Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Shalom Isaac,

I think you are confusing two traditions - that of the Tablets with the Ten 
Commandments being written "by the finger of God", and that of Moses writing 
the entire Torah, all five books, "by the mouth of God". I agree with you 
that "al-pi" could mean "according to", but remember that this passage is 
not from the Bible, but rather from a much later liturgy.


Yigal Levin

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu>
To: "Shoshanna Walker" <rosewalk AT concentric.net>
Cc: "B-Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 9:15 PM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] comparative historical linguistics was 
Re:Nun-Tav-Vet root


> 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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