[Avodah] "Es Yom HaShmini Ho'Atzeres Hazeh"

[Richard Wolpoe]

On 10/10/07, RallisW at aol.com <RallisW at aol.com> wrote:
>
>  Rabbi Burton Wax of Cong. Ezras Israel in Chicago:
>
> There are several problems with the Rema and with your analogies.
> First of all, there are three holidays referred to as  Atzeret.  One is to
> the seventh day of Pesach.  Another is Shavuot.
>

WADR this is a red-herring argument. The Rema is specifically referring to
Biblical Terminology; while Atzeret as referring to Shavuos appears NOWHERE
in Humash because it is of rabbincal usage only.



The third is Shmini Atzeret.  The first two are definitely in the category
> of CHAG.  So if nothing else, we have a gezera shava "atzeret - atzeret" to
> include Shmini Atzeret as a chag.
> Second, if you look in Parashat Pinchas, where all of the chaggim and
> their respective korbanot are listed, in the last item (Eighth Day...) it
> says:  Bayom Hashmini (stop) Atzeret ti'yeh lachem....
> Since this pasuk is part of the listing of all of the chaggim, obviously
> Atzeret is the name of this holiday of the eighth day.
> This is also why I believe that those who say Shmini Chaga Hatzeret Hazeh
> are more correct than those who say Shmini Atzeret HaChag Hazeh.
>




I don't deny that there are other valid reads
My points were simple and multi-faceted, to whit:

   1. Rema saw a pattern [aisi the terms were Tanach based NOT hazal
   based]
   2. He presumed that since Hag was absent from the Humash for this
   holiday that this absence was significant. [e.g. Dr. Yaakov Elman
   posits that Ramban sees Torah as "omisignificant"]
   3. I extrapolate from this as follows: even were we to reject the
   Rema's conclusion [as you did] you can still view his methodology as having
   merit. IOW that one can find patterns and use them to draw inferences w/o
   drawing that particular inference
   4. This logic is really akin to davar halameid mei'inyano.  I.E. it is
   a form of analysis by means of context.

Illustation: We accept that the lo Tignov in the aseres hadibros is striclty
in reference to gneivas nefashos by the method of davar halaeim mei-inyano
[see Rashi]

There are probably a billion XTIANS who are familiar with the 10
Commandments who would be flabbergasted to see Lo Tignov as so highly
restricted in scope!  Particularly when you consider the broaderr scope of
g'neiva within 7 mitzovs b'nei no'ach [inyona d'yoma]!  And Occums' Razor
logic would posit the broader read as more likley/logical.   Nevertheless,
this is valid Rabbinical technique.

Summary: The Rema's particular conclusions have indeed been called into
question. This does not necessarily invalidate the technique of analysis by
structure, context, or analogy.
-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
Please Visit:
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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