24:1 KI YIKACH ISH ISHAH U VE'ALAH VE HAYAH IM LO TIMTSA CHEN BE EYNAV KI MATSA VAH ERVAT DAVAR VE CHATAV LAH SEPHER KERIYTUT VE NATAN BE YADAH VE SHILCHAH MI BEITO
כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה וּבְעָלָהּ וְהָיָה אִם לֹא תִמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינָיו כִּי מָצָא בָהּ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְכָתַב לָהּ סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻת וְנָתַן בְּיָדָהּ וְשִׁלְּחָהּ מִבֵּיתוֹ
KJ (King James translation): When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
BN (BibleNet translation): When a man takes a wife, and marries her, but then it comes to pass that she finds no favour in his eyes, because he has found something unseemly about her, so that he writes her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house...
I thought we just dealt with men hating their wives at Deuteronomy 21:15 ff? And even if this is a sub-aspect of the same issue, why was it not included there, rather than out of sequence here (and I made the same comment at 22:13?
Woman as property. What if she finds something unseemly about him? Too bad. For the information of the non-orthodox, this law, on exactly these terms, is still in place today; however, there are two stages to a divorce, just as there are two stages to a marriage. The man may well inform the woman that he is divorcing her to marry another woman, and he is then free to do so; but without the "get", the "sepher keryitut" of this verse, she remains "agunah", literally "chained" to him, and is not free to re-marry. Thousands of Jewish women across the world find themselves agunah today.
SEPHER KERIYTUT: Interesting to see the word SEPHER used here though; a book, a scroll, a single sheet of parchment, a mere bill; or in this case a lawyer's letter.
24:2 VE YATS'AH MI BEITO VE HALCHAH VE HAYETAH LE ISH ACHER
KJ: And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.
BN: And she leaves his house, and goes, and becomes another man's wife...
These verses provide a powerful argument for a return to matrilocal marriage, at least within the context of this culture. If a man marries a woman, and joins her clan, and the marriage fails, he simply divorces her and leaves, and she remains in the care of her family, able to resume life in comfort, and potentially re-marry; with patrilocal marriage, divorce renders her situation potentially ruinous, as can the death of the husband - see, for example, Avi-Gayil, the wife of Naval, in 1 Samuel 25.
24:3 U SENEY'AH HA ISH HA ACHARON VE CHATAV LAH SEPHER KRITUT VE NATAN BE YADAH VE SHILCHAH MI BEITO O CHI YAMUT HA ISH HA ACHARON ASHER LEKACHAH LO LE ISHAH
KJ: And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;
BN: And the second husband hates her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the second husband die, who took her to be his wife...
24:4 LO YUCHAL BA'LAH HA RISHON ASHER SHILCHAH LASHUV LEKACHTAH LIHEYOT LO LE ISHAH ACHAREY ASHER HUTAMA'AH KI TO'EVAH HI LIPHNEY YHVH VE LO TACHATI ET HA ARETS ASHER YHVH ELOHEYCHA NOTEN LECHA NACHALAH
KJ: Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
BN: Her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination in the face of YHVH and you shall not cause the land to sin, which YHVH your god is giving you for an inheritance.
Why not? Because she would become a kind of variation on a sort of adulteress? Is that the intention of "defiled"? Or is this actually an attempt to protect women. Why, if he hated her, would he want her back? And why would she want to go back to a man who hated her? I think we are in the same place that Muhammad struggled with, which is the apallingly demeaned status of women in a world run by men; click here for an article that deals specifically with the status of widows.
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24:5 KI YIKACH ISH ISHAH CHADASHAH LO YETS'E BA TSAVA VE LO YA'AVOR ALAV LE CHOL DAVAR NAKI YIHEYEH LE VEITO SHANAH ECHAT VE SIMACH ET ISHTO ASHER LAKACH
KJ: When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
BN: When a man takes a new wife, he shall not be called for military duty, nor shall he be expected to turn up for work; he shall be fully available for his family for one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.
The first part of this has already been dealt with, at Deuteronomy 20:7. Paternity leave is new, though there is no indication of how he is going to afford the full year if he is a farm-labourer or a mine-digger.
