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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>From: "kennethgmiller@juno.com"
<kennethgmiller@juno.com><BR>>>I have often wondered: in this
context, and/or perhaps in other <BR>contexts, is it possible that we translate
the word "besula" too <BR>literally? Could it be that in some cases it can refer
to ANY <BR>unmarried girl, regardless of whether she has had sexual
relations?<<<BR><BR>Akiva Miller</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>>>>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>Are you suggesting that Esther maybe was unmarried, but not a
besulah??</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>In the case of the Megilla, some say that Achashverosh took married women
as well as unmarried women. No one says he took unmarried non-virgins as
well as unmarried virgins. Why bother saying that? The number of
unmarried non-virgins in his empire -- and in any country you could name, before
the advent of the Pill -- would have been vanishingly small. The
overlapping sets of "all virgins" and "all never-married women" would have been
virtually identical. So you are making a distinction without a
difference.</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</B></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at <A title="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http://www.aol.com" href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom" target="_blank"><B>AOL.com</B></A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>