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<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">On another thread (28:224,message
6) reference has been made
to <i>Chazal</i>’s adoption (in one period) of the idea that
the world "floated atop the tehom or rested above it on
pillars."<br>
</span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></font><font
face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial">As a related point of interest, I
would just like to
mention an indication that despite biblical references <i>to
"amudei shamayim,</i>" <i>Chazal </i>did not take this to
mean that there are pillars that hold up the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><strong><span
style="font-family:Arial"><i>B’midbar Rabbah</i> 12:4</span></strong><span
style="font-family:Arial"> on a <i>posuk </i>in <i>Shir
HaShirim</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial">Said R’ Yossi Bar Halafta: “His
pillars He
made </span><i><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-language:HE">kessef</span></i><span
style="font-family:Arial"><i> </i>(usually translated,
“silver”) (<i>Shir HaShirim</i>
3:10). This [reference to “<i>pillars</i>”] is [really a
reference to] the <i>rakia</i>
[the sky, itself], as you see it says in <i>Iyov </i>(26:11),
“the pillars of
the heavens will weaken.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial">At this point, one already sees this
<i>Tanna </i>did
not take the “pillars” to be things that <i>support </i>the
heavens. He took it for granted that the phrase "<i>amudei
shamayim" </i>of <i>Iyov is </i>a reference to the
heavens themselves. Accordingly,
"</span><i><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-language:HE">amudei
shamayim</span></i><span style="font-family:Arial">" should
be translated not
as, “the pillars of the heavens,” but rather: “the
pillar[-like] heavens.” The <i>rishonim </i>on the <i>posuk
</i>in <i>Iyov </i>likewise take the "<i>amudei shamayim</i>"
to be the heavens, themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial">And incidentally, lest one suspects
that this
Tanna thought the sky itself is literally made of silver, the
continuation of
this passage shows otherwise:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial">And why are they called “</span><i><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-language:HE">kessef</span></i><span
style="font-family:Arial">”? —because they <i>cover</i> (</span><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-language:HE">mekasef</span><span
style="font-family:Arial">) over all of <i>maaseh breishis.</i><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">
</font>
<p><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial">When it came to applying the word "</span><i><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-language:HE">kessef</span></i><span
style="font-family:Arial">" to the sky, this <i>Tanna </i>deviated
from the
typical translation of </span><i><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-language:
HE">kessef</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i> </i>as
“silver,” taking it quite
far from the meaning of anything metallic or solid.<br>
</span></font></p>
<p>Zvi Lampel<br>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><span
style="font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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