SIMCHAT: "Fully cheer" is a rather splendid euphemism, don't you think? This is being written for the followers of a fertility cult, and sex is about making babies, which women do, though they need the men to "fully cheer" them. Even today, in the orthodox world, it is regarded as the husband's duty, on Friday nights after synagogue and the se'udah (the special festive meal for the Sabbath), that he satisfy his wife's sexual needs.
24:6 LO YACHAVOL RECHAYIM VA RACHEB KI NEPHESH HU CHOVEL
KJ: No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.
BN: No man shall use the mill or the upper millstone for a pledge; for he takes a man's life to pledge.
Now that is a verse that is going to need some explanation! Dozens of offers, click here; though none of these are Rashi (because the link is Christian), which you can find here.
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24:7 KI YIMATS'E ISH GONEV NEPHESH MEY ECHAV MI BENEY YISRA-EL VE HITAMER BO U MECHARO U MET HA GANAV HA HU U VI'ARTA HA RA MI KIRBECHA
KJ: If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.
BN: If a man be found stealing any of his kinsmen of the Beney Yisra-El, and he deal with him as a slave, and sell him, then that thief shall die; thus you shall put away the evil from your midst.
This does not include kidnapping for ransom, nor abduction for private sexual exploitation, nor trafficking for prostitution, nor even forced employment, but only the making of profit by selling on the slave; and the phrasing appears to imply that the law only applies to the taking of men, and not women.
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24:11 BACHUTS TA'AMOD VE HA ISH ASHER ATAH NOSHEH VO YOTSI ELEYCHA ET HA AVOT HACHUTSAH
KJ: Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.
BN: Rather you shall stand outside, and the man to whom you have made the loan shall bring his pledge out to thee.
AVOT: What is a pledge in this context? Cash or goods presumably. Verse 13 tells us that something physical is involved - so it would appear to be an early form of pawn-brokerage. Does this then change our understanding of the "pledge" referred to in chapter 23:22 ff; there, we assumed it was a promise to make a donation.
Once again, and perhaps it's simply a matter of seeing these things through the lens of the equally enlightened-and-barbaric epoch in which we live, there is this contrast of the immensely humane and civilised with the hideously primitive. To save a man from the humiliation of his family knowing he has had to borrow money for their food and clothing is wonderful, but the man can go straight back indoors, tell his wife he's tired of her moaning about the lack of food and the poor state of the children's wardrobe, hand her a bill of divorce, and throw her out.
24:12 VE IM ISH ANI HU LO TISHKAV BA AVOTO
KJ: And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
BN: And if he be a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge.
Meaning what exactly? See next verse - and again, a profoundly enlightened piece of human generosity and empathy.
24:13 HASHEV TASHIV LO ET HA AVOT KE VO HA SHEMESH VE SHACHAV BE SALMATO U VERECHECHA U LECHA TIHEYEH TSEDAKAH LIPHNEY YHVH ELOHEYCHA
KJ: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.
BN: You must restore the pledge to him when the sun goes down, so that he may sleep in his garment, and bless you; and it shall be righteousness in you before YHVH your god.
The inference being that it is one of his garments that he has pawned. See also verse 17. And presumably this is the source of the idiom "to steal the clothes off a man's back".
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24:17 LO TATEH MISHPAT GER YATOM VE LO TACHAVOL BEGED ALMANAH
KJ: Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:
BN: You shall not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless; nor take the widow's raiment as a pledge.
Following Rabbi Yishmael's 13 rules, we understand this to mean the fatherless stranger, rather than reading it as two separate types.
BEGED: Once again we see clothing in the context of beggary, as in verse 13.
24:18 VE ZACHARTA KI EVED HAYITAH BE MITSRAYIM VA YIPHDECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA MISHAM AL KEN ANOCHI METSAV'CHA LA'ASOT ET HA DAVAR HA ZEH
KJ: But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
BN: But you shall remember that you were a bondsman in Mitsrayim, and YHVH your god redeemed you there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
YIPHDECHA: The double-usage of the word "redeem", as though YHVH had merely pawned his people to the Pharaoh and then... "redeemed" them.
