David –
Most apply the criterion to the street.
Only to the streets the eruv covers? IOW, you are saying that the other poskim would allow an eruv on any streets that don’t have a shishim ribo/600,000 within the eruv coverage area — irregardless if there’s shishim ribo in the city itself?
If they never defined it why is Rav Moshe’s definition a “chiddush”?
The number of people who actually commute into the borough to work that I have seen tallied is 235,000 people.
Where is that figure coming from? Also, you are not accounting for tourists and for guests of family and friends.
BTW, although the most recent census counted over 2.5 million in Brooklyn, in previous census’ (perhaps used by Rav Moshe) it peaked at 2.75 million (also prior to adding in the undercount and prior to adding the guests/workers/tourists).
Now only factor the 12×12 mil subset of Brooklyn and the tally would be even less.
You’ve said this before, but it doesn’t answer the point. You started with over 3 million in Brooklyn. How much of Brooklyn’s population do you lose when you only factor the 12×12 subset? Perhaps the 12×12 covers the vast majority of Brooklyn, and although it doesn’t cover the entire Borough you don’t lose enough population to bring the count to under 3 million. You haven’t demonstrated any proof the count falls sufficiently.
Why don’t you ask Rav Dovid himself? He is easily reachable by phone or in person at the Yeshiva. How does he explain what you think he is being inconsistent about.
The most recent published census at that time was the 1970 census, which enumerated (prior to adding any of the earlier discussed required adjustments) 2.6 million. In any event, does Rav Moshe write how much he believed the population was and how many workers he counted in? Where are you getting the population figures you are citing as what Rav Moshe believed when composing his p’sak?
Rav Moshe believed that that both Boro Park and Flatbush contain a population of over shishim ribo.
Why would this even be a factor? The 12×12 mil encompass a lot more area than either Boro Park or Flatbush.