Empty Exaggerations | The Jewish Press - JewishPress com | Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein | 23 Sivan 5782 – June 22, 2022
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Biblical Refuseniks | The Jewish Press - JewishPress com | Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein | 6 Tammuz 5781 – June 16, 2021
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The Torah twice describes the manna as resembling the
gad seed (Ex. 16:31, Num. 11:7), but the meaning of the word
gad is not readily understood. Targum Onkelos leaves the word untranslated in both cases, instead aramaicizing the Hebrew word
gad into the Aramaic
gada. Other commentators suggest identifying the Hebrew word
gad with known plants such as “coriander.” In this essay we will discuss multiple words for “coriander” in Hebrew and other Jewish languages. Afterwards we will cite several alternate commentators who explain
gad as something other than “coriander.”
While Targum Onkelos leaves the word
gad untranslated, Targum Yonatan (to Ex. 16:31 and Num. 11:7) translates it as
gett in colloquial terms refers specifically to a bill of divorce (see Rashi to
Gittin 65b and Maimonides’ commentary to the Mishna
Gittin 2:5), as we shall see below. In Biblical Hebrew, by the way, a bill of divorce is called a
Sefer Kritut (Deut. 24:1-3, Isa. 50:1), literally “Scroll of Cutting.”
The Tosafists (
Gittin 2a) cite Rabbeinu Tam as explaining that a bill of divorce contains twelve lines of text because it is called a
gett (GIMMEL-TET), and the
gematria (numeric value) of the word
gett equals twelve. Some authorities understand the Tosafists to also be explaining why a bill of divorce is called a