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24:19 KI TIKTSOR KETSIRCHA VE SADECHA VE SHACHACHTA OMER BA SADEH LO TASHUV LEKACHTO LA GER LA YATOM VE LA ALMANAH YIHEYEH LEMA'AN YEVARECHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA BE CHOL MA'ASEH YADEYCHA
KJ: When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
BN: When you reap your harvest in your field, and have left a sheaf behind in the field, you may not go back to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that YHVH your god may bless you in all the work of your hands.
cf Leviticus 19:9 ff.
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24:20 KI TACHBOT ZEYTECHA LO TEPHA'ER ACHAREYCHA LA GER LA YATOM VE LA ALMANAH YIHEYEH
KJ: When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
BN: When you beat your olive-tree, you may not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Does one really beat an olive-tree? Like a naughty schoolboy in a Victorian prep. I have never picked olives, but I would have thought picking was more likely than beating. And I would be wrong. Click here.
24:21 KI TIVTSOR KARMECHA LO TE'OLEL ACHAREYCHA LA GER LA YATOM VE LA ALMANAH YIHEYEH
KJ: When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
BN: When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you may not glean it after you; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
What are the equivalents for, say, a property company, a department store, a hedge fund, a fast-food restaurant? (I'm a big fan of Pret, the coffee and sandwiches company, which, every evening, has people come round with vehicles that take away all the day's unsold food, and deliver it to the local homeless hostel to feed the hungry there).
24:22 VE ZACHARTA KI EVED HAYITA BE ERETS MITSRAYIM AL KEN ANOCHI METSAV'CHA LA'ASOT ET HA DAVAR HA ZEH
KJ: And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
BN: And you shall remember that you were a bondsman in the land of Mitsrayim; therefore I instruct you to do this thing.
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SEPHER KERIYTUT: Interesting to see the word SEPHER used here though; a book, a scroll, a single sheet of parchment, a mere bill; or in this case a lawyer's letter.
24:2 VE YATS'AH MI BEITO VE HALCHAH VE HAYETAH LE ISH ACHER
וְיָצְאָה מִבֵּיתוֹ וְהָלְכָה וְהָיְתָה לְאִישׁ אַחֵר
BN: And she leaves his house, and goes, and becomes another man's wife...
These verses provide a powerful argument for a return to matrilocal marriage, at least within the context of this culture. If a man marries a woman, and joins her clan, and the marriage fails, he simply divorces her and leaves, and she remains in the care of her family, able to resume life in comfort, and potentially re-marry; with patrilocal marriage, divorce renders her situation potentially ruinous, as can the death of the husband - see, for example, Avi-Gayil, the wife of Naval, in 1 Samuel 25.
24:3 U SENEY'AH HA ISH HA ACHARON VE CHATAV LAH SEPHER KRITUT VE NATAN BE YADAH VE SHILCHAH MI BEITO O CHI YAMUT HA ISH HA ACHARON ASHER LEKACHAH LO LE ISHAH
וּשְׂנֵאָהּ הָאִישׁ הָאַחֲרוֹן וְכָתַב לָהּ סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻת וְנָתַן בְּיָדָהּ וְשִׁלְּחָהּ מִבֵּיתוֹ אוֹ כִי יָמוּת הָאִישׁ הָאַחֲרוֹן אֲשֶׁר לְקָחָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה
BN: And the second husband hates her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the second husband die, who took her to be his wife...
24:4 LO YUCHAL BA'LAH HA RISHON ASHER SHILCHAH LASHUV LEKACHTAH LIHEYOT LO LE ISHAH ACHAREY ASHER HUTAMA'AH KI TO'EVAH HI LIPHNEY YHVH VE LO TACHATI ET HA ARETS ASHER YHVH ELOHEYCHA NOTEN LECHA NACHALAH
לֹא יוּכַל בַּעְלָהּ הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר שִׁלְּחָהּ לָשׁוּב לְקַחְתָּהּ לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר הֻטַּמָּאָה כִּי תוֹעֵבָה הִוא לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וְלֹא תַחֲטִיא אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה
BN: Her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination in the face of YHVH and you shall not cause the land to sin, which YHVH your god is giving you for an inheritance.
