## Tractate Soferim Chapter 9

###### Tractate Soferim 9:1
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ב׳ דבראשית צריך ארבע תגין ופשוטין אותיותיו של תיבה מן כל האותיות שהיא תקום לעולם:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
On the *beth* of *bereshith*¹ there must be four crownlets,² and the letters³. of the word must be extended above all the other letters, because by its means⁴, quoted by M (p. 131): The world was created by means of the letter *beth*. the world came into existence.⁵ representing *berakah* (blessing). [Cf. Midrash Rabbah, Genesis, I, §9 (Sonc. ed., p. 9).]

footnotes:
¹ Gen. 1, 1 the first word of the Pentateuch.
² Short upward strokes on the top of the letter.
³ Some eds. read ‘letter’ in the singular, and the general practice is to enlarge only the beth
⁴ This idea is also expressed in ’Othioth deRabbi ‘Aḳiba
⁵ So M. V reads, ‘for it (the world) will exist for ever’, the beth


###### Tractate Soferim 9:2
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וי"ו דגחון (ויקרא יא) צריך להיות זקוף שהיא חצי אותיות של תורה דרש דרש (שם י) חצי תיבות של תורה דרש בסוף שיטה דרש בראש שיטה:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The *waw* of *gaḥon*⁶. must be enlarged,⁷ because it is the middle of the letters of the Torah;⁸ of *gaḥon* equals the number from the *waw* to the end. *darosh darash*⁹ X, 16, *diligently inquired*. is the middle of the words of the Torah. *Darosh* is written at the end of the line¹⁰ and *darash* at the beginning of the next line.¹¹

footnotes:
⁶ Lev. 11, 42, belly
⁷ lit. ‘upright, erect’.
⁸ The number of letters from the beginning of the Pentateuch to the waw
⁹ ibid.
¹⁰ Indicating the end of the first half of the number of words.
¹¹ Marking the beginning of the second half of the number of words.


###### Tractate Soferim 9:3
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וישחט (שם ח) צריך להיות פשוט שהוא חצי הפסוקים של תורה:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
*Wayyishḥṭ*¹² it is uncertain whether this refers to Lev. 8, 15 (N.Y.) or *ibid.* 23 (M) both of which begin with the same word. must be enlarged,¹³ of the word, it being also the initial of *ḥaẓi* (half), is to be enlarged. because it is half of the verses of the Torah.¹⁴ (Lev. 13, 33, *then he shall be shaven*) is given as the middle of the verses and, according to the Masorah, its *gimel* is to be enlarged. On the number of verses opinions differ. It is variously computed as 5,844, 5,845, 5,885 and 5,888.

footnotes:
¹² And when it was slain;
¹³ According to M and H only the ḥeth
¹⁴ In Ḳid. 30a (Sonc. ed., p. 144) wehithgallaḥ


###### Tractate Soferim 9:4
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שמע ישראל (דברים ו) צריך לכתבו בראש השיטה וכל אותיותיו פשוטין ואחד צריך שיהא בסוף השיטה:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
*Shema‘ Yisra’el*¹⁵. must be written at the beginning of a line, and all its letters are to be enlarged,¹⁶ of *Shema‘* is enlarged. while *’eḥad*¹⁷ must come at the end of [the same] line.¹⁸

footnotes:
¹⁵ Deut. 6, 4, Hear, O Israel
¹⁶ According to the Masorah only the ‘ayin
¹⁷ ibid., one.
¹⁸ The final letter of the word is also enlarged according to the Masorah.


###### Tractate Soferim 9:5
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למד דוישליכם (שם כט) צריך שיהא ארוך:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The *lamed* of *wayyashlikem*¹⁹. must be long.²⁰ is treated as the beginning of a word consisting of it and the following two letters, *LaKem* which means ‘to you’, implying homiletically God’s promise, ‘I will be a God *to you* even after you have been *cast into another land*’.

footnotes:
¹⁹ Deut. 29, 27, and cast them
²⁰ i.e. longer than the other letters. By its elongation, the lamed


###### Tractate Soferim 9:6
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ה׳ דהלה׳ (שם לב) צריך להיות פשוט מכל ה"י שיהא תיבה בפני עצמה:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The *he* of *haladonai*²¹ XXXII, 6, *do … the Lord*. must be longer than any other *he*, because it is²² a word on its own.

footnotes:
²¹ ibid.
²² So GRA. V reads, ‘so that it shall form’. [N.Y. gives the meaning, ‘as though it were’, viz. the initial of הוי, ‘alas’; cf. Midrash Rabbah, Exodus, Sonc. ed., p. 294, n. 1.]


