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From: rhendel@king.mcs.drexel.edu (Russell Hendel)
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 22:22:46 -0400
Subject: A helpful Technique for Difficult Verses

I am responding to [Berger, 24.26] who cites a difficult verse from
davening.  Very often difficult verses with dangling phrases can be
explained using the literary technique know as apposition.

I use Gen 1:29,30 as an example. And God said: Behold I give to (1) you, (a)
all grass on the ground, (b) all trees bearing fruit---(I give) to you to eat.
(2) (And I also give the (a) grass and (b) trees)) to (2) wild animals,
(3) birds,
(4) insects...The verses appear difficult because of all the dangling
phrases (the same problem raised by Berger).

We can solve the problem by distinguishing what is INTENDED to be said,
what is ACTUALLY said and how the TRANSITION from actual to intended is
accomplished.

INTENDED: God gives to the following: (1) people, (2) wild animals, (3)
birds, (4) and insects...God gives to those 4 groups the following: (a)
grass and (b) trees.

ACTUAL: God gives to you grass and trees to you he gives. And to the
wild animals and birds...

TRANSITIONAL PRINCIPLE: The principle of apposition (I can't find a
better term) simply states that compound sentence parts (subjects,
objects, indirect objects, predicates) can be dealt with by singling out
only one of the compound set initially (God gives to you --#(1)) and
throwing in the remainder (#2,3,4 wild animals, birds, and insects)
afterwards.  It is this "throwing in" which sometimes confuses the
reader (see Rashi on these posookim).  This principle is very helpful in
many cases.

Quite simply then I would say that the intended sentence in Kedusha is
that: Then in a VOICE they make heard a voice.  The word VOICE is then
developed by apposition with two sets of adjective pairs (a compound
sentence part): VOICE that is roaring and big; VOICE that is majestic
and strong. True you can read the verse as having 4 adjectives but it is
permissable to read it as two sets of adjective pairs and it is equally
permissable to sing it this way.

For those interested in applications of this principle try counting the
number oftimes it can be used in Pesokay Dezimra.

Russell Hendel, rhendel @ mcs . drexel . edu