[Avodah] Snake or Dragon?

[Michael Makovi]

On Jan 18, 2008 10:51 PM, Richard Wolpoe <rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Jan 15, 2008 8:46 PM, <RallisW at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > When in Shemos (7:8-13) Moshe and Aharon appear before Paroah and Aharon
> throws down his staff and it turns into a "Sanin" not "Nochosh." Could the
> term sanin refer to a dragon rather than the traditional snake?
>
>
> >
> >
> > The word sanin also appears in Bereshis (1:21), "taninim hagedolim.."
> usually translated as great sea giants.
>
> I translate this as simply dinosaurs [literally great lizards] which were
> both in the water and on land.  OTOH a reptile is after all a reptile!
> --
> Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
> RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
> see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/

I can't remember exactly, but I remember Rabbi Slifkin objecting to
this, that the taninim are definitely sea creatures, which the
dinosaurs were certainly not. But perhaps one could fit the
plesiasaurs (sp?) in.

But also, Rabbi Slifkin said, the Torah doesn't classify creatures by
our present taxonimical standards, but instead by simple criteria of
what they look like. Reptiles for the Torah slither or crawl, whereas
dinosaurs certainly did not. The Torah, he says, would classify
dinosaurs with mammals.

I forget then what he says the taninim here actually are. But also,
since he takes liberties in taking chapter one allegorically, perhaps
he's not so terribly worried. I haven't actually read the book yet, so
I don't know.

Mikha'el Makovi