Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Shoshana,
I know that it is a frivolous question, and for a true believer may  
even appear to border on blaspheme. The way God communicates with man  
is off limits to any rational enquiry. Yet you know that as the Torah  
is lifted after the public reading the congregation rises and  
proclaims in unison:
 וזאת התורה אשר שם משה לפני בני ישראל  
על פי אדוני ביד משה
where על פי may mean 'according to' or 'from the mouth of.'

This appears to negate the notion that Moshe lifted the tables  
skyward (as I have seen with my own eyes in the movies) and God put  
on them his writ with a hand of fire.
Isaac Fried

On Nov 30, 2006, at 10:25 AM, Shoshanna Walker wrote:

> I don't understand the question.  G-d "told" Moshe what to write.  I
> personally think it was via "automatic writing".  Other people
> claimed automatic writing (and Mozart claimed to write music that
> way), from lesser spiritual beings, so Moshe got his from G-d.
>
> Shoshanna
>
>
>
> What do you mean by "given"?
> Isaac Fried
>
> On Nov 27, 2006, at 10:08 PM, Shoshanna Walker wrote:
>
> > We believe that the Torah was given without any vowels, or even word
> > separations.
> >
> > Shoshanna
> >
> >
> >
> > > I know you asked Peter, but I just wanted to point out that   
> > > Orthodox Jews
> > > have always (or, in any case, for over a millenium), believed that
> > > the Torah
> > > was given to Moses.
> >
> > I meant, the Torah with the Shin/Sin distinctions as we have them.
> >
> > Yitzhak Sapir
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> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
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