<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 9.00.8112.16441"></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=role_body
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 rightMargin=7 topMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10">
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><FONT color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>From:
Micha Berger <micha@aishdas.org><BR>: As I was re-reading this, I
remembered that Avraham marrying a half-sister <BR>: IS stated in the
text--he told Avimelech that Sarah was his half-sister.
[--TK]<BR><BR>>> "Achosi hi", nothing about halves (21:2). Similarly
Avraham in Mitzrayim<BR>(12:12,19) and Yitzchaq in Gerar (27:7).<BR><BR>I like
R' Hertz's explanation.<BR><BR>There is a law in the Hammurabi code by which a
father in law can "adopt"<BR>a child for the sake of inheritance....
<<</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><FONT color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><FONT color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>--
<BR>Micha
Berger
</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Nothing about halves?! See Ber 20:12</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Vegam amnah achosi vas avi hee (she is indeed my sister, THE DAUGHTER OF
MY FATHER) ach lo vas eemi (BUT NOT THE DAUGHTER OF MY MOTHER)"</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>However, based on the assumption that Sarah and Yiskah were the same
person, we know that Sarah was really the granddaughter, and not the daughter,
of Avraham's father. She was the daughter of Haran, Avraham's brother who
died young (and she was therefore the sister of Lot, who was Avraham's
brother-in-law as well as nephew). She and Lot may well have looked on
Terach as their father, since their actual father died young.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>How do we know, BTW, that Sarah and Yiskah were the same? Because
Yiskah's yichus is given (11:29), as if there is something important about her,
and yet she is never mentioned again in the Torah! And in the same pasuk,
the name of Avraham's wife is given -- Sarai -- yet nothing is said about who
she was or where she came from! The inference that she IS Yiskah is
therefore very strong. (I heard this from R' David Fohrman, who spoke
here recently.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't see any need or place for the Code of Hammurabi or adoption here at
all, Avraham's words are straightforward: she is my sister. Niece,
sister -- he called Lot his brother ("Anashim achim anachnu") so why not call
Sarah his sister?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But anyway, he clearly said to Avimelech that Sarah was his
half-sister, and with no apparent embarrassment, as we've said.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff></FONT><BR><FONT color=#0000ff><STRONG>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</STRONG></FONT><BR><FONT color=#0000ff>Romney -- good
values, good family, good
hair<BR><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px">
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT
lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><FONT
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial
FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><BR></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>