*1 See LIST854e below for Biblical examples
*2 See LIST854c below for further Biblical examples
*3 Probably when people had a sexual fight (who did what)
they could SPREAD THE GARMENT to clearly prove their
point*10
*4 Many idioms in this list are examples of SYNECDOCHE,
the use of the (distinguished) PART to indicate the
WHOLE. Thus honey is a GOOD EXAMPLE of something
sweet, bread is a GOOD EXAMPLE of food, day(12
hours) is a GOOD EXAMPLE of the 24 hour period. Hence
almost all languages develop idioms: HONEY=SWEET,
BREAD=FOOD, DAY(12 HOURS)=DAY(24 HOURS).
Similarly in the above live SPEADING THE GARMENT
is a GOOD example of PROVING MATTERS (In sexual
disputes), the SUN SHINING is a good example of
CLARITY, GIFT OF HIS HAND is a good example of
a HIGH INCOME LEVEL.
*5 Cf However Lv15-08a Spit ON Him = Actually spit on him
The rule seems to be that SPIT ON HIM is literal
whereas SPIT ON FACE (use of FACE vs FULL PERSON) means
SPIT TOWARDS HIM
*6 eg If I am angry and mentally curse or if I
am angry and start ranting and raving without
however fully articulating everything on my mind
-- in these two cases I may have sworn IN MY MIND
but I have not sworn WITH MY LIPS (Explicitly)
LONGER FOOTNOTES
|
*10 (The following comes from my article PSHAT & DRASH
TRADITION Winter 1980)
We must distinguish between
- HOW we know what the idiom means
- WHY the idiom means this
HOW we know what the idiom means comes from USAGE
It can usually be inferred from context. Thus
the Biblical verses here state
when a person slanders his newly married
wife...then the womens parents shall sue
him and SPREAD THE GARMENT before the judges
-------------------------------------
Hence SPREAD the GARMENT is simply an idiom
for PROVING ONES POINT.
By contrast the question of WHY the idiom
means what it does is something more
speculative--maybe I am right that frequently
in sexual fights a SPREAD GARMENT proved a
point. But maybe I am wrong...in such a case
I am still sure about WHAT the idiom means.
I am just not sure about WHY it means this.
Another example occurs at Lv23-40a and Lv23-40b.
I am certain that the ETHROG was called the
GORGEOUS FRUIT but I am not quite sure why. Rashi
offers two explanations
EXPLANATION 1:
The ethrog is an EVERGREEN and DWELLS YEARLY
(This uses a pun on EVERGREEN=HADAR vs
HODOR=GORGEOUS)
EXPLANATION 2
-------------
The TREE and FRUIT taste the same; Hence
the tree is Gorgeous.
EXPLANATION 3
-------------
Rav Hirsch offers a 3rd explanation. Rav
Hirsch reviews botanical classifications and infers
that the Ethrog is one of the more advanced
fruits in the tree Kingdom.
I am still not sure WHY the phrase GORGEOUS
FRUIT means ETHROG but I am sure that this
phrase was used to denote the ETHROG
|
|