[Avodah] alma vs. almah

Micha Berger via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Wed Jul 26 12:10:29 PDT 2017


On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 09:13:46PM +0300, elazar teitz via Avodah wrote:
:          In a get,we go to extremes of spelling to avoid any possible
: misunderstanding, even if the correct reading and a possible misreading
: differ only in nikkud.  That's why "v'dein" is written without the yud...

There are even long vavs in teirukhin, shevuqin, and peturin so that
they aren't read as teirikhin (etc) as a theoretical statement. Which
is beyond just haqpadah in spelling (AhS EhE 126:57(

This came from AhS Yomi, I'm aware of the issues raised in the rest of
the siman. Although, since I didn't bother giving more context, perhaps
others overestimated my case.

:           Thus, I think that reading philosophical or theological meaning
: as a basis for the objection to  the appearance of a hei in place of an
: alef is farfetched.

As I said, I thought it might be.

What got me started was that unlike the other cases, RYME (se'if 61)
didn't sound so sure that leber'ias almah "toward the creation of the
young lady" was a plausible misread. Perhaps in this context, "almah"
(hei) would be read as being from olam; it is only "yoseif soveil leshon
na'arah milashon olam". "Veyish makhshirin beshe'as hadechaq" as the
Rama says.

Harbei gedolim allow the gett beshe'as hadechaq when you can't get
another, even when it's not a risk of igun.

So, without context "almah" is only more likely to mean na'arah, and
with context it's less likely. I therefore started thinking that maybe
the only reason why halakhah considers the misread plausible enough to
consider at all is because notzrim count from the date of a mythical
virgin birth -- leberi'as almah.

(Which is far from reading in philosophical or theological meaning.
More like positing a din reflecting the metzi'us caused by social
context.)

But I am perfectly willing to accept the idea that while I find the
notion pretty, it's too far of a stretch. I just wrote this long post
to explain what I saw aethetically in it.

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Zion will be redeemed through justice,
micha at aishdas.org        and her returnees, through righteousness.
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