[Avodah] Judges 18:30

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Apr 09, 2021 at 01:16:39PM +0000, Jay F. Shachter via Avodah wrote:
> The uncited reference is to the Midrash on Judges 18:30.  The question
> reminds me of another question.  There are Midrashim on Genesis 23:2
> and on Genesis 24:1 that Avraham had a daughter.  This woman would
> have been a half-sister to Yitzxaq.  A ben-Noax is allowed to marry
> his half-sister from his father.  Why, then, did Avraham send his
> unnamed servant all the way back to Mesopotamia, to bring back, for
> his son, a woman who was the child of idolaters?  Plus, how would they
> even talk to each other?  The woman would not be able to speak the
> language of the Hebrew-speaking Canaanites which was no doubt
> Yitzhaq's native language.  Wouldn't it have been so much better in so
> many ways for Yitzxaq to marry his half-sister?

Except that the midrashic Yitzchaq keeps all 613 mitzvos. Yaaqov's
"out", whatever it was, wouldn't apply. Especially if the limitation is
that they keep halakhah as it will be given in Sinai only when in EY,
as Yitzchaq never leaves EY.

Also, they lived for a while among Benei Cheis... Marriage between
siblings, even half-siblings, was a capital offense in Hittite law.
(According to a treaty between Suppiluliuma I and Chukkana, his
brother-in-law and vassal, as-of 14th cent BCE or so.)

But what I was wondering was, why did you assume that Kenaani language
was more comprehensible to Yitzchaq than the Aramaic of his own clan?
There was less cross-pollenation with the language of the Ivri that early
on, but more, Yitzchaq likely was intentionally taught the language of
Avraham's past.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Today is the 23rd day, which is
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   3 weeks and 2 days in/toward the omer.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Gevurah sheb'Netzach: How does my domination
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                          stifle others?