Repetition of Words, Phrases or Sections

Found 11 Search results

  1. Linguistic Mirroring

    A Harmonious Story, Part I

    Dr. Yael Ziegler

    The structure of Ruth is a chiastic one. Repetition of key words and phrases is one of many linguistic techniques used. Boaz and Ruth's shared trait of kindness stages them as the main characters. Ruth as the initiator and Boaz completing the task come together to create the Davidic dynasty.

  2. The "Song to Counter Evil" - Psalm 91

    Part 2

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    Other interpretations regard our psalm as a drama comprising three voices: a dramatic exchange of different characters who speak over the course of the unit.

    This interpretation is preferable because it avoids the forced explanations of the other commentaries, who find it necessary to blur the transition from one speaker to another. However, it also raises a series of new questions:

    • What is the nature of the relationship between the various voices?
    • Why is the principal dialogue repeated twice?
    • What is the role of God in the conclusion of the psalm when Psalms is not a book of prophecies?
    • What is the significance of the dramatic form used in this Psalm?

  3. Parashat Vayakhel Pekudei - Why the Repetition?

    Rabbi Alex Israel | 30 minutes

    Vayakhel - Pekudei contains the precise dimensions of the Mishkan, but these already appeared in Teruma and Tetzaveh. Why did "Moshe followed the instructions" not suffice? We try to understand the secrets behind this "list - repetition" phenomenon in Vayakhel - Pekudei. 

    We relate to the question of the detailed language and repetition of our parsha by looking at the wider context of the latter part of the Book of Shemot.
    Is this repetition part of the emphasis on the possibility of Israel's atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf? Ultimately, the structure of the parasha and Sefer Shemot is such that it ends off with the message that God has come back to dwell within the midst of Israel, as the Mishkan is filled with a Divine cloud.
     

  4. In the Land of Egypt - In the Land of Goshen

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  5. A Quick Look at Vayakhel - Pekudei

    Rabbi Ezra Bick | 11 minutes

    Most of the parsha is about the Mishkan, describing what is actually done to build the Mishkan, after the previous parshiyyot listed the detailed instructions. In the beginning of our parsha is a section with a few pesukim that repeat the prohibition to do melakha on Shabbat -also paralleling the previous parsha. We take a closer look at this section.

  6. Rashi on Emor: Festivals and Fields

    Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 19 minutes

    We discuss Rashi on Parashat Emor.  One of Rashi’s comments touches upon the question of where our focus must be- on the Beit HaMikdash or on the foundation of a good society? In the midst of Parshat haMoadim (the section about the agricultural festivals), a  law about reaping fields reappears. Peah is an agricultural mitzva, and helping the poor is important, but what is this mitzva doing here? What accounts for the repetition after it appears in PArashat Kedoshim? What is the significance of its placement in the midst of the regalim (Pilgrimage Festivals)?

  7. The Thief Who Swore Falsely

    Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen

  8. Radak - Rav David Kimchi

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    The Radak — R. David Kimchi — was born and active in Provence, in southern France, near Spain. The Radak was a member of a family of Spanish grammarians and exegetes. Like R. Avraham ibn Ezra, the Kimchi family brought the fundamentals of linguistics and grammar from Spain to France.

    Despite the fact that Radak sees himself as a pashtan, he does not hesitate to cite derash. However, when the Radak quotes these sources, it is obvious that he has a distinction between peshat and derash.

    Two principles guide the Radak in citing Midrashic sources:

    • When it is difficult to resolve the peshat without the derash.
    • For the lovers of derash - in order to explain the text and engage his readers.

    The view of the Radak is that the Torah is not a historical tome. Those stories of the Patriarchs which have been selected to put into the Torah with all of its details must fulfill one criterion: teaching a moral lesson.

    Just as one may learn from the positive acts of the forefathers, so one may learn from their negative acts. The Radak does not engage in apologetics; instead, he writes explicitly that the narratives which describe the negative acts of the Patriarchs have been written in order to help us avoid this sort of behavior.

    The Radak points out consistently that the Torah often uses repetitious language, not because each word introduces new meaning, but because the verse seeks to stress the significance of a given issue. This view stands in stark contrast to that of Rashi, who argues that generally speaking, one must assign meaning to every word, as there cannot be any redundancy in the biblical text.

  9. Chayei Sarah: More than a Story

    Rabbi Jay Kelman

  10. Redundancy in the Tanakh?

    The Structure & Story of Book I

    Dr. Beni Gesundheit | Hour and 3 minutes

    Tehillim 18, its parallels in Shmuel II 22 and its location in Sefer Tehillim

    Why would the same chapter be repeated in two places in the Tanakh? What can we learn from the differences between these two almost identical texts? David’s song of thanks following his rescue from King Saul and his enemies and for the establishment of the future Davidic dynasty are repeated almost word for word in both II Samuel 22 and Tehillim 18. The contextual interpretation will be used to deepen our understanding of the seeming redundancy by its placement in Tehillim. The role of Mizmor 18 in the narrative of Unit II (15-24) is summarized.

  11. 176 Verses?? How to Identify the Narrative of the Longest Mizmor in Tehillim?

    The Structure & Story of Book V (107-150)

    Dr. Beni Gesundheit | Hour and 7 minutes

    Mizmor 119: Structure, Meaning and Context

    This long Mizmor praises the Torah in an 8-fold alphabetic order which seems to be very repetitive and monotonous. Is there a structure and a message or is this just a long collection of verses with the same ideas? And why is it placed between the Egyptian Hallel and the Shirei Hamaalot collection?

    Contextual interpretation, as has been shown through the course, will be applied to identify the story and messages of this mizmor, comprised of  22 units each composed of 8 verses. In addition, contextual interpretation will show how well positioned Mizmor 119 is between the adjacent Egyptian Hallel (113-118) and the Shirei Hamaalot (120-135) and how it correlates with the beginning and end of the entire book of Tehillim.