Why not? Because she would become a kind of variation on a sort of adulteress? Is that the intention of "defiled"? Or is this actually an attempt to protect women. Why, if he hated her, would he want her back? And why would she want to go back to a man who hated her? I think we are in the same place that Muhammad struggled with, which is the apallingly demeaned status of women in a world run by men; click here for an article that deals specifically with the status of widows.
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24:5 KI YIKACH ISH ISHAH CHADASHAH LO YETS'E BA TSAVA VE LO YA'AVOR ALAV LE CHOL DAVAR NAKI YIHEYEH LE VEITO SHANAH ECHAT VE SIMACH ET ISHTO ASHER LAKACH
כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה חֲדָשָׁה לֹא יֵצֵא בַּצָּבָא וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר עָלָיו לְכָל דָּבָר נָקִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵיתוֹ שָׁנָה אֶחָת וְשִׂמַּח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לָקָח
KJ: When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
BN: When a man takes a new wife, he shall not be called for military duty, nor shall he be expected to turn up for work; he shall be fully available for his family for one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.
The first part of this has already been dealt with, at Deuteronomy 20:7. Paternity leave is new, though there is no indication of how he is going to afford the full year if he is a farm-labourer or a mine-digger.
SIMCHAT: "Fully cheer" is a rather splendid euphemism, don't you think? This is being written for the followers of a fertility cult, and sex is about making babies, which women do, though they need the men to "fully cheer" them. Even today, in the orthodox world, it is regarded as the husband's duty, on Friday nights after synagogue and the se'udah (the special festive meal for the Sabbath), that he satisfy his wife's sexual needs.
24:6 LO YACHAVOL RECHAYIM VA RACHEB KI NEPHESH HU CHOVEL
לֹא יַחֲבֹל רֵחַיִם וָרָכֶב כִּי נֶפֶשׁ הוּא חֹבֵל
BN: No man shall use the mill or the upper millstone for a pledge; for he takes a man's life to pledge.
Now that is a verse that is going to need some explanation! Dozens of offers, click here; though none of these are Rashi (because the link is Christian), which you can find here.
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24:7 KI YIMATS'E ISH GONEV NEPHESH MEY ECHAV MI BENEY YISRA-EL VE HITAMER BO U MECHARO U MET HA GANAV HA HU U VI'ARTA HA RA MI KIRBECHA
כִּי יִמָּצֵא אִישׁ גֹּנֵב נֶפֶשׁ מֵאֶחָיו מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִתְעַמֶּר בּוֹ וּמְכָרוֹ וּמֵת הַגַּנָּב הַהוּא וּבִעַרְתָּ הָרָע מִקִּרְבֶּךָ
BN: If a man be found stealing any of his kinsmen of the Beney Yisra-El, and he deal with him as a slave, and sell him, then that thief shall die; thus you shall put away the evil from your midst.
This does not include kidnapping for ransom, nor abduction for private sexual exploitation, nor trafficking for prostitution, nor even forced employment, but only the making of profit by selling on the slave; and the phrasing appears to imply that the law only applies to the taking of men, and not women.
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24:8 HISHAMER BE NEGA HA TSARA'AT LISHMOR ME'OD VE LA'ASOT KE CHOL ASHER YORU ET'CHEM HA KOHANIM HA LEVIYIM KA ASHER TSIVITIM TISHMERU LA'ASOT
KJ: Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
BN: Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently, and carry out exactly what the priests, the Leviyim, instruct you; as I commanded them, so you shall observe and do.
TSARA'AT: At different times we have this word (Leviticus 13:2 ff, and again 42 ff) for the plague of leprosy, but then (Leviticus 13:32 ff) has NEGA HA NETEK for the plague of scall, and Exodus 7:19 ff uses Magephot (מַגֵּפֹת) for the Ten Plagues, while Exodus 30:12 uses Negeph (נֶגֶף), from the same root. My note to 30:13 is worth repeating here: NEGEPH: Means "a plague", but what plague, and why is it significant? Previously, when the "ten plagues" came to Egypt, the words used were Magephot (Exodus 7), Dever (Exodus 9), Nega (Exodus 11), Negeph (Exodus 12), different constructions, though the root of the first and last of these is the same. Note that there only appear to be four uses of the word plague, and each time different - there is something odd about this fact.
