[Avodah] Q re RYReisman's 24Nov2007 shiur

[Michael Poppers]

This motzoei-Shabbos P'Vayishlach shiur dealt with the Kohanic middah of
qapdanus.  For those who heard or will hear it, I have a tangential
question re RYR's elucidation of the term "chashmonai/chashmona'i." (I also
have a related Q re this term which b'li neder I'll send to Mesorah...and
re both Qs, if someone could FWD them to RYR [and give regards to him from
Elizabethean Sruli Safrin], I would be much obliged.)  IIRC, he said that
according to those (e.g. Chida) who consider it a noun and pronounce it
"chashmonai" (patach-[aleph-]yud), it's apparently a Greek term a la
"Yannai"; acc. to those (e.g. Beis Yoseif) who consider it an adjective
(from T'hilim 68:32 -- the commentaries ad loc. seem to see in this word an
indication for it being a noun rather than an adjective, but I guess one
can read them either way...) and pronounce it "chashmona'i"
(qamatz-aleph-chiriq-yud), it's clearly a Hebrew word.  Why would he assume
that "chashmonai" is a Greek term when it seems to indicate that the family
came from Cheshmon (Y'hoshua 15:27, and as Baer notes in Siddur Avodas
Yisrael, see Seider Olam Zuta)?  Does his assumption stem from Cheshmon
being a city in nachalas Y'hudah, which would raise interesting
implications for a priestly family which took malchus upon itself (an issue
which RYR discussed a bit later on in his shiur)? Thanks.

Gut Voch and all the best from
--Michael Poppers via RIM pager
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