[Mesorah] shaleach vs. sh'loach

Tue Jul 7 06:38:30 PDT 2009

Short answer to the several questions which have been raised, based on RSRH:  In the Kal, it means to specifically send someone, without that person having a special impulse of his own to get there. In the Piel, it means allowing someone to go in the direction he is already striving to go in. My guess is that the intensity which we expect from a Piel word comes from the fact that the one who is sent is not merely going because the sender wants him to go, but because he himself also wants to go.

For this post, I am very indebted to Matityahu Clark's "Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, based on the commentaries of Samson Raphael Hirsch" (Feldheim), for collecting the many places where RSRH discusses this word. For the benefit of those who do not have this wonderful sefer, I have included his notes on this word as an Appendix at the end of this post. I should also note that my resources allowed me to research only the citations from Chumash and Tehillim, and even then, only in English translation (Isaac Levy's of Chumash and Gertrude Hirschler's of Tehillim).

I'll sign my name here, as the remainder of this post is essentially from other people's writings. My apologies for for any quirks or errors in my vowelizing or transliteration style.

---- Akiva Miller

On Shemos 8:17 (Va'era, "ki im ayncha m'shalayach es ami" - "For if thou wilt not let My People go"), RSRH writes:

<<< Shin Lamed Ches in the Kal means to send something or somebody, somewhere, without the person or thing which is sent having special impulse of its own to get there. In the Piel "shalayach" it has rather the meaning, of allowing to go, to let something or somebody go in the direction it is striving to go. The impulse lies more in what is sent than in the sender. It is remarkable that the Hiphil - which is used here - is only found in connection with plagues, and seems to be a combination of both ideas. It is the intention of the sender, and it coincides with the efforts and will of what is sent. So, specially here with the arov... ... The animals of the wild by themselves have the courage, and would attack human beings, it is only G-d's Will that has implanted in them a certain timidity towards Man, and it is only this timidity and restraint from invading the precincts of Man that allows an ever-increasing space to be won for human development. Now, G-d has only to remove this restraint... The whole of Egypt is, after all, only an oasis wrung from the surrounding desert. G-d has only to nod and the Wild invades the land. >>>

On Vayikra 16:10 (Acharei, "l'shalach oso la'azazel" - Let it go as "Azazel's"), RSRH writes:

<<< In all the numerous places in which Shin Lamed Ches occurs in the Piel-form in the overwhelming majority of cases it does not have the meaning of "sending to" but quite definitely the meaning of "sending away", of "letting go", dismissing. Only of evil things does it usually have also the meaning of "sending to", as "v'shen behemos ashalach bam" (Deut 32,24) et alia. And there, too, the basic meaning is, of letting the evil loose, which otherwise is being held back. There are only a few isolated instances as in Gen. 38,17 where "ashalach" does definitely mean "sending to". We think, therefore, that we are not mistaken if we take the "l'shalach oso" here to have the same meaning as in the parallel case in [Lev.] 14,7: "shilach es hatzipor", viz. simply sending it away. >>>

On B'midbar 21:6 (Chukas, "vayshalach Hashem ba'am es hanechashim" - "Then G-d let the poisonous serpents loose"), RSRH writes:

<<< Shin Lamed Ches in the Kal means to send to put something in motion towards a goal. But shalayach in Piel predominantly has the meaning of letting something go, to leave it to its natural way, not to hold it back. Thus, "vayshalach es ha'orev... vayshalach es hayonah" (Gen.8, 7&8), "v'shilach lachem es achichem" (Gen 43, 14), "v'shilach es b'iro" (Ex. 22:4), "vayhi b'shalach paro" (Ex. 13:17) and elsewhere very frequently. Here too, not G-d sent serpents, but, let them go, and did not keep them back.... >>>

On Tehilim 74:7 ("shilchu va'esh mikdashecha" - "They have consigned Thy Sanctuary to fire"), RSRH writes:

<<< There is no dagesh in the Lamed in the word 'shilchu'. It therefore combines both the Kal and Piel forms in its meaning. When Shin Lamed Ches is employed in the Kal, then its object is "the place to which" a person or object is sent. When Shin Lamed Ches is used in the Piel form, it indicates the "removal" of a person or thing "from" his or its present location. >>>

APPENDIX:

Matityahu Clark's "Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, based on the commentaries of Samson Raphael Hirsch" (Feldheim) offers the following:

Shin Lamed Ches -- send; move to goal

explanation/commentary:

1: sending; moving something to a goal (Gn 38:23 "hinay shalachti hagedi hazeh" also Gn 24:21, 39:2)
2: stretching forth (Ex 22:7 "shalach yado b'meleches rayayhu")
3: abandoning of people (Gn 11:12 "yayoled es shalach" also Gn 11:10)
4: doing harm (Gn 22:12 "al tishlach yadcha el hanaar")
5: allowing something to move (Nm 21:6 "vayishlach Hashem b'am es hanechashim" also Ex 8:17, Lv 16:10)
6: consigning (Ps 74:7 "shalchu va'esh mikdashecha" also Ps 103:3)
7: mission (Ps 78:49 "mishlachas malachei ra'im")
8: rivulets of water (Shir Hashirim 4:13/DaatMikra "shalchecha pardes rimonim")
9: sword (Iyov 36:12/DaatMikra "v'im lo yishm'oo b'shalach yaavoru")
10: delivered gift (Micha 1:14/DaatMikra "titni shiluchim al moreshes gas")
11: table (Ex 25:23 "v'asisa shulchan atzei shitim")

cognate meaning: move in a balanced way
phonetic cognates:
Samech Lamed Ches - progress
Tzadi Lamed Ches - succeed
Shin Lamed Heh - assure
Tzadi Lamed Heh - darken
Samech Lamed Ayin - raise
Samech Lamed Heh - weigh
Samech Lamed Aleph - weigh
Tzadi Lamed Ayin - reel about

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