Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Bill Rea <bsr15 AT cantsl.it.canterbury.ac.nz>]

Yitzhak wrote:-

>> It is almost impossible to remember each point,
>> so it is pretty obvious that the Masoretes, too, relied on
>> context to help remind them.
>
>This is just not true.  The Massoretes remembered each
>point, and used a huge body of statistical information that
>they also memorized regarding odd forms of each word to
>remember each and every point.  For someone who makes
>it their life occupation to remember the vocalization and
>cantillation of each word in the Bible, it's very possible.

If anyone doubts what Yitzhak says they should attend a Bar Mitzvah at a
nearby synagogue. At the one I attended the boy recited from memory, as is
the custom, and when he faltered in his reciting his father and the Rabbi
chanted a few words with him until he got going again. The boy did not
stop and consider the context to determine which vowels to put between his
consanants. What happens in synagogues in the chanting of the scriptures
is part of an unbroken tradition of which the Masoretes were members.
Those who come from religious traditions which place no, or little,
emphasis on the memorization of scriptures rarely realize the human
capacity to memorize large blocks of text.


Bill Rea, IT Services, University of Canterbury \_
E-Mail bill.rea AT canterbury.ac.nz               </   New
Phone 64-3-364-2331, Fax  64-3-364-2332       /)  Zealand
Unix Systems Administrator                   (/'