[Avodah] Magreifah and Yir'ah

[Liron Kopinsky]

On Tuesday, August 7, 2012, Micha Berger wrote:

> The gemara Eirkhin 10b-11a describes the magreifah, one of the kelei
> shir in the BHMQ, which in Leshon Tanakh is either the minnim or the
> ugav. Shemuel describes it as a box about 1 ammah square with a board
> extending from one side (for keys? to work the bellows?), and 10 tubes
> coming out the top. Each pipe had 10 holes allowing for 100 qolos.
> A beraisa (meaning: before Shmuel, a first generation amora) says
> 1,000 qolos. OTOH, in the Y-mi's version (Sukkah 25a), Rav argues with
> Shemuel and one of them says (judging from the Bavli, I would conclude
> Rav) there were 100 pipes and that both say it could make 1,000 qolos.
> While this is often taken as guzma, I would note that 10 pipes, each
> of which having only one hole that can be covered to turn it off,
> would allow for 1,024 combinations. So 1,000 qolos (Y-mi: minei zemer)
> meaning 1,000 chords would be a gross *under*statement for 10 pipes with
> 10 holes each, not an exageration. Maybe around 1,000 aren't just noise.


If each tube is ten notes higher than the next, then 100 tubes with ten
holes equals 1000 notes. Why assume it means chords?

>
> There is another keli called a magrefah; it is a shovel (Rashi ad loc)
> used to tend the coals. So I picture the pipes together, like a pipe
> organ's, thus giving the instrument its name. Similarly, those who
> translate the coal-tending magrefah is a rake would probably assume the
> pipes fanned out, bagpipe-like.
>
> Why would you assume the rake heads are fanning out? Some rakes have all
of the rake heads laid out more poke a comb than a fan. This would very
much approximate the look of an organ.

Kol tuv,
Liron


-- 
Liron Kopinsky
liron.kopinsky at gmail.com
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