DOCSLIB.ORG

BETWEEN QUMRAN and the MISHNAH Introduction Mishnah

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
BETWEEN QUMRAN and the MISHNAH Introduction Mishnah THE HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF MEASUREMENTS: BETWEEN QUMRAN AND THE MISHNAH AHARON SHEMESH* Bar-Ilan University Introduction Mishnah Peah 1:1 reads: , , , , : , . ; , , : . These are things which have no [specied] measure: peah, rst-fruits, reayon, righteous deeds, and study of Torah. These are things the benet of which a person enjoys in this world, while the principal remains for him in the world to come: honoring of one’s father and mother, righteous deeds, making peace between a man and his fellow; and study of Torah is equal to them all.1 * It is my pleasant duty to thank Professor Elisha Qimron for sharing his new readings for several of the Qumran texts treated here and for his generosity in allowing me to cite them. I also wish to thank Professor Hanan Eshel for enlightening me on the topics of ancient agriculture and wine and oil production. Dena Ordan prepared the translation and I thank her very much. This article is part of a comprehensive project in progress treating the history of early halakhah and the Dead Sea Scrolls supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant no. 888/00). Translator’s note: The following English translations have been used for biblical and rabbinic citations. The translations for the Qumran literature are cited in the text. Biblical citations: JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh (2d ed.; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1999); Mishnah: J. Neusner, The Mishnah: A New Translation (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988); Tosefta: J. Neusner, ed., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew (Hoboken, N.J.: Ktav, 1971–86); Palestinian Talmud: J. Neusner, trans., The Talmud of the Land of Israel (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982–); Babylonian Talmud: I. Epstein, ed., The Babylonian Talmud (London: Soncino, 1948); Mekilta: J. Z. Lauterbach, Mekilta de-Rabbi Ishmael (3 vols.; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1933–35); Sifre on Deuteronomy: R. Hammer, trans., Sifre: A Tannaitic Commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986); Philo: Philo (trans. F. H. Colson, G. H. Whittaker, and R. Marcus; 12 vols.; LCL; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1929–1962); Josephus: Josephus (trans. H. St. J. Thackeray et al.; 10 vols.; LCL; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1926–1981). 1 Translation slightly revised. FRAADE_F9_146-173.indd 147 10/10/2006 5:12:07 PM 148 AHARON SHEMESH The plain meaning of the text is that these commandments have neither a set nor a minimum measure. Yet the statement that peah has no measure stands in apparent contradiction to the mishnah that follows: " . . One should designate as peah no less than one-sixtieth [of a eld’s produce]. And even though they said, “Peah has no [specied] measure,” [the quantity designated] should always accord with the size of the eld, the number of poor people, and the extent of the yield. (m. Peah 1:2) The opening of this mishnah clearly states that peah has a measure, i.e., one-sixtieth. The rst baraita in Tosefta Peah reects a tannaitic debate regarding this ostensible contradiction, solved via the suggestion that peah has a specied lower limit but no dened upper one: . . [These are] things that have no [specied] measure: Peah, rst fruits, reayon, righteous deeds, and study of Torah. Peah has a minimum measure [specied], but it has no maximum measure specied. (t. Peah 1:1)2 The weakness of the baraita’s proposal is readily apparent. By establish- ing a lower limit for peah alone, it differentiates peah from the remaining items mentioned in the mishnah, which have neither lower nor upper limits. Apparently, this explanation did not win acceptance. PT juxta- poses two opposing baraitot on this same issue: , : . . Peah is subject to a specic minimum measure, but no maximum measure, while rst fruits and reayon are subject to neither an upper nor a lower limit. [In contrast] there is a Tanna who teaches, “Peah, rst fruits, and reayon have neither an upper nor a lower limit.” ( y. Peah 1:1, 15a)3 It is noteworthy that there is no reason to adduce the second baraita (which emphasizes that these commandments have no measure, minimum 2 Text in S. Lieberman, Tosefta: Zeraim (4 vols.; 2d ed.; Jerusalem: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1992), 1:41. Translation slightly revised. 3 Translation slightly revised. FRAADE_F9_146-173.indd 148 10/10/2006 5:12:07 PM.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • THE PENTATEUCHAL TARGUMS: a REDACTION HISTORY and GENESIS 1: 26-27 in the EXEGETICAL CONTEXT of FORMATIVE JUDAISM by GUDRUN EL
