Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harold Holmyard" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 12:04 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Pe in the aleppo codex


> Dear James,
>
> > I've been working with a digital copy of the aleppo codex and noticed that 
> > many verses have a pe after them (enclosed in {} in the electronic 
> > version). So I looked in the WLC and noticed that it too had them. Now I 
> > tried to cast my mind back to the hebrew classroom and seem to remember 
> > somebody explaining something about what they are for but I can't for the 
> > life of me remember. Can somebody remind me what they are for?
>
> They mark short paragraphs into which the entire Bible (except psalms)
> was divided. The paragraphs were either "open" or "closed." An open
> paragraph was marked by the P  (for "petuchah" = open), set between two
> verses. (The closed paragraph was marked by a S for "setumah"= closed.)
> In handwritten texts an open paragraph commenced at the beginning of a
> new line,with the preceding line left partly or completely blank.
> Printed texts have changed matters, but the printed P or S marks the
> original divisions.
>
> Yours,
> Harold Holmyard


Harold's explanation is correct, except that the distinction is not 
necessarily between handwritten and printed texts. Using the P and S instead 
of actually leaving the spaces was a way to save parchment or paper in 
codices, that were not meant for ritual reading. Parchments scrolls such as 
the Torah scrolls or the Megilat Esther used for ritual reading must be 
handwritten "properly" - otherwise they are not "kosher" and reading from 
them does not fulfill one's obligation. Codices that are meant for study can 
use "shorthand". Many modern prints, by the way, such as the Koren or Bauer 
have gone back to typesetting that emulates the "proper" division of the 
text.

Yigal