I am still struggling with this conjunction of HA KOHANIM HA LEVIYIM, which seems to suggest that the one is also the other, or that both are both. Behind which there can only be one conclusion: that at some point of Yisra-Eli history, you didn't have to come from the tribe of Levi in order to be a priest, and that this changed; see my notes at the link to his name, and then here for a very thorough essay on the subject.
TISHMERU LA'ASOT: I haven't found a suitable English equivalent yet, and "shall observe to do" really doesn't work. How about "make sure you do"?
הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע הַצָּרַעַת לִשְׁמֹר מְאֹד וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּ אֶתְכֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִם תִּשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת
BN: Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently, and carry out exactly what the priests, the Leviyim, instruct you; as I commanded them, so you shall observe and do.
TSARA'AT: At different times we have this word (Leviticus 13:2 ff, and again 42 ff) for the plague of leprosy, but then (Leviticus 13:32 ff) has NEGA HA NETEK for the plague of scall, and Exodus 7:19 ff uses Magephot (מַגֵּפֹת) for the Ten Plagues, while Exodus 30:12 uses Negeph (נֶגֶף), from the same root. My note to 30:13 is worth repeating here: NEGEPH: Means "a plague", but what plague, and why is it significant? Previously, when the "ten plagues" came to Egypt, the words used were Magephot (Exodus 7), Dever (Exodus 9), Nega (Exodus 11), Negeph (Exodus 12), different constructions, though the root of the first and last of these is the same. Note that there only appear to be four uses of the word plague, and each time different - there is something odd about this fact.
I am still struggling with this conjunction of HA KOHANIM HA LEVIYIM, which seems to suggest that the one is also the other, or that both are both. Behind which there can only be one conclusion: that at some point of Yisra-Eli history, you didn't have to come from the tribe of Levi in order to be a priest, and that this changed; see my notes at the link to his name, and then here for a very thorough essay on the subject.
TISHMERU LA'ASOT: I haven't found a suitable English equivalent yet, and "shall observe to do" really doesn't work. How about "make sure you do"?
I am also struggling to resist a satire on responses to COVID-19, which is the most recent example of plague as an "act of god". And the priests shall impose Tier 3 on all your schools (the rules for Tier 3 have been modified since the previous Tier 3,) save only those children of essential grand-parents who have received one but not both doses of the trial vaccine, provided that they are wearing a mask to cover their nose as well as their mouth, and wash their eyes regularly in Durham water, and avoid taking Christmas holidays in Antigua... much too easy; sadly, much too easy.
24:9 ZACHOR ET ASHER ASAH YHVH ELOHEYCHA LE MIRYAM BA DERECH BE TSET'CHEM MI MITSRAYIM
KJ: Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.
BN: Remember what YHVH your god did to Mir-Yam along the road as you came out of Mitsrayim.
MIR-YAM: see Numbers 12 for the source of this.
samech break: in this chapter the samech breaks are not about sedras and portions (for which click here), but a means of making clear that this is a list (a pretty arbitrary and thoroughly disorganised list, but at least it has these clear dividers!)
24:10 KI TASEH VE REYACHA MASHA'T ME'UMAH LO TAVO EL BEITO LA'AVOT AVOTO
KJ: When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
BN: When you lend your neighbour any sort of loan, you shall not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
Another sub-aspect to a previous item. Based on my experience as a school-teacher, I have a strong sense of Ezra sending one of his interns to go through all the existing manuscripts (stuff written down by those who remembered them before they left Babylon, or after they arried back in Yehudah; it is highly unlikely that any written parchments survived the destruction of Yeru-Shala'im or the dragging-off into captivity), and the inter gathered them in whatever order they came up, this one from this source, that one from another, a repetition here, a variation there; and then, rather than organise them into categories and sub-catgeories, with indices and contents pages, the final redaction of this book was simply his notebook, as he handed it in.
זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם
KJ: Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.
BN: Remember what YHVH your god did to Mir-Yam along the road as you came out of Mitsrayim.
MIR-YAM: see Numbers 12 for the source of this.
samech break: in this chapter the samech breaks are not about sedras and portions (for which click here), but a means of making clear that this is a list (a pretty arbitrary and thoroughly disorganised list, but at least it has these clear dividers!)
24:10 KI TASEH VE REYACHA MASHA'T ME'UMAH LO TAVO EL BEITO LA'AVOT AVOTO
כִּי תַשֶּׁה בְרֵעֲךָ מַשַּׁאת מְאוּמָה לֹא תָבֹא אֶל בֵּיתוֹ לַעֲבֹט עֲבֹטוֹ
KJ: When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
BN: When you lend your neighbour any sort of loan, you shall not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
Another sub-aspect to a previous item. Based on my experience as a school-teacher, I have a strong sense of Ezra sending one of his interns to go through all the existing manuscripts (stuff written down by those who remembered them before they left Babylon, or after they arried back in Yehudah; it is highly unlikely that any written parchments survived the destruction of Yeru-Shala'im or the dragging-off into captivity), and the inter gathered them in whatever order they came up, this one from this source, that one from another, a repetition here, a variation there; and then, rather than organise them into categories and sub-catgeories, with indices and contents pages, the final redaction of this book was simply his notebook, as he handed it in.
24:11 BACHUTS TA'AMOD VE HA ISH ASHER ATAH NOSHEH VO YOTSI ELEYCHA ET HA AVOT HACHUTSAH
בַּחוּץ תַּעֲמֹד וְהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה נֹשֶׁה בוֹ יוֹצִיא אֵלֶיךָ אֶת הַעֲבוֹט הַחוּצָה
KJ: Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.
BN: Rather you shall stand outside, and the man to whom you have made the loan shall bring his pledge out to thee.
AVOT: What is a pledge in this context? Cash or goods presumably. Verse 13 tells us that something physical is involved - so it would appear to be an early form of pawn-brokerage. Does this then change our understanding of the "pledge" referred to in chapter 23:22 ff; there, we assumed it was a promise to make a donation.
Once again, and perhaps it's simply a matter of seeing these things through the lens of the equally enlightened-and-barbaric epoch in which we live, there is this contrast of the immensely humane and civilised with the hideously primitive. To save a man from the humiliation of his family knowing he has had to borrow money for their food and clothing is wonderful, but the man can go straight back indoors, tell his wife he's tired of her moaning about the lack of food and the poor state of the children's wardrobe, hand her a bill of divorce, and throw her out.
24:12 VE IM ISH ANI HU LO TISHKAV BA AVOTO
וְאִם אִישׁ עָנִי הוּא לֹא תִשְׁכַּב בַּעֲבֹטוֹ
KJ: And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
BN: And if he be a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge.
Meaning what exactly? See next verse - and again, a profoundly enlightened piece of human generosity and empathy.
24:13 HASHEV TASHIV LO ET HA AVOT KE VO HA SHEMESH VE SHACHAV BE SALMATO U VERECHECHA U LECHA TIHEYEH TSEDAKAH LIPHNEY YHVH ELOHEYCHA
הָשֵׁב תָּשִׁיב לוֹ אֶת הַעֲבוֹט כְּבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְשָׁכַב בְּשַׂלְמָתוֹ וּבֵרְכֶךָּ וּלְךָ תִּהְיֶה צְדָקָה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
BN: You must restore the pledge to him when the sun goes down, so that he may sleep in his garment, and bless you; and it shall be righteousness in you before YHVH your god.
The inference being that it is one of his garments that he has pawned. See also verse 17. And presumably this is the source of the idiom "to steal the clothes off a man's back".
samech break
24:14 LO TA'ASHOK SACHIR ANI VE EVYON MEY ACHEYCHA O MI GERCHA ASHER BE ARTSECHA BI SHE'AREYCHA
KJ: Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
BN: You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of your kinsmen or of the strangers who are in your land and within your gates.
