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Shemot/Exodus 21:35 —
On the phrase שור איש, R' Shelomo Yarhhi/Yitzhhaqi comments:
שור איש = שור של איש
In other words, he explains the juxtaposition ("semikhut") of the two nouns, שור (ox) and איש (man), to be a typical Semitic semikhut compound: shor-ish means shor shele-ish, "an ox of a man" and hence the first half of the verse reads:
And if a man's ox hurt his fellow's ox, and it dies...
But WHAT'S BOTHERING RASH"Y?
Obviously, it must be that without recognizing that the semikhut compound means "a man's ox", we might have assumed that it meant "a man-ox" or "an ox-man"! Wereoxen!
I guess now we know what werewolves eat...
ֿוְכִֿי־יִגֹּףֿ שׁוֹר־אִישׁ אֶתֿ־שׁוֹר רֵעֵהוּ, וָמֵת...
On the phrase שור איש, R' Shelomo Yarhhi/Yitzhhaqi comments:
In other words, he explains the juxtaposition ("semikhut") of the two nouns, שור (ox) and איש (man), to be a typical Semitic semikhut compound: shor-ish means shor shele-ish, "an ox of a man" and hence the first half of the verse reads:
But WHAT'S BOTHERING RASH"Y?
Obviously, it must be that without recognizing that the semikhut compound means "a man's ox", we might have assumed that it meant "a man-ox" or "an ox-man"! Wereoxen!
I guess now we know what werewolves eat...
carved on the walls of the caverns by Steg (dos iz nit der šteg) at 2/15/2007 10:18:00 PM
4 Comments:
This is the verse with my favourite Ibn Ezra joke. I would blog about it, but I see that Simon Holloway has beaten me to it. I'm sure my family are getting tired of hearing it every year, but luckily we're invited out this evening so I will have a new audience.
Hooray, I was just going to mention Ibn Ezra and I see that somebody has done it for me! I am truly honoured. In other news, however, perhaps this is Rashi's concern as well? By emphasising the genitive construction in relation to שור איש, perhaps he is also emphasising the same in relation to שור רעהו?
Heh, thanks (M.E.) for pointing me there, and (S.H.) for blogging about it. I feel like i learned that one once, but didn't remember it.
Hmm... the emphasis-spread could be possible.
Didn't Warren Zevon write a song "Werewolves of Jerusalem"?
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