    THE PENTATEUCHAL TARGUMS: A REDACTION HISTORY AND GENESIS 1: 26-27 IN THE EXEGETICAL CONTEXT OF FORMATIVE JUDAISM by GUDRUN ELISABETH LIER THESIS Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR LITTERARUM ET PHILOSOPHIAE in SEMITIC LANGUAGES AND CULTURES in the FACULTY OF HUMANITIES at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG PROMOTER: PROF. J.F. JANSE VAN RENSBURG APRIL 2008 ABSTRACT THE PENTATEUCHAL TARGUMS: A REDACTION HISTORY AND GENESIS 1: 26-27 IN THE EXEGETICAL CONTEXT OF FORMATIVE JUDAISM This thesis combines Targum studies with Judaic studies. First, secondary sources were examined and independent research was done to ascertain the historical process that took place in the compilation of extant Pentateuchal Targums (Fragment Targum [Recension P, MS Paris 110], Neofiti 1, Onqelos and Pseudo-Jonathan). Second, a framework for evaluating Jewish exegetical practices within the age of formative Judaism was established with the scrutiny of midrashic texts on Genesis 1: 26-27. Third, individual targumic renderings of Genesis 1: 26-27 were compared with the Hebrew Masoretic text and each other and then juxtaposed with midrashic literature dating from the age of formative Judaism. Last, the outcome of the second and third step was correlated with findings regarding the historical process that took place in the compilation of the Targums, as established in step one. The findings of the summative stage were also juxtaposed with the linguistic characterizations of the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project (CAL) of Michael Sokoloff and his colleagues. The thesis can report the following findings: (1) Within the age of formative Judaism pharisaic sages and priest sages assimilated into a new group of Jewish leadership known as ‘rabbis’.
    [Show full text]
  • The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5bx332x5 Author Septimus, Zvi Publication Date 2011 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions by Zvi Septimus A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in Jewish Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair Professor David Henkin Professor Naomi Seidman Spring 2011 The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions Copyright 2011 All rights reserved by Zvi Septimus Abstract The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions by Zvi Septimus Doctor of Philosophy in Jewish Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair This dissertation proposes a poetics and semiotics of the Bavli (Babylonian Talmud)—how the Bavli, through a complex network of linguistic signs, acts on its implied reader's attempt to find meaning in the text. In doing so, I advance a new understanding of how the Bavli was composed, namely as a book written by its own readers in the act of transmission. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Bavli scholarship focused on the role of the Stam (the collective term for those people responsible for the anonymous voice of the Bavli) in the construction of individual Bavli passages (sugyot).
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Mishnah, Bavli & Yerushalmi
    0 Learning at SVARA SVARA’s learning happens in the bet midrash, a space for study partners (​chevrutas​) to build a relationship with the Talmud text, with one another, and with the tradition—all in community and a queer-normative, loving culture. The learning is rigorous, yet the bet midrash environment is warm and supportive. Learning at SVARA focuses on skill-building (learning how to learn), foregrounding the radical roots of the Jewish tradition, empowering learners to become “players” in it, cultivating Talmud study as a spiritual practice, and with the ultimate goal of nurturing human beings shaped by one of the central spiritual, moral, and intellectual technologies of our tradition: ​Talmud Torah​ (the study of Torah). The SVARA method is a simple, step-by-step process in which the teacher is always an authentic co-learner with their students, teaching the Talmud not so much as a ​normative​ document prescribing specific behaviors, but as a ​formative​ document, shaping us into a certain kind of human being. We believe the Talmud itself is a handbook for how to, sometimes even radically, upgrade our tradition when it no longer functions to create the most liberatory world possible. All SVARA learning begins with the CRASH Talk. Here we lay out our philosophy of the Talmud and the rabbinic revolution that gave rise to it—along with important vocabulary and concepts for anyone learning Jewish texts. This talk is both an overview of the ultimate goals of the Jewish enterprise, as well as a crash course in ​halachic​ (Jewish legal) jurisprudence. Beyond its application to Judaism, CRASH Theory is a simple but elegant model of how all change happens—whether societal, religious, organizational, or personal.