TA'ASHOK, or TA'ASOK? There is a huge difference in meaning and either could be intended. The Masoretic text, which has added the pointing to make reading this easier, does not actually achieve that, because it has a dot at both ends of the letter, though generally a dot at the beginning infers the Sheen, while the dot at the end could be an indicator of a Seen or a cholam- click here.
These three infer fraud, or theft:
Leviticus 5:23, which also makes a clear distinction between theft and violence;
Psalm 62:11 (10 in some versions)
Ecclesiastes 7:7
These three infer the use violence:
Isaiah 59:13
Ezekiel 22:7 and 12
Isaiah 38:14 however infers something rather more emotional and psychological, a state of "distress"
All these for TA'ASHOK. TA'ASOK by contrast, from the root ESEK = "to strive", found in Genesis 26:20, where "the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Yitschak's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours". And he named the well "Esek", because they quarreled with him there."
Aurally this could also be a different TA'ASOK, this time from the root ESEK with a Samech (תעסק) This would means "busy", and the inference there would be oppression by excessive work demands, long hours, poor pay and conditions.
The answer can be found in the next verse.
24:15 BE YOMO TITEN SECHARO VE LO TAVO ALAV HA SHEMESH KI ANI HU VE ELAV HU NOS'E ET NAPHSHO VE LO YIKRA ALEYCHA EL YHVH VE HAYAH VECHA CHET
KJ: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
BN: On the day that it is due you must pay him his wages, and this before the sun goes down upon the day; for he is poor, and he sets his heart upon it: lest he cry against you to YHVH and it be a sin in you.
No need then for Trades Unions, because the bosses understand that they have a responsibility to their empoyees, and righteously fulfil it!
samech break
24:16 LO YUMTU AVOT AL BANIM U VANIM LO YUMTU AL AVOT ISH BE CHETO YUMATU
KJ: The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
BN: The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
24:14 LO TA'ASHOK SACHIR ANI VE EVYON MEY ACHEYCHA O MI GERCHA ASHER BE ARTSECHA BI SHE'AREYCHA
לֹא תַעֲשֹׁק שָׂכִיר עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחֶיךָ אוֹ מִגֵּרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּאַרְצְךָ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ
BN: You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of your kinsmen or of the strangers who are in your land and within your gates.
TA'ASHOK, or TA'ASOK? There is a huge difference in meaning and either could be intended. The Masoretic text, which has added the pointing to make reading this easier, does not actually achieve that, because it has a dot at both ends of the letter, though generally a dot at the beginning infers the Sheen, while the dot at the end could be an indicator of a Seen or a cholam- click here.
These three infer fraud, or theft:
Leviticus 5:23, which also makes a clear distinction between theft and violence;
Psalm 62:11 (10 in some versions)
Ecclesiastes 7:7
These three infer the use violence:
Isaiah 59:13
Ezekiel 22:7 and 12
Isaiah 38:14 however infers something rather more emotional and psychological, a state of "distress"
All these for TA'ASHOK. TA'ASOK by contrast, from the root ESEK = "to strive", found in Genesis 26:20, where "the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Yitschak's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours". And he named the well "Esek", because they quarreled with him there."
Aurally this could also be a different TA'ASOK, this time from the root ESEK with a Samech (תעסק) This would means "busy", and the inference there would be oppression by excessive work demands, long hours, poor pay and conditions.
The answer can be found in the next verse.
24:15 BE YOMO TITEN SECHARO VE LO TAVO ALAV HA SHEMESH KI ANI HU VE ELAV HU NOS'E ET NAPHSHO VE LO YIKRA ALEYCHA EL YHVH VE HAYAH VECHA CHET
בְּיוֹמוֹ תִתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ וְלֹא תָבוֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי עָנִי הוּא וְאֵלָיו הוּא נֹשֵׂא אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ וְלֹא יִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ אֶל יְהוָה וְהָיָה בְךָ חֵטְא
BN: On the day that it is due you must pay him his wages, and this before the sun goes down upon the day; for he is poor, and he sets his heart upon it: lest he cry against you to YHVH and it be a sin in you.
