This week's Torah Gems were prepared by
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Va'etchanan
Shabbat Nachamu
Guard (Shamor) the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as Hashem, your God, commanded you (Devarim 5:12).
Rashi: Guard - But in the first version of the commandments it says 'remember (zachor).' Both words were said in the same utterance and as a single word, and they were heard as a single hearing.
Some earlier editions of Rashi read "Both words were said in the same utterance, and written as the same word"; that is, they miraculously appeared as a single word on the stone tablets (Artscroll Rashi)
Although there are other discrepancies between the wordings of the two versions of the Ten Commandments, they do not affect the plain meaning of the commandments. Rashi deals only with this one because it changes the entire nature of the commandment. For zachor (remember) implies a positive commandment, while shamor (guard) implies a negative one (Mizrachi.)
As we discussed in last week's Torah Gems, the words of a text possess no intrinsic meaning. Rather, they carry meaning as a boxcar carries cargo. The Rashi to our verse implies that whatever word Hashem actually spoke on Sinai, this word delivered (at least) two meanings: remember and guard.
Whereas we are able to hear and understand two meanings at once, most notation systems offer no way to describe the phenomenon in writing. Musical notation is the prominent exception. Indeed lyrics sung in a duet can provide shades of meaning as well as pitch.
Perhaps we may imagine that the commandments were sung in harmony by Hashem in multiple voices. Israel heard all the parts, but could only transcribe one set at a time. The rest of the meanings were transmitted orally down the chain of tradition to us today.
Friday, July 31, 2009
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