[Avodah] Transition From Aramaic To Hebrew

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 06:41:51PM -0600, Jay F Shachter wrote:
: I just finished reciting the standard text of the `Eruv Tavshilin,
: which, like the Qaddish, like the Ha Laxma `Aniya, begins in Aramaic,
: and ends in Hebrew.

You lost me on your two comparisons:

Ha Lachma Anya ends in Hebrew?
Qaddish ends with a quoted pasuq, but other than that, what Hebrew does
it have?

: What makes it interesting is that, precisely in the region where the
: text switches from Aramaic to Hebrew, there are two words of
: indeterminate language, words that could be either Aramaic or Hebrew.

It would seem from subsequent conversation that there is only one word
that is definitely Hebrew, "be'ir" in the closing "be'ir hazos", rather
than "karta".

"Be'ir hazos" is an expression found 3 times in Tanakh:
Shemu'el I 9:6:
    Vayomer lo: Hinei na ish E-lokim be'ir hazos...

Yirmiyahu 38:2:
    Ko amar H': Hayosheiv be'ir hazos yamus becherev, bera'av ubedever...

Yechezqeil 11:2:
    ... Eileh anashim hachoshevim aven, vehayo'atzim atzas ra ba'ir
    hazos.

In the latter two cases, the point is along the lines of "Oy lerashah
ve'oy leshecheino", the problems of being in "ir hazos". As Yechezqeil
puts it (v 3), "hi hasir va'anchanu habasar". Looking at the 22 peraqim
in which we find "ha'ir hazos" (the only other kind of match on the BI
CD for "*ir hazos"), the theory seems to hold for the vast majority of
the cases.

And it's usually a reference to Y-m, often (including the uses in
Melakhim, Yeshaiah) in promises of it being spared. The power of safety
of being in the right city.

So, what do we do with the exceptions, where the pasuq isn't blatantly 
speaking about the fate of the citizens of a city as a unity? It would
require saying that in Shemu'el (e.g.), Shaul is not only seeking out
Shemu'el, but that Shemu'el's presence is a motivation for Shaul not
to leave the city just yet just to be "ba'ir hazos" with the chozeh.
It's derushy, I admit. But in any case, all but two or three uses are
clearly of the corporate kind.

So, it could be an intentional switch to a biblical reference to emphasize
the unity of being of the same city, a notion necessary for this clause
to work. The reference could well be to Yirmiyahu 17:24-25 in particular,
as it refers to shemiras Shabbos protecting the city. IOW, that eiruv
tavshilin ends "... hadarin 'be'ir' hazos'" in quotes.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 9th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        1 week and 2 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Gevurah sheb'Gevurah: When is strict justice
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            most appropriate?