No need then for Trades Unions, because the bosses understand that they have a responsibility to their empoyees, and righteously fulfil it!
samech break
24:16 LO YUMTU AVOT AL BANIM U VANIM LO YUMTU AL AVOT ISH BE CHETO YUMATU
לֹא יוּמְתוּ אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וּבָנִים לֹא יוּמְתוּ עַל אָבוֹ אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ יוּמָתוּ
BN: The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
And the more generalised "personal responsibility" and "personal accountability". Although it does contain an inner-conflict, because YHVH has reserved to himself the right set out in Exodus 20:4 (20:5 in some versions) and Deuteronomy 5:8 (5:9 in some versions).
samech break
24:17 LO TATEH MISHPAT GER YATOM VE LO TACHAVOL BEGED ALMANAH
לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט גֵּר יָתוֹם וְלֹא תַחֲבֹל בֶּגֶד אַלְמָנָה
BN: You shall not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless; nor take the widow's raiment as a pledge.
Following Rabbi Yishmael's 13 rules, we understand this to mean the fatherless stranger, rather than reading it as two separate types.
BEGED: Once again we see clothing in the context of beggary, as in verse 13.
24:18 VE ZACHARTA KI EVED HAYITAH BE MITSRAYIM VA YIPHDECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA MISHAM AL KEN ANOCHI METSAV'CHA LA'ASOT ET HA DAVAR HA ZEH
וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּמִצְרַיִם וַיִּפְדְּךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִשָּׁם עַל כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה
BN: But you shall remember that you were a bondsman in Mitsrayim, and YHVH your god redeemed you there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
YIPHDECHA: The double-usage of the word "redeem", as though YHVH had merely pawned his people to the Pharaoh and then... "redeemed" them.
samech break
24:19 KI TIKTSOR KETSIRCHA VE SADECHA VE SHACHACHTA OMER BA SADEH LO TASHUV LEKACHTO LA GER LA YATOM VE LA ALMANAH YIHEYEH LEMA'AN YEVARECHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA BE CHOL MA'ASEH YADEYCHA
כִּי תִקְצֹר קְצִירְךָ בְשָׂדֶךָ וְשָׁכַחְתָּ עֹמֶר בַּשָּׂדֶה לֹא תָשׁוּב לְקַחְתּוֹ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה לְמַעַן יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ
BN: When you reap your harvest in your field, and have left a sheaf behind in the field, you may not go back to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that YHVH your god may bless you in all the work of your hands.
cf Leviticus 19:9 ff.
samech break
24:20 KI TACHBOT ZEYTECHA LO TEPHA'ER ACHAREYCHA LA GER LA YATOM VE LA ALMANAH YIHEYEH
כִּי תַחְבֹּט זֵיתְךָ לֹא תְפַאֵר אַחֲרֶיךָ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה
KJ: When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
BN: When you beat your olive-tree, you may not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Does one really beat an olive-tree? Like a naughty schoolboy in a Victorian prep. I have never picked olives, but I would have thought picking was more likely than beating. And I would be wrong. Click here.
24:21 KI TIVTSOR KARMECHA LO TE'OLEL ACHAREYCHA LA GER LA YATOM VE LA ALMANAH YIHEYEH
כִּי תִבְצֹר כַּרְמְךָ לֹא תְעוֹלֵל אַחֲרֶיךָ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה
BN: When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you may not glean it after you; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
What are the equivalents for, say, a property company, a department store, a hedge fund, a fast-food restaurant? (I'm a big fan of Pret, the coffee and sandwiches company, which, every evening, has people come round with vehicles that take away all the day's unsold food, and deliver it to the local homeless hostel to feed the hungry there).
24:22 VE ZACHARTA KI EVED HAYITA BE ERETS MITSRAYIM AL KEN ANOCHI METSAV'CHA LA'ASOT ET HA DAVAR HA ZEH
וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עַל כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה
BN: And you shall remember that you were a bondsman in the land of Mitsrayim; therefore I instruct you to do this thing.
samech break
Deuteronomy 1 2 3a 3b 4 5 6 7a 7b 8 9 10 11a 11b 12 13 14 15 16a 16b 17 18 19 20 21a 21b 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29a 29b 30 31 32 33 34
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