Page 184 - GQ 12

SUMMARIES 47*

ancient Jewish sects who had claimed that the first of Nissan-the Hebrew
Bible’s New Year – falls always on Wednesday – the day the luminaries
were created (Gen. 1: 14-19). Like Our Sages, those Karaites claimed that
the steady cult in the tabernacle had begun only after the seven days of
consecration which according to them, had fallen on the 8th of Nissan.
Therefore they were in agreement with Our Sages that the setting of the
shewbread could not have taken place on the first of Nissan.
The article presents the proofs that were advanced to establish each of the
notions mentioned above.

On the character of Saadia Gaon’s
Pentateuch translation

Joshua Blau

Prof. (Emeritus), The Department of Arabic Language and Literature,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Saadia Gaon’s Pentateuch Translation is one of the classical works of
Judaeo-Arabic culture. It is the most personal translation known to me,
deviating again and again fron its Vorlage. In my paper I am dealing with
such deviations:

1. Deviations resulting from exegetical motives.
2. Deviations due to syntactic differences between Hebrew and Arabic.
3. Deviations in order to achieve exactness.
4. Deviations for the sake of uniformity.
Only a man who mastered all treasures of Jewish culture and whose
greatness was universally recognized cou‫ך‬d dare to impose his personal
perception in every detail, leaving out components of verses or adding to
them, and dealing with every detail in the text according to his Halakhic,
philosophical and stylistic insights.