[Avodah] ceremonies in Halacha

Elazar M. Teitz remt at juno.com
Mon Nov 28 18:23:04 PST 2011


RMicha Berger wrote:

<<But a short while back, I encountered what appears to me to be a direct
contradiction to RYBS's position in the Y-mi. Yuma 2:1 (10b) we are told
that they held 4 separate lotteries to divide the avodah, "kedei laasos
pumpei bedavar", and again at 2:4 (13b), we are told that extra kohanim
were used to carry the ayil up the kevesh for the same reason.

Opening up http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=pomp we learn that
the English "pomp" is from the Greek meaning "solemn procession,
display".

So, "kedei laasos pumpei bedeavar" means that these things were
NOT halachic, and in fact practices done in the BHMQ only for their
ceremonial value.>>

     While pomp, in its original use in Greek, may have connoted "solemn procession, display,"  in its adaptatiion into the Hebrew as pumpi -- together with its equivalent form, pumbi -- does not have the connotation of ceremonial, but of public; i.e., its meaning is one of pirsum.  It is not done for ceremonial purposes, but to enhance the public's awareness of the matter.  

     It is this meaning of the word which is given by all the commentaries in the places it is used, including the P'nei Moshe in the first citation RMB gave.  Indeed, the Aruch cites a midrash in which the term b'fumbi is used as an antonym for b'tzin'a.  If this is its sense, then it would appear that it has no relevance to RYBS' position on ceremony in Jewish life.

EMT

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