    [Show full text]
  • LIBRARY of CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION WEEKLY LIST 28 (July 9, 2003)
    CATALOGING POLICY AND SUPPORT OFFICE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION WEEKLY LIST 28 (July 9, 2003) Existing lines provided as anchor points are shown in italics, with ellipses. An asterisk at the end of a line indicates a change in an existing number, caption, etc. BF723.S428 Sharing BF1714.I87 Italian BL820.T77 Trophonius By period Cf. DS121+, History of the Jews by period To 70* (Change caption.) BM165 General works . BM175.A-Z Specific movements, sects, etc., A-Z* Including history and general principles* BM175.A1 General works BM175.E8 Essenes. Isiyim* BM175.H36 Hasideans. Hasidim (Talmudic era)* BM175.P4 Pharisees. Perushim* BM175.Q6 Qumran community. Kat Midbar Yehudah* BM175.S2 Sadducees. Zedukim. Tsadok. im* Samaritans. Shomronim see BM900+* BM175.Z3 Zadokites. Benei Zadok* BM175.Z4 Zealots (Party). Kanna*im* Religion of the Old Testament . .* (Cancel line.) BM176 586 B.C. - 70 A.D.* (Change caption.) Including the Hellenistic period (323 - 30 B.C.)* BM177 70-500* (Change caption; change indention.) Including the period of the redaction of the Talmud* Cf. BM501.15+, History and development of the Talmud Cf. BM504.3, Theology of the Talmud* (Cancel note.) (178) Other* (Continued on next page) LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION WEEKLY LIST 28 (July 9, 2003) Page 2 500-1500* BM180 General works BM182 Ashkenazim . Including works on the development of each and on the relations between the two* Cf. DS133+, Jewish diaspora Cf. DS135.E8+ History of Jews in Eastern Europe Cf. DS135.S7+, History of Jews in Spain Karaites Including history and general principles* BM185 General works . 1500-* BM190 General works By period BM193 1500-1800* BM194 Haskalah (ca.
    [Show full text]
  • No One Should Interfere: Women and Mitzvat Tzitzit
    No One Should Interfere: Women And Mitzvat Tzitzit Vered Noam Translated by Avital Morris The public storm surrounding the Women of the Wall who wear tallitot at the Kotel has been focused primarily on political issues, such as the rights of non­Orthodox people at the Kotel, and throughout this discussion, terms like “Reform,” “Conservative,” “public space,” “provocative” and even “hillul Hashem” (desecration of God’s name) have been thrown around. But before we engage in politics, let’s study Torah, and follow the interesting relationship woven (in more than one sense) throughout the ages between Jewish women and the mitzvah of tzitzit. A. The Tannaitic Period: Women, Too מצוות עשה שהזמן) The Mishnah in Kiddushin exempts women from positive time­bound commandments and a baraita quoted in the gemara on that mishnah lists the mitzvah of tzitzit, which applies ,(גרמא during the day but not at night, as an example of mitzvot in that category (Kiddushin 33b­34a): איזוהי מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא? סוכה, ולולב, שופר, וציצית Which are the positive time­bound ותפילין. commandments? Sukkah and lulav, shofar, and tzitzit and tefillin. However, many people do not know that this baraita represents a minority opinion, that of Rabbi Shimon, and not the majority of the rabbis of the Mishnah. Opposed to it stand no fewer than four tannaitic statements ruling according to the majority opinion, that women are obligated in the mitzvah of tzitzit; it therefore appears that most of the women in tannaitic society did fulfill this mitzvah. Tosefta Kiddushin 1:10 lists tzitzit as a positive mitzvah that is not time­bound, in which women are therefore obligated: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Narratology, Hermeneutics, and Midrash
    Poetik, Exegese und Narrative Studien zur jüdischen Literatur und Kunst Poetics, Exegesis and Narrative Studies in Jewish Literature and Art Band 2 / Volume 2 Herausgegeben von / edited by Gerhard Langer, Carol Bakhos, Klaus Davidowicz, Constanza Cordoni Constanza Cordoni / Gerhard Langer (eds.) Narratology, Hermeneutics, and Midrash Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Narratives from the Late Antique Period through to Modern Times With one figure V&R unipress Vienna University Press Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. ISBN 978-3-8471-0308-0 ISBN 978-3-8470-0308-3 (E-Book) Veröffentlichungen der Vienna University Press erscheineN im Verlag V&R unipress GmbH. Gedruckt mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Rektorats der Universität Wien. © 2014, V&R unipress in Göttingen / www.vr-unipress.de Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Das Werk und seine Teile sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung in anderen als den gesetzlich zugelassenen Fällen bedarf der vorherigen schriftlichen Einwilligung des Verlages. Printed in Germany. Titelbild: „splatch yellow“ © Hazel Karr, Tochter der Malerin Lola Fuchs-Carr und des Journalisten und Schriftstellers Maurice Carr (Pseudonym von Maurice Kreitman); Enkelin der bekannten jiddischen Schriftstellerin Hinde-Esther Singer-Kreitman (Schwester von Israel Joshua Singer und Nobelpreisträger Isaac Bashevis Singer) und Abraham Mosche Fuchs. Druck und Bindung: CPI Buch Bücher.de GmbH, Birkach Gedruckt auf alterungsbeständigem Papier. Contents Constanza Cordoni / Gerhard Langer Introduction .................................. 7 Irmtraud Fischer Reception of Biblical texts within the Bible: A starting point of midrash? . 15 Ilse Muellner Celebration and Narration. Metaleptic features in Ex 12:1 – 13,16 .