###### Tractate Soferim 9:7
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יו"ד של תשי (שם) צריך להיות קטן מכל יו"ד שבמקרא [יו"ד של יגדל] (במדבר יד) צריך להיות גדול שהוא אותיות שבמקרא ישראל שבסוף התורה צריך להיות פשוט ולמ"ד שלו צריך להיות זקוף מכל הלמ"ד:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The *yod o*f *teshi*²³. must be smaller than any *yod* in the Scriptures. The *yod* of *yigdal*²⁴. must be bigger than any *yod* in the Torah.²⁵ *Yisra’el* at the end of the Torah²⁶. must be enlarged, while the *lamed* in it must be higher than any other *lamed*.

footnotes:
²³ Deut. 32, 18, thou wast unmindful
²⁴ Num. 14, 17, let … be great
²⁵ So GRA and N.Y. V erroneously ‘big, because they are letters which are in Scripture’. H lacks the sentence.
²⁶ Deut. 34, 12, Israel


###### Tractate Soferim 9:8
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אלו דברים כתובים ולא נקראים כתיב (דברים כח) בעפולים וקרינן בטחורים כתיב (ישעיה יג) תשגלנה וקרי תשכבנה כתיב (מלכים ב ו׳:כ״ה) ורובע (דביונים) [הקב חרייונים] וקרי ורובע הקב דביונים כתיב (שם יח) שיניהם וקרי מימי רגליהם כתיב את חוריהם וקרי את צואתם כתיב (שם י) וישימהו (למחריהם) [למחראות] וקרי למוצאות (מניין שאין מכנים לעריות) המכנה לעריות משתקין אותו א"ר יונה (המכנה בעריות) בעריות דאבוה ובעריות דאימיה האומר (ויקרא י״ח:כ״א) ומזרעך לא תתן למעברה בארמית׳ משתקין אותו בנזיפה:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The following words²⁷ are written but not read [in their written form]:²⁸ It is written *ba‘folim*²⁹ but we read *baṭṭeḥorim;*³⁰. it is written *yishgalennah*³¹. but we read *yishkabennah;*³². it is written *weroba‘ haḳḳab ḥiryonim*³³. but we read *weroba‘ haḳḳab dibyonim;*³⁴ it is written *memë shinehem*³⁵ XVIII, 27, *their own water*. but we read *memë raglehem;*³⁶ it is written *ḥorehem*³⁷ but we read *ẓo’atham;*³⁸ it is written *wayyesimehu lemaḥara’oth*³⁹ X, 27, *and made it a draught-house*. but we read *lemoẓa’oth*.⁴⁰
If a person uses euphemisms in the section of forbidden marriages⁴¹ he is silenced.⁴² R. Jonah explained:⁴³ [39*a*] [When one says]⁴⁴ ‘the nakedness of his father’ or ‘the nakedness of his⁴⁵ and *thy mother* (Lev. 18, 7). R. Joseph (Meg. *loc. cit.*) gives a different interpretation, viz. the alteration of *nakedness* to ‘shame’ (cf. Sonc. ed., p. 151, n. 2). mother’. If a person says⁴⁶, p. 133. ‘And thou shalt not give any of thy seed (to a heathen woman) to become with child in idolatry,] instead of *and thou shalt not give of thy seed to set them apart to Molech* (Lev. 18, 21). ‘and thou shalt not cause any of thy seed to be conceived by a Gentile woman’,⁴⁷ he is silenced with a rebuke.

footnotes:
²⁷ Which have an indelicate nuance.
²⁸ A more polite word is substituted.
²⁹ Meaning ‘posteriors’.
³⁰ 1 Sam. 5, 6, emerods
³¹ Meaning ‘rape’. This is the reading of N.Y. and M. V has thishgalennah
³² Deut. 28, 30, shall lie with her
³³ 2 Kings 6, 25, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung
³⁴ Meaning ‘and the fourth … of decayed leaves’.
³⁵ ibid.
³⁶ lit. ‘the water of their feet’.
³⁷ ibid. their own dung.
³⁸ lit. ‘their evacuation’.
³⁹ ibid.
⁴⁰ lit. ‘retreats’.
⁴¹ Lev. 18, 6-20.
⁴² [The text in V is corrupt and emended in agreement with the Mishnah in Meg. 25a (Sonc. ed., p. 149).]
⁴³ What is meant here by ‘euphemisms’.
⁴⁴ By trying to be more considerate than Scripture.
⁴⁵ Instead of thy father
⁴⁶ [Or, according to J. Rabbinowitz, Mishnah Megillah
⁴⁷ So altering the true meaning of the text which deals with the worship of Molech (cf. Sonc. ed., Meg. p. 149, n. 3).


