[Mesorah] l'zot yikarei ishah

[Zev Sero]

Sholom Simon wrote:

> : In Gen. 2:23, Adam says "l'zot yikarei ishah," usually translated
> : something like "this one shall be called Woman."  However, the gender of
> : the verb "yikarei" is masculine, while the pronoun (zot) and the
> : predicate noun (ishah) are both feminine.

Bepashtus, it seems to me that the pasuk isn't saying "this one shall
be called Woman".  That would be "zot..", not "lezot", and it would
indeed have been "zot tikarei isha".  When the pasuk says "lezot
yikarei", it means not "this one will be called", but that "it will
be called (in the Hebrew language) about this one".  The difference
is clear in my mind, but it isn't coming out well in English - this
is my third draft and I'm still not happy with it, but maybe you'll
understand what I mean.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas