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Tuesday, May 30, 2006
48
Lost in translation?
Moses came down from the mountain to the people and warned the people to stay pure, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day: do not go near a woman."
Or the translation is accurate and women !=people. Like consider "We need people to come to minyan tomorrow, we've had trouble getting 10." If I showed up to minyan that wouldn't help them at all. They meant guys.
Yesterday God said "Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it", and didn't say anything about women. Is "women" an accurate translation of "mountain", or did Moses botch the transmission?
Rashi on this verse cites a midrash that turns it on its head--men should not have sex with their wives such that the women will be ready and able to receive Torah at Sinai as full members. Doesn't change the problematic nature of the _peshat_ of the verse, but it does remind us that we are not the first to be troubled by apparent exclusions of women...
Well most commentators assume that God also told Moses about the women thing, and the Torah didn't both repeating it again. And likewise Moses told the "people" about the mountain as well...
Michael Lerner points out in "Renewal Judaism" that it was only Moshe who said "Do not draw near a woman." I believe that what Hashem said (according to the translation posted on this blog) was "Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow." I guess when Moshe translated it, he had to do it into language that the men at that time would best understand. Or something...
Or the translation is accurate and women !=people. Like consider "We need people to come to minyan tomorrow, we've had trouble getting 10." If I showed up to minyan that wouldn't help them at all. They meant guys.
ReplyDeleteYesterday God said "Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it", and didn't say anything about women. Is "women" an accurate translation of "mountain", or did Moses botch the transmission?
ReplyDeleteRashi on this verse cites a midrash that turns it on its head--men should not have sex with their wives such that the women will be ready and able to receive Torah at Sinai as full members. Doesn't change the problematic nature of the _peshat_ of the verse, but it does remind us that we are not the first to be troubled by apparent exclusions of women...
ReplyDeleteWell most commentators assume that God also told Moses about the women thing, and the Torah didn't both repeating it again. And likewise Moses told the "people" about the mountain as well...
ReplyDeleteMichael Lerner points out in "Renewal Judaism" that it was only Moshe who said "Do not draw near a woman." I believe that what Hashem said (according to the translation posted on this blog) was "Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow." I guess when Moshe translated it, he had to do it into language that the men at that time would best understand. Or something...
ReplyDelete