A scribe must provide a distinguishing mark¹. for the section² beginning And it came to pass when the ark set forward,³ 35f. both at its beginning and at its end, because it is a book on its own. Others maintain that its proper place is in the section of the setting forward of the standards.⁴

footnotes: ¹ The traditional mark is an inverted nun ² So GRA. V reads ‘a prescribed space at the opening’. ³ Num. 10, 35. The section consists of the two verses, ibid. ⁴ Num. 2.

⁵ X, 35f, is followed by the beginning of And the people were as murmurers (ibid. XI, 1); and partly incorrect since no mark is inserted at the end of the latter section. The entire Rule is to be deleted according to GRA. The scribe must leave a prescribed space at the opening of the section which begins *And the people were as murmurers;*⁶ XI, 1. [and not only] at its beginning [but also] at its end, because it is a book on its own. Others hold that its proper place is in the section of the setting forward of the standards.

footnotes: ⁵ This Rule is partly a repetition of the preceding, since the end of the section, ibid. ⁶ ibid.

Ten [letters or groups of letters] in the Torah are marked by dots:⁷ In the Lord judge between me and thee⁸ there is a dot on the beth⁹’. of ubeneka (and between thee). In and they said unto him,¹⁰ XVIII, 9. there are dots on alef-yod-waw of ’elaw (unto him). In and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose,¹¹ XIX, 33. the [second] waw in ubekumah (nor when she arose) is marked with a dot. In and kissed him,¹² XXXIII, 4. the entire word wayyishshaḳehu is marked by dots. In and his brethren went to feed their father’s flock,¹³ XXXVII, 12. the letters of ’eth (the mark of the defined accusative) are dotted. In whom Moses and Aaron numbered¹⁴ the word Aaron is marked with dots. In or be in a journey afar off,¹⁵ IX, 10. the he in reḥoḳah (afar off) has a dot. In and we have laid waste even unto Nopha, which¹⁶ XXI, 30. the resh in ’asher (which) has a dot. In and a several tenth part,¹⁷ XXIX, 15. in the section dealing with the first day of the festival of Tabernacles, the second waw in we’issaron (and a tenth part) has a dot. In the secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever,¹⁸ in עד’. Cf. Sanh. 43b (Sonc. ed., p. 285, n. 4) and ARN above, p. 166.] the ‘ayin in ‘ad (for) has a dot.

footnotes: ⁷ The dots are placed above the letters. Cf. above, ARN XXXIV, p. 165 where the Rabbinical explanations are given. ⁸ Gen. 16, 5. ⁹ So GRA. V and H ‘the yod ¹⁰ ibid. ¹¹ ibid. ¹² ibid. ¹³ ibid. ¹⁴ Num. 3, 39. ¹⁵ ibid. ¹⁶ ibid. ¹⁷ ibid. ¹⁸ Deut. 29, 28. [H more correctly, ‘unto us and to our children and the ‘ayin

R. Simeon b. Laḳish said: Three scrolls of the Torah were found in the Temple court:¹⁹ the Ma‘on²⁰ scroll, the Za’aṭuṭë scroll, and the Hu’ scroll. In one of these they found the expression of ma‘on,²¹ and in the other two it was written, The eternal God is me‘onah²² (a dwelling place), so they adopted the reading of the two scrolls and discarded that of the one scroll. In another of the scrolls they found it written, And he sent the za‘aṭuṭë (nobles) of the children of Israel,²³ and in the other two they found written And he sent na‘arë (the young men of) the children of Israel, so they retained the reading of the two and abandoned that of the one. In one of the scrolls hu’²⁴, third person fem. sing. pronoun. was written eleven times, but in the other two hi’²⁵ was written eleven times, so they adopted the reading of the two and discarded that of the one.

footnotes: ¹⁹ Presumably when the text of Scripture was about to be fixed. ²⁰ So GRA. V has מענה. This and the following two names were derived from the peculiar word which distinguished each scroll. ²¹ Meaning ‘dwelling place’, the noun being in the masculine form. ²² Deut. 33, 27, the same noun in the feminine. ²³ Ex. 24, 5. ²⁴ The third person sing. masc. which is used in the Pentateuch for hi’ ²⁵ The correct feminine form, being exceptions to the usual written form. A list of these is given in ARN XXXIV, above p. 167.

Three expressions of lo’ are written lamed-alef²⁶ but read as lamed-waw.²⁷ They are: *’asher lo’*²⁸ *jointed legs above their feet;*²⁹ *’asher lo’ ḥomah;*³⁰ XXV, 30, lamed-alef, meaning ‘which has no wall’ but read as lamed-waw ‘which has a wall’. E.V. in a walled city. and ’asher lo’ ye‘adah.³¹ means ‘who hath not espoused her’, but the reading with lamed-waw means, as E.V., who hath espoused her to himself.

footnotes: ²⁶ Meaning ‘not’. ²⁷ Which means ‘to him, has’. ²⁸ לא, lit. ‘which not’ but read לו ‘which has’. ²⁹ Lev. 11, 21. ³⁰ ibid. ³¹ Ex. 21, 8. The written form with lamed-alef

