1. We don’t know what Rav Miller would say. If speculating what he would say vs. 70 R”Y clearly stating there position is a shaveh b’shave machlokes, than I have nothing to debate with you.
2. All I wrote is that Rav Miller was unaware of the Age Gap when he wrote that.
If you want my take on Harav Millers Zatzals point- here it is.
A. No one is telling girls NOT to try to get married at 19. It has always been that some do and some don’t. As a result of more close in age marriages hopefully fewer will get married at 19 than had been doing so in the past. Any individual girl should do whatever she thinks is in her best interest which is why if you bother to read the letter from the R”Y it does NOT address the girls or their families. If going forward instead of say isntead of 60% of the girls getting married at 19 we find ourselves that 45% are getting married at 19 and the rest at 20-22. I guess the R”Y thinks that’s a good thing.
Had Rav Miller been presented with the situation who is to say where he would stand. MM just for you I will try to ask Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen (Rav Millers grandson for his take on this issue).
3. NOT AT ALL. However to think that a qoute from Rav Miller is a refutation of what 70 clearly stated is frankly ridiculous.
4. See what I wrote before #7
5. There is NO reason to think this was around at the time of the rishonim and achronim. BUT 70 Years ago a terrible tragedy happened that the gedolim clearly stated the Av Harachmim blinded them from seeing what was developing and thus in many cases offering what turned out to be incorrect advice. To the point that when they realized what took place they asked mechila.
6. When is history has there ever been large population growth coupled with rigid dating patterns? I don’t think you have any evidence at all. Especially since before the 20th century women by and large weren’t healthy enough to have so many children. (although on this point I am NO expert.
MM: your arguments seem to me to be relatively baseless. Please explain which of the basic premises of age gap you don’t like. Or is it that you don’t like the suggested solution???