###### Tractate Soferim 9:9
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מעשה ראובן נקרא ולא מתרגם [מעשה תמר לא נקרא ולא מתרגם] מעשה עגל הראשון נקרא ומתרגם השני נקרא ולא מתרגם:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The incident of Reuben⁴⁸ is read⁴⁹ but not translated.⁵⁰ The story of Tamar⁵¹ is both read and translated.⁵² The first [account of] the golden calf⁵³ is read and translated,⁵⁴ the second⁵⁵ 21-25 according to Meg. *loc. cit.* (Sonc. ed., p. 153). is read but not translated.⁵⁶ (*ibid.* 24) which seems to indicate that the calf had abnormal powers.

footnotes:
⁴⁸ Gen. 35, 22.
⁴⁹ In the public lection of the Scriptures.
⁵⁰ Out of respect for the memory of Reuben. In the ancient Synagogues, the readings from the Scriptures were rendered into Aramaic by an official for the benefit of those who were unable to follow the Hebrew.
⁵¹ Gen. 38.
⁵² So GRA and H in agreement with Meg. 25a (Sonc. ed., p. 151). V inserts the negative before both verbs. The reflection on Judah’s behaviour is mitigated by his frank confession.
⁵³ Ex. 33, 1-20.
⁵⁴ Since the sin was forgiven (Meg. 25b, Sonc. ed., p. 152).
⁵⁵ ibid.
⁵⁶ Because of the statement and there came out this calf


###### Tractate Soferim 9:10
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מהיכא הוא מתחיל [שמות לב] מאנא חטא העם הזה ברכת כהנים מעשה דוד ואמנון (לא) נקרין ולא מתרגמין:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
Where [does the translator] begin? At *Oh this people have sinned*.⁵⁷ 31-35. This disagrees with Meg. quoted above. The blessing of the priests⁵⁸ which in the Heb. could be misunderstood in its lit. meaning of ‘favouritism’. and the stories of David⁵⁹ and Amnon⁶⁰ XIII, 1-14 which records Amnon’s disgrace. are neither read nor translated.⁶¹ but GRA and others omit the negative before ‘read’

footnotes:
⁵⁷ ibid.
⁵⁸ Num. 6, 24-27 which includes the phrase lift up … countenance
⁵⁹ 2 Sam. 11, 2-17 which is discreditable to David.
⁶⁰ ibid.
⁶¹ So V and H in agreement with Meg. loc. cit.;


###### Tractate Soferim 9:11
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אין מפטירין במרכבה ר׳ [יהודה] מתיר ר"א אומר אין מפטירין (יחזקאל ט״ז:ב׳) בהודע את ירושלים ומעשה באחד שהפטיר בהודע את ירושלים א"ל ר"א ילך האיש ההוא ויודע בתועבותיה של אמו בדקו אחריו ונמצא ממזר:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The section dealing with the heavenly chariot⁶² must not be read as a *hafṭarah*. R. Judah permits it.⁶³ on the first day of Pentecost. This is in accordance with R. Judah’s view. R. Eleazar says: The section beginning *Cause Jerusalem to know*⁶⁴ must not be read as a *hafṭarah*.⁶⁵ It once happened that a person read the section beginning *Cause Jerusalem to know* [*hear bominations*] as a *hafṭarah* and R. Eleazar exclaimed, ‘Let that man go and investigate the abominations of his mother’.⁶⁶ Enquiries were made about him and he was found to be illegitimate.

footnotes:
⁶² Ezek. 1 and X which are too abstruse for the ordinary layman.
⁶³ The custom is for Ezek. 1 to be read as the hafṭarah
⁶⁴ Ezek. 15I
⁶⁵ Because of the denunciation of Jerusalem.
⁶⁶ In. Meg. 25b (Sonc. ed., p. 153) the reading is: R. Eleazar said to him, ‘While you are investigating the abominations of Jerusalem, go and investigate the abominations of your mother’.