[Avodah] Paleo-Hebrew Script

[Prof. Levine]

I am posting the following which I received from someone who said I 
could post it, but not in his name. It contains much information 
about the topic that I think is of interest, and that is why I am 
posting it. YL

Hi,

I am writing off list because I haven't yet decided whether I want the
following quoted in my name on the publicly archived Avodah. I would
want to first bounce this off of knowledgeable people. That said, I
offer you some thoughts.


* By now, there is ample evidence that Paleo-Hebrew script was indeed
the only one in use during Bayis Rishon. If Ashuris already existed,
it was very severely restricted, because AFAIK no document with
Ashuris has been found in Bayis Rishon Israel.

* Whether Kessav Ashuris was the original alphabet or not is a matter
of dispute in the Talmud. The Bavli in Sanhedrin rules that Ashuris
was the original alef-beis, but not permissible for daily use. There
is no way to prove or disprove this, since the number of documents
where Ashuris would have been permissible was comparatively small (the
Lu'hos and perhaps the sifrei Torah, made of materials that
disintegrate over time, so that none were preserved to this day that
are older than the Dead Sea Scrolls).

* I understand that the Yerushalmi concludes differently than the
Bavli, and even if it didn't, on historical matters, either something
was or wasn't, and the usual rules of arriving at halakhic conclusions
don't apply, so the rejected view in the Bavli may just as well be
right.

* It certainly seems more convincing that Ashuris was from Ashur, and
that under the guidance of Neviiim, we allowed the adoption of this
new script, because one would be hard pressed to explain how a bunch
of exiled, downtrodden people could teach an empire to use a new
alphabet. Furthermore, if I am not mistaken, the spread of Ashuris in
Ashur predates the 'hurbon, so that I don't see when and how the
hetter to spread that alphabet came about.

* The modern understanding of the significance of tagin is problematic
no matter what. Even in early Ksav Ashuris, the tagin were not like
ours and the alef beis looked somewhat different. Anyone who believes
that we truly must stick to the precise form of letters as practiced
today, is gullible, and if a talmid 'hokhom, a fool, too. The Rishonim
had different letter shapes than we do. When the Gemoro teaches that
R'Akivo was doresh kisrei osiyos, it doesn't mean all of that was
halokho leMoshe miSinai. Rabbi Akivo doesn't hold of deroshos being
reflective of the peshat of the words, that is Rabbi Yishmo'el's
shittoh. Rabbi Akivo believes in connecting the messoroh, including
halokho leMoshe miSinai, to the Biblical text with whatever methods he
could come up with. Not the derosho, but its content is what is
halokho leMoshe miSinai. Other tannoim may disagree, but they weren't
doresh kisrei osiyos.

* Regarding the requirements that kisvei kodesh be written
kehaviyatam, that refers to the minimal tzuras haos, the pessu'hos and
setumos (and seduros, according to those Rishonim who hold we have
such a kind of parshiyo), and that we generally follow the pessak of
the botei din hagedolim shebiyrusholayim throughout the generations of
yore. That is our messorah, not some historical revisionism as to the
"true" tzuras haosiyos. Anshei Knesses haGedolo had enough authority,
and some prophets to boot, to obligate us in writing this way.

* Regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Sheim Havayo in Kessav
'Ivris, there are two ways to understand that: Either the switch to
Ashuris took a lot longer than we think, and people didn't "trust" the
new script for the holiest word. If so, this was either motivated by
real halakhic concern, or by people who were trying to be overly frum,
in defiance of the Beis Din haGodol's rulings. Alternatively, by that
time, it was well accepted that real Kisvei Kidesh are written in
Kessav Ashuris, and the Sheim haShem was written in 'Ivris so as to
give it less kedusho, very much like we put a dash instead of an o in
G-d so as not to create sheimos requiring special disposal.

Feel free to post this on list, but without my name.

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