    [Show full text]
  • SYNOPSIS the Mishnah and Tosefta Are Two Related Works of Legal
    SYNOPSIS The Mishnah and Tosefta are two related works of legal discourse produced by Jewish sages in Late Roman Palestine. In these works, sages also appear as primary shapers of Jewish law. They are portrayed not only as individuals but also as “the SAGES,” a literary construct that is fleshed out in the context of numerous face-to-face legal disputes with individual sages. Although the historical accuracy of this portrait cannot be verified, it reveals the perceptions or wishes of the Mishnah’s and Tosefta’s redactors about the functioning of authority in the circles. An initial analysis of fourteen parallel Mishnah/Tosefta passages reveals that the authority of the Mishnah’s SAGES is unquestioned while the Tosefta’s SAGES are willing at times to engage in rational argumentation. In one passage, the Tosefta’s SAGES are shown to have ruled hastily and incorrectly on certain legal issues. A broader survey reveals that the Mishnah also contains a modest number of disputes in which the apparently sui generis authority of the SAGES is compromised by their participation in rational argumentation or by literary devices that reveal an occasional weakness of judgment. Since the SAGES are occasionally in error, they are not portrayed in entirely ideal terms. The Tosefta’s literary construct of the SAGES differs in one important respect from the Mishnah’s. In twenty-one passages, the Tosefta describes a later sage reviewing early disputes. Ten of these reviews involve the SAGES. In each of these, the later sage subjects the dispute to further analysis that accords the SAGES’ opinion no more a priori weight than the opinion of individual sages.
    [Show full text]
  • Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer and Eastern Christian Exegesis∗
    Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer and Eastern Christian Exegesis ∗ Helen SPURLING – Emmanouela GRYPEOU University of Cambridge Resumen: This paper will discuss the use of traditions from the Christian Orient for the understanding of the development of the motifs in Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. The process of the development of the material in PRE is much discussed, with particular reference to other Jewish literature. However, a number of the motifs that represent a new development in PRE are also common ideas in sources from the Christian Orient. This paper will focus on four examples from PRE which reflect exegesis also found in traditions of the Christian Orient, and mark an initial endeavour to identify the material in PRE that may have been influenced by Christian thought. Abstract: Este artículo estudia la utilización de las tradiciones procedentes del Oriente Cristiano para poder comprender el desarrollo de los motivos contenidos en el Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. El proceso del desarrollo del material contenido en el PRE es analizado en detalle, con especial referencia al resto de la literatura judáica. Sin embargo, un número de motivos que representan un nuevo desarrollo en el PRE son, así mismo, ideas comunes en fuentes del Oriente Cristiano. Este artículo se ocupa de cuatro ejemplos del PRE, que reflejan una exégesis que se encuentra también en tradiciones del Oriente Cristiano y marcan una tentativa inicial para identificar aquel material del PRE que puede haber sido influenciado por el pensamiento cristiano. Palabras clave: Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. Oriente cristiano. Exégesis. Génesis. Keywords: Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. Christian Orient. Exegesis. Genesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Evyatar Marienberg, Ph.D
    Curriculum Vitae Evyatar Marienberg, Ph.D. Associate Professor E.J. and Sara Evans Fellow of Jewish History and Culture The Department of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carolina Hall #112, CB #3225, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3225 USA Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-919-593-9951 Web: http://evyatarm.web.unc.edu Main fields of interest - Rabbinics - Contemporary Catholicism - Social History of Jews and Christians in Medieval Europe Academic education 1999-2002 Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris. Doctorat en Histoire et civilisation (=Ph.D in History). Dissertation (in French): Studies on Menstruation in Medieval and Early-Modern Judaism and Christianity (Supervisors: Alain Boureau, Gilbert Dahan) 1997-1998 Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes en Sorbonne (EPHE, 5e), Paris. D.E.A. en Sciences religieuses (=M.A. in Religious Studies) 1994-1998 Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP). [Licence de Théologie / Baccalauréat Canonique] (=S.T.B.) Other studies 2003-2015 German Courses in Berlin, Chapel Hill, and Graz 1999-2000 New York University, Skirball Department of Judaic Studies 1999-2000 Yeshiva University, Bernard Revel Graduate School, New York 1994-1995 Alliance Française de Paris (Intensive French Courses) 1990-1993 Yeshivat Ha-Kibbutz ha-Dati, Ein-Tzurim Academic experience and affiliations 2009-present Associate Professor (2009-2014: Assistant Professor), The Department of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Additional affiliations at UNC: The Department
