Talking the Talk: Masoratic Notes
In this series we honor the contributions made on the Zooniverse Talk boards for our project, Scribes of the Cairo Geniza. Talk is a way for citizen scientists on Zooniverse to converse with one another and experts on the different material they are working on, ask questions, and explore new insights. Each week we will feature a talk conversation that we love. Thanks for the participation #genizascribes!
@stefriegel: small #diagram in #margin
@citsci-rancho: @veredrk is this “diagram” an example of a #masoranote?
@stefriegel: Ah, good to know we have a name for it.
Researcher: I’m not sure what does it signal, since this is not a masoratic text in in basic form — It includes #judeo-arabic#translation of Jeremiah 23, along with the Hebrew opening words of every verse.A Masoratic note should include some information concerning the text — usually a different version of spelling or pronouncing — and here, It doesn’t seems so.
#biblical
@citsci-rancho: Many thanks for information about this text, @veredrk . I thought this #margin #drawing looked something like the one which you explained on subject 30742199 but from what you say, this drawing is not a Masoratic note. It doesn’t look like a casual #doodle though. I wonder why it’s there?
@ev111: Let me explain what i understood from this comment :
This is absolutely a #massorah_note , but , the text is wrong !
A Messorah note is something you write next to the parts of the bible that are read outloud , in public , on Shabbat and holidays, but , these verses are not part of this “public” text . I found out what it means , i’ll write a separate comment about it .
@ev111: background : The bible is divided into 3 parts :
Torah (pentateuch) , Nevi’im (prophets) , Ktuvim (Writings) .
Every Shabbat / holiday , a part of the Torah , called Pa-ra-sha ,
is read aloud in public , so , over a year , the whole Torah is read ,
and then , the cycle starts again. This is now days , but , the Cairo Genizah show evidences that a similar cycles existed for the Nevi’im and Ktuvim .
According to professor Yosef Ofer (Bible Department , Bar Ilan University , Israel), this symbol on our scribe is probably one of these evidences ,
telling us this is the point where one part of reading ends. This tradition of reading Nevi’im and Ktuvim in cycles, just like the Torah , is practiced no more .
You can read the whole conversation here. The last comment here references the work of Professor Yosef Ofer, Bible Department at Bar Ilan University, and Member of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, regarding the Masora. You can read his publications in English or Hebrew on his site.
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