Samaritan Torah, פַּרְשַׁת כִּי תֵצֵא

[lethargic_man]

Deuteronomy 22:5	דברים כב ה
Men's clothing shall not be found on a woman; neither shall a man wear women's clothes: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord your God.	לֹא־יִהְיֶה כְלִי־גֶבֶר עַל־אִשָּׁה וְלֹא־יִלְבַּשׁ גֶּבֶר שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה כִּי תוֹעֲבַת ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ כָּל־עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה׃

In place of תוֹעֲבַת "abomination", the Samaritan text reads הועבת. Whilst this is obviously from the same root, I do not know what the difference signifies. Deut. 23:5:

Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when you came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

עַל־דְּבַר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־קִדְּמוּ אֶתְכֶם בַּלֶּחֶם וּבַמַּיִם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם וַאֲשֶׁר שָׂכַר עָלֶיךָ אֶת־בִּלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר מִפְּתוֹר אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם לְקַלְלֶךָּ׃

For reasons I cannot fathom (as it does not match with the text in Numbers), the Samaritan text here reads not מִפְּתוֹר "from Pethor", but פְּתוֹרָה "to Pethor".

Deuteronomy 23:17	דברים כג יז-כג יז
There shall be no cult prostitute from among the daughters of Israel, nor a male cult prostitute of the sons of Israel.	לֹא־תִהְיֶה קְדֵשָׁה מִבְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה קָדֵשׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

In place of תִהְיֶה/יִהְיֶה "there shall be", the Samaritan texts read תחיה/יחיה, which could read תִחְיֶה/יִחְיֶה "A cult prostitute shall not live amongst...", or, in language evocative of the prohibition on witches in Ex. 22:17, תְחַיֶּה/יְחַיֶּה "You shall not suffer a culture prostitute to live amongst..." (Obviously, Samaritan tradition will record which reading they go for, but I am not privy to that information, as the Samaritan text I have lacks vowels (since the Samaritans do not use vowel marks of the same meaning as the Jews', the could not be substituted into the text the same way the Samaritan letter forms are replaced by the Assyrian-derived letter forms the Jews use).)

Deuteronomy 24:8	דברים כד ח-כד ח
Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so you shall observe to do.	הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע־הַצָּרַעַת לִשְׁמֹר מְאֹד וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יוֹרוּ אֶתְכֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִם תִּשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת׃

The Samaritan text here has התודה after כְּכֹל "all". I think this here means "the thanksgiving offering", which is odd, because the relevant passage in Numbers 14 talks about a guilt offering, and a sin offering, and a burnt offering, but not a thanksgiving offering.

Deuteronomy 25:11	דברים כה יא-כה יא
When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draws near to deliver her husband out of the hand of the man beating him, and puts forth her hand, and takes him by the private parts; you shall cut off her [concavity], your eye shall not pity her.	כִּי־יִנָּצוּ אֲנָשִׁים יַחְדָּו אִישׁ וְאָחִיו וְקָרְבָה אֵשֶׁת הָאֶחָד לְהַצִּיל אֶת־אִישָׁהּ מִיַּד מַכֵּהוּ וְשָׁלְחָה יָדָהּ וְהֶחֱזִיקָה בִּמְבֻשָׁיו׃ וְקַצֹּתָה אֶת־כַּפָּהּ לֹא תָחