Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Shemot 4/0"
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<li><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab/Shemot/4/1/4/31">Tanakh Lab</a> demonstrates that the word that appears with greatest frequency in this chapter is “יד” (hand).<fn>It appears 12 times.</fn> Two other words, related in usage, also appear frequently: “דבר” (speak) and “פה” (mouth).<fn>They appear eight and seven times respectively.</fn>  This may indicate a tension in the chapter between Moshe’s focus on speech as the instrument of redemption (leading to his concern about his lack of eloquence), and Hashem’s plan for redemption, which foregrounds powerful action and the performance of miracles.</li> | <li><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab/Shemot/4/1/4/31">Tanakh Lab</a> demonstrates that the word that appears with greatest frequency in this chapter is “יד” (hand).<fn>It appears 12 times.</fn> Two other words, related in usage, also appear frequently: “דבר” (speak) and “פה” (mouth).<fn>They appear eight and seven times respectively.</fn>  This may indicate a tension in the chapter between Moshe’s focus on speech as the instrument of redemption (leading to his concern about his lack of eloquence), and Hashem’s plan for redemption, which foregrounds powerful action and the performance of miracles.</li> | ||
<li><b>Secondary Literature</b> – See <a href="https://www.etzion.org.il/en/tanakh/torah/sefer-shemot/parashat-vaera/liberating-spirit-israelites">Liberating the Spirit of the Israelites</a>, by Ezra Bick, for exploration of Moshe’s understanding of speech as the means of raising the people’s spirits in contrast to the process by which liberation actually takes place.</li> | <li><b>Secondary Literature</b> – See <a href="https://www.etzion.org.il/en/tanakh/torah/sefer-shemot/parashat-vaera/liberating-spirit-israelites">Liberating the Spirit of the Israelites</a>, by Ezra Bick, for exploration of Moshe’s understanding of speech as the means of raising the people’s spirits in contrast to the process by which liberation actually takes place.</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | </subcategory> | ||
| + | <subcategory>"כבד" | ||
| + | The root "" appears only twice in the chapter, but might be a key word throughout the narrative of the Exodus,<br/> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Concordance – Using the concordance to trace the usage of the word "כבד" in Torah, reveal how it marks turning points in the story. The first five instances of the word relate to the oppressive famine that initially sent the Israelites to Egypt. The word is then used to describe the shared Israelite and Egyptian mourning for Yaakov, representing the point at which the Israelites were welcomed into Egyptian society.  In the narrative of the Exodos in Shemot, the word is used in four contexts: to describe Moshe’s lack of eloquence, the punitive nature of the plagues, the obduracy of Pharaoh, and the wealth with which the Israelites left Egypt.  </li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
Version as of 11:39, 9 August 2023
Literary Devices – Shemot 4
Structure
Parallels and Contrasts
Key Words
דבר (speak) / פה (mouth) vs. יד (hand)
- Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the word that appears with greatest frequency in this chapter is “יד” (hand).1 Two other words, related in usage, also appear frequently: “דבר” (speak) and “פה” (mouth).2 This may indicate a tension in the chapter between Moshe’s focus on speech as the instrument of redemption (leading to his concern about his lack of eloquence), and Hashem’s plan for redemption, which foregrounds powerful action and the performance of miracles.
- Secondary Literature – See Liberating the Spirit of the Israelites, by Ezra Bick, for exploration of Moshe’s understanding of speech as the means of raising the people’s spirits in contrast to the process by which liberation actually takes place.
"כבד" The root "" appears only twice in the chapter, but might be a key word throughout the narrative of the Exodus,
- Concordance – Using the concordance to trace the usage of the word "כבד" in Torah, reveal how it marks turning points in the story. The first five instances of the word relate to the oppressive famine that initially sent the Israelites to Egypt. The word is then used to describe the shared Israelite and Egyptian mourning for Yaakov, representing the point at which the Israelites were welcomed into Egyptian society. In the narrative of the Exodos in Shemot, the word is used in four contexts: to describe Moshe’s lack of eloquence, the punitive nature of the plagues, the obduracy of Pharaoh, and the wealth with which the Israelites left Egypt.
