Obscurity in Scripture
In this week's Torah portion, there are a lot of words and phrases that we really are not 100% certain of their meaning.
For those who do not hold the Torah as God's word to His people, that's not a problem. For those who do, well, they try to not think of the question, "Why would an Omniscient Being dictate a text with words that He knew that we wouldn't know the meaning?"
And to those Apologists who claim that God couldn't tell humanity about planets because they wouldn't understand it (plus there was no Biblical Hebrew word for "planet"), they need to come to terms with the problem that Scripture doesn't care if people don't understand what words mean. To combat this, we simply give them meaning that "feels right".
Here are some examples from this week's portion.
Verse 26:5 - ארמי אבד אבי ("Arami oved avi").
Some interpret this as "My father was a fugitive Armenian", "My father was a straying Armenian", the Septuagint rends this as "My father abandoned Aram". The Vulgate has "An Armenian persecuted my father". Many reinterpret this to speak of Jacob and Laban (Rashi, Ibn Ezra), even though the Torah never refers to anyone as an "Armenian", although Laban did speak Aramaic, which is a different issue. Some interpret this to speak of Abraham (Rashbam). And some have a different twist on it, with Laban and "my father" not being explained (the Passover Haggadah, Onkelos).
So whatever this special phrase means that a Jew is supposed to say when he goes to the Temple with his first fruits...nobody is really in agreement.
Verse 28:4 - עשתרות - (Ashterot)
This is the same name of the Goddess (or the town named after the Goddess) in Genesis 14:5. It is sometimes translated to "lambing" or "birthing the flock", but nobody is really certain. The Goddess connection is never looked at.
Verse 28:5 - ומשארתך - (u'mishartekha)
This is a word of unknown origin. Some translate it as a kneading bowl (Onkelos), some as a "residue" (Rashi).
Verse 28:22 - בשחפת - (b'shakhafet)
This is likely a disease of some sort. Onkelos sees it as "consumption", Rashi as a wearing away of the flesh, Saadiah as malfunctioning lungs, and the Rashbam as a general variety of illnesses.
Verse 28:32 - אל - (El)
This word has a number of meanings, and because of these, different interpreters will choose a different meaning, depending on their comfort zone for "there will be no El in your hand". Is it God? Power? An Idol? There is no universal agreement.
And more!
Yes, there are more verses in this week's portion with strange and obscure words. I have presented a handful to give you a taste of what it a common occurrence throughout the Torah.
Of course, a traditionalist will say, "See! That proves that the Oral Torah is true, because without it you cannot understand the written Torah!"
The problem with that is the lack of agreement by those who believed in the Rabbinical construct called, "The Oral Torah".
So whatever this special phrase means that a Jew is supposed to say when he goes to the Temple with his first fruits...nobody is really in agreement.
Verse 28:4 - עשתרות - (Ashterot)
This is the same name of the Goddess (or the town named after the Goddess) in Genesis 14:5. It is sometimes translated to "lambing" or "birthing the flock", but nobody is really certain. The Goddess connection is never looked at.
Verse 28:5 - ומשארתך - (u'mishartekha)
This is a word of unknown origin. Some translate it as a kneading bowl (Onkelos), some as a "residue" (Rashi).
Verse 28:22 - בשחפת - (b'shakhafet)
This is likely a disease of some sort. Onkelos sees it as "consumption", Rashi as a wearing away of the flesh, Saadiah as malfunctioning lungs, and the Rashbam as a general variety of illnesses.
Verse 28:32 - אל - (El)
This word has a number of meanings, and because of these, different interpreters will choose a different meaning, depending on their comfort zone for "there will be no El in your hand". Is it God? Power? An Idol? There is no universal agreement.
And more!
Yes, there are more verses in this week's portion with strange and obscure words. I have presented a handful to give you a taste of what it a common occurrence throughout the Torah.
Of course, a traditionalist will say, "See! That proves that the Oral Torah is true, because without it you cannot understand the written Torah!"
The problem with that is the lack of agreement by those who believed in the Rabbinical construct called, "The Oral Torah".
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