The following [occurrences of lamed-alef (not)] which have to be read as lamed-waw (to, by, has) are found in the Prophets and Hagiographa: *multiply;*³² according to the ḳerë, but the kethib reads ‘and actions are not weighed’. *Hushai;*³³ is his will I be and the kethib ‘I will not be’. *said;*³⁴ is say unto him, thou shalt surely recover, and the kethib ‘say, thou shalt not surely recover’. *thou hast multiplied;*³⁵ is Thou hast increased their joy, and the kethib ‘Thou hast not increased joy’. *their affliction;*³⁶ is In all their affliction He was afflicted (lit. there was affliction to Him) and the kethib ‘in all their affliction He was not an adversary’. *He slay me;*³⁷ is yet will I trust Him, the kethib ‘I have nothing to hope for’. *I keep silence;*³⁸ is would I keep silence (to him), the kethib ‘I would not keep silence’. as the (wandering) *sparrow;*³⁹ is shall come home (to him), the kethib ‘shall not come home’. *his friends;*⁴⁰ is they turn against him, the kethib ‘they do not turn’. *Zerubbabel;*⁴¹ is we do sacrifice unto Him, the kethib ‘we do not sacrifice’. *were fashioned;*⁴² is ‘and for it there was one among them’, the kethib when as yet there was none of them. In this instance E.V. follows the kethib. *know ye;*⁴³ is we are His, the kethib ‘and not we (have made) ourselves’. be gathered;⁴⁴ is be gathered unto Him, the kethib ‘be not gathered’. name,⁴⁵ is and had a name among the three, the kethib ‘and not a name among the three’. [this last also] in the corresponding passage.⁴⁶ is both written and read. [More probably ודבר in V is a misreading of daleth signifying ‘four’ which should be attached to the beginning of the next Rule.] [38a]

footnotes: ³² The introductory word of 1 Sam. 2, 3 in which occurs the phrase and by Him are actions weighed ³³ i.e. 2 Sam. 16, 18, where the ḳerë ³⁴ i.e. 2 Kings 8, 10. Here the ḳerë ³⁵ i.e. Isa. 9, 2.The ḳerë ³⁶ i.e. Isa. 63, 9. The ḳerë ³⁷ i.e. Job 13, 15. The ḳerë ³⁸ i.e. Job 41, 4. The ḳerë ³⁹ i.e. Prov. 26, 2. The ḳerë ⁴⁰ i.e. Prov. 19, 7. The ḳerë ⁴¹ i.e. Ezra 4, 2, The ḳerë ⁴² i.e. Ps. 139, 16. The ḳerë ⁴³ i.e. Ps. 100, 3. The ḳerë ⁴⁴ i.e. Isa. 49, 5. The ḳerë ⁴⁵ i.e. 1 Chron. 11, 20. The ḳerë ⁴⁶ viz. in 2 Sam. 23, 18. This reading is suggested by N.Y. to replace that of V ‘and his word’ which is meaningless. In this verse, however, lamed-waw

⁴⁷ Four [occurrences of the name] Jeuel are to be read Jeiel; viz. and in Gibeon,⁴⁸ the Ashterathite,⁴⁹ XI, 44. the scribe,⁵⁰ [and of the sons of] Elizaphon.⁵¹ XXIX, 13.

footnotes: ⁴⁷ [V is unintelligible and the reading of H has been adopted.] ⁴⁸ i.e. in 1 Chron. 9, 35. ⁴⁹ ibid. ⁵⁰ 2 Chron. 26, 11. ⁵¹ ibid.

The following words are to be read but are not written [in the text]: *the children of;*⁵² *Euphrates;*⁵³ *man;*⁵⁴ *as;*⁵⁵ XVIII, 20. V incorrectly בן for כן. *his sons;*⁵⁶ *of hosts;*⁵⁷ 31. *come;*⁵⁸ *thereof;*⁵⁹ for lah. *unto me;*⁶⁰ to me.⁶¹ 17.

footnotes: ⁵² In Judg. 20, 13. ⁵³ In 2 Sam. 8, 3. ⁵⁴ In 2 Sam. 16, 23. ⁵⁵ ibid. ⁵⁶ 2 Kings 19, 37. ⁵⁷ ibid. ⁵⁸ In Jer. 31, 38 (some edd. 37). ⁵⁹ In Jer. 50, 29. V incorrectly lo’ ⁶⁰ In Ruth 3, 5. ⁶¹ ibid.

[With the following] it is the reverse;⁶² they are written [in the text] but are not to be read: *Amnon;*⁶³ is written but not to be read. *as he shall say;*⁶⁴ is written but not read. V incorrectly indicates the verse with ba’asher for ka’asher. in (what) *place;*⁶⁵ *kinsman;*⁶⁶ is written but not read. *let … bend;*⁶⁷ five.⁶⁸ the number five is written twice but read only once. [H adds two further instances: נא in 2 Kings 5, 18 and ’eth in Jer. 38, 16.]

footnotes: ⁶² Of those mentioned in the preceding Rule. The former are to be read but are not written; the latter are written but are not to be read. ⁶³ In 2 Sam. 13, 33 the word ’im ⁶⁴ In Jer. 39, 12 where similarly, ’im ⁶⁵ In 2 Sam. 15, 21 the word אם is written but not read. ⁶⁶ In Ruth 3, 12, the word ’im ⁶⁷ In Jer. 51, 3 the verb is repeated in the text. ⁶⁸ In Ezek. 48, 16 the south side … five hundred