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<p>In Avodah Digest V23#152, RSBA noted:<br>
> 1) The Baal Haturim on 'Vayachnu beMidbar Sin" (33:11) writes that<br>
originally called Midbar Sin, a Yud was added to the name (Sinai)<br>
after the Aseres Hadibros were given there. (Similar the Chizkuni)<br>
The Tosefes Brocho is puzzled by this as 6 pesukim later we<br>
find "Vayachnu beMidbar Sinai" - which lechoreh shows that<br>
these are 2 distinct locations. <<br>
Kan lifnei n'sinas hadibros, kan l'achar n'sinas hadibros. <br>
<br>
> (He also refers to Beshalach 17:1<br>
"Vayovo'u...el Midbar Sin asher bein Elim uvein Sinai".) <<br>
He may be understanding "Midbar Sin" as being between "Eilim" and "Sinai," but another way of understanding that pasuq (as per a commentary on 4-33:11 quoted in the Artscroll Davis Edition of the BhT by R'AGold [fn 17]) is that "Midbar Sin" was an area which stretched from "Eilim" on one end to "Sinai" on the other end (with the places listed in 4-33:12-15 in between those two endpoints). BTW, although I can understand why RSBA wrote "Beshalach 17:1," the pasuq is 2-_16_:1, and BhT on P'Mas'ei is repeating what he wrote on P'B'shalach. <br>
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> 2) Talking of the TB, on (35:32) "Velo Sikchu Kofer lonus el ir<br>
miklotoy", Rashi and others explain that this refers to a killer beshogeg who may not ransom his way out of the Ir Miklot.<br>
The TB suggests that it refers to a Meizid who may try to pay his<br>
way out of being chayev meeseh by being allowed in to an Ir Miklot. <<br>
But the rotzeiach b'meizid is the subject of the previous pasuq (and see RaMBaN and Da'as Z'qeinim ad loc)!<br>
<br>
> 3) Rashi (34:8) dh "Mehor Hahor" mentions Antochia, which Artscroll calls Antioch. Presumably this refers to such a place in Eretz Yisroel. (Wikipedia has a couple.) <<br>
TY echoes RaShY; TYbU calls "Chamas" T'verya. (This being Avodah, I won't make any jokes re the current PA situation, but the meivin may fill in the gap.)<br>
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All the best from<br>
--Michael Poppers via RIM pager<br>
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