    [Show full text]
  • Clarification of R. Hirsch's Concepts - a Rejoinder
    Shelomoh Eliezer Danziger As expected, the critique of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's ideology that was presented by Rabbi Howw ard I. Levine in our Spring "1963 issue, stirred a great deal of controversy, especially among the numerous ardent followers of the Hirschian approach. Rabbi Danziger, the author of this rejoinder, is a graduate of Columbia University, was ordained at Yeshiva University, and presently teaches at the Mesivta Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. CLARIFICATION OF R. HIRSCH'S CONCEPTS - A REJOINDER The Review Article entitled "En- of the day, followed by a smatter- during and Transitory Elements in ing of two subjects - Writing and the Philosophy of Samson Raphael Arithmetic. Do the secular sub- Hirsch" (Tradition, Spring 1963 ) jects comprise the major propor- is a long series of criticisms which, tion of this curriculum? Time al- if correct, would in effect discredit lotment, not the number of sub- R. lIirsch as the authoritative jects, is the criterion of importance. _ spokesman for traditional Judaism In that same chapter on "Educa-" in modern times. What follows is tion" which introduces the table of a point by point rebuttal, con- subjects, R. Hirsch has clearly in- densed somewhat for reasons of dicated what is more important: editorial economy. " "Therefore place your child also be- tween heaven and earth and acquaint TORAH AND GENERAL STUDIES it with the world. - But in every- thing - let it see - God. This is a The reviewer considered it sig- useful companion study for the study nificant that secular subjects comw of the Torah; it gives. a knowledge prise the major proportion of the of Nature and man.
    [Show full text]
  • Rewriting the Talmud the Fourth Century Origins of Bavil Rosh Hashanah
    Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum Edited by Maren Niehoff (Jerusalem) Annette Y. Reed (Philadelphia, PA) Seth Schwartz (New York, NY) Moulie Vidas (Princeton, NJ) 175 Marcus Mordecai Schwartz Rewriting the Talmud The Fourth Century Origins of Bavil Rosh Hashanah Mohr Siebeck Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, born 1971; BA from the University of Nebraska; Rabbi, MA, MPhil, PhD, from The Jewish Theological Seminary; currently serves as director of the Beit Midrash, head of the the Nishma summer program, and assistant professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. orcid.org/0000-0001-6655-5664 ISBN 978-3-16-154123-0 / eISBN 978-3-16-157601-0 DOI 10.1628/978-3-16-157601-0 ISSN 0721-8753 / eISSN 2568-9525 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism) The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data are available at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2019 Mohr Siebeck Tübingen, Germany. www.mohrsiebeck.com This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to reproduc- tions, translations and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was typeset by Martin Fischer in Tübingen, printed on non-aging paper by Gulde- Druck in Tübingen, and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. For Esther פיה פתחה בחכמה ותורת חסד על לשונה Acknowledgements תהילה לאל אליון קונה שמים וארץ All creative human endeavor is collaboration. While the errors in this work are my own, its successes are shared.
    [Show full text]
  • May a Minor Read from the Torah? RABBI JOEL ROTH
    May a Minor Read from the Torah? RABBI JOEL ROTH This paper was adopted as the Majority Opinion on January 13, 1982 by a vote of 8-4. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Ben Zion Bokser, Salamon Faber, Mayer E. Rabinowitz, Joel Roth, Morris M. Shapiro, Israel N. Silverman and Harry Z. Sky. Members voting in opposition: Rabbis Edward M. Gershfield, David H. Lincoln, David Novak and Henry A. Sosland. Note: "May a Pre-Bar Mitzvah Boy Read from the Torah?" a paper by Rabbi David H. Lincoln, was adopted as the Minority Opinion on January 13,1982 by a vote of6-6. SHE'ELAH May a pre-Bar Mitzvah boy read from the Torah? TESHUVAH The issue of whether a minor may read from the Torah is first dealt with in the Mishnah. In Mishnah Megillah 4:6 (M egillah 24a) a clear statement is found to the effect that a minor may both read the Torah and be a metargem. Significantly, the Mishnah makes this statement without reservations. It does not limit this practice to any set of Torah readings, does not stipulate any aliyyot that the minor may not read, and does not imply that the katan should read only when absolutely necessary. The issue appears once again in a baraita onMegillah 23a (cf. Tosefta Megillah 3:11, Lieberman edition, p. 356). The baraita states that a woman should not read from the Torah because of kevod hatzibbur. It is essential to note that the restriction deals with women only. It expressly mentions them alone and it is only to them that it refers.
    [Show full text]