published much before that. I think that he was criticized for his early book “biblical images” and for the Talmud translation.

I just read R Aharon Feldman’s 1991 review of first volumes in Tradition 25, 4, pp.48-64 and 1992 response from Steinsaltz team. Criticism is mostly very technical, beyond my expertise. If accepting all of it, I would definitely not use Steinsaltz translation when doing mehira of a cow from you. Team responds that R Feldman points to 14 errors, they accept 3 and find 9 unfounded.

I can relate to the comments that go beyond the detailed halakhic analysis.

1) R Feldman is somewhat puzzled by modernishe extensions: Steinsaltz mentions that considering a moving boat stationary for the purposes of mehirah previews modern theory of the relativity of motion – anyone can be a stationary observer. R Feldman slips somewhat in the area outside of his expertise saying that S refers to “theory of relativity”, as if Steinsaltz sees Einstein in this Gemorah. He does not.

2) As R Feldman finds some of the S. text confusing he is trying to see how beginners would see it and he thinks beginners will view Gemorah as a confused text. Tradition published a letter by a maggid shiur who was using s. and testified that it is not a case. I did not learn much with S. text, but I can testify that this is not an impression I got from the Rav directly. So, I think we have here a mismatch between types of students R Feldman and R Steinsaltz were addressing, despite an attempt to relate.

3) some of the direct and implied criticism is Rav S’ search for psychological perspective on various Tanach and Talmudic personalities. Like you just did when you ascribed Resh Lakish style to his experiences. Well, R Yohanan did the same reference when they broke up (when does the sword become Tameh, Resh Lakish knew that it has to be cooled at the end).