Feasts

Every year when we come to the time of Yom Teruah (aka Rosh HaShanah), I get into the discussion of what is the תרועה– Teruah which the Torah is speaking of.  Though for many the argument has never been settled, I want to suggest a possible argument.

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In this special podcast Yoel explains the historical background of the practices of the 6th month of Elul.

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Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) is approaching, on which the book of Ruth is traditionally read.  Join Yoel and Jono Vandor of Truth2U.org for some insight into this account of King David’s great-grandmother.

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Yoel continues the discussion of Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) by expounding on the debate over counting the Omer.  Learn about the factors in the language, history and social structure surrounding this debate.  

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Yoel explains the p’shat (simple) meaning of the verses on Shavout (The Feast of Weeks) in this specially recorded private class.

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In this episode Yoel talks with Jono Vandor of Truth2U.org about the aviv barley search, the new moon sighting, and how they relate to the biblical Hebrew calendar, the new year, and Pesach (Passover).

Why is Purim misunderstood?

Before reading this it is important for the reader to understand that sometimes one must be critical of things.  When I see what some people do with Purim, it shows how little they focus on the meaning of what happened.  None of what I say here is intended to offend anyone, but rather to give a better understanding of how Purim is misunderstood.

Translating has always been a problematic practice, and the translation of texts throughout the history of mankind has created many discrepancies either by mistake or deliberate. Here I will discuss in short a simple textual problem which shows how translations are not always reliable.

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, תָּחֹג לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בַּמָּקוֹם, אֲשֶׁר–יִבְחַר יְהוָה:  כִּי יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכֹל תְּבוּאָתְךָ וּבְכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ, וְהָיִיתָ, אַךְ שָׂמֵחַ

“For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose.  For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”  Deut 16:15

The word used in the Hebrew to describe “complete” at the end of the English translation is the word “Akh” which should be translated as “surely/very”.  The word Akh is used in different places with different meanings which is a very common element in Hebrew.  Hebrew uses words in different ways due to the smaller number of actual words that it has, creating multiple word meanings.  In our case, the word is used as a strengthening element that is telling us to be very joyful during the feasts.  With all this said, the word “complete” does have a similar meaning in that the text is telling us to be completely joyful without any sadness.  The English transmit the idea while translating the word differently from its actual meaning.

This practice of changing the text is not unusual and can be found in multiple places throughout the history of translation. A good example is how the LXX cannot find an exact parallel word fro the Hebrew, or in other cases, the Greek cannot translate word for word. An extensive study by J.W Wevers “Notes on the Greek text” on the LXX text version has shown that in many places the Greek translator either decided to only translate some of the words directly, while in other places only keep to the spirit of the text. This practice continues to this very day when words or statements cannot be translated word for word. 

Another problem we find in the history of translation is fashions in-text translations. Some translators try to stick to a rigorous Pshat by creating a non-sensical translation or by assigning word meaning which is not what the text is saying. An example of this is the translation of the word יום yôm (day) as “unit”. This translation reflects the dilemma the translater has with science and modern-day understanding of the text. This type of mindset can be found in ancient translations of the LXX where translators would variate from a simple Pshat to a more midrashic non-simple translation (Watson W.G.E “The Septuagint in Context, Atlanta 2000).

Hence, the translations of text is a complicated matter, one must have discretion when translation, and also a good understanding of both languages.

Originally Published: October 27, 2014

In Deuteronomy 16 we find the words:

“Observe the month Aviv and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month he brought you out of Egypt by night. You must sacrifice the Passover animal from the flock or the herd to the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to locate his name.  You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat with it (the English omits this while the Aleppo, Samaritan, and the dead sea scrolls have the words “with it”) unleavened bread, bread of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly.  You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came out of the land of Egypt.   There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning.  You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your villages that the Lord your God is giving you.”  Deut 16:1-5