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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@saber.towson.edu>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 23:17:01 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Can a CD ROM Replace a Konkordance or the Mesorah

Yitzchok Zlochower in v31n69 inquires about Software vs Konkordances
>>>>>>
of a page of the Bavli text together with Rashi and Tosfot?  Can I cut
and paste citations into a Word Perfect or Word or HTML document?  Will
the search engine serve as a user-friendly Tanach concordance?
>>>>>>
(In passing the answer to Yizchok's first two questions is: (a) Yes you
can cut-paste with some davka software in WP/WORD) (b) You might also
try downloading MTR (Mishneh Torah Rambma) at various places on the web
(It has complete Tnach, Mishneh Torah(no commentary), Yerushalmi,Bavli)
AND costs only $50).

However I am responding to the question about using a CD ROM to
'replace' a Konkordance. No good CD ROM can replace a Konkordance and
similarly even a good Konkordance can not replace the font 6 commentary
surrounding the Biblical text called the "Mesorah" which lists similar
verses. Let me explain.

A CD ROM searches for LETTER Patterns. By contrast a good Knokordance
(Mendelkorn or Ibn Shoshan) lists verses with a COMMON ROOT (This is not
possible to do on a CD ROM if the verse has a weak letter which is
sometimes not present). In other words, by opening the Konkordance I can
find all verses where the verb TO FALL(NFL) occurs (Some CD ROMS allow
'Boolean Seardhes' but this does not give ROOT listings without alot of
work and knowledge of grammar--it would be hard to get all listings of
NFL (To fall) using a CD ROM)

Similarly the Mesorah lists not only word patterns but phrase patterns.
As a very simple example I recently suggested (see reference at bottom)
that the Bible uses REPEATED CONNECTIVES when it wants to create a
BULLET-LIKE effect. To prove this I had to review all verses which
contains BECAUSE..BECAUSE (KI KI) and show that each "BECAUSE" clause is
a separate bullet-type item. Not all CD ROMS can list this.

In summary if you want to do serious Tanach search you must have a good
Konkordance, a good Mesorah and I usually recommend Racacks Grammar
books ROOTS, and MICHLOL which contain in a compact form alot of
information you cannot get anyplace(these books deal with MEANING which
cannot be fully obtained from a CD, Konkordance or Mesorah)

Hope this helps
Russell Jay Hendel;
Moderator Rashi is Simple
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/h5n4.htm (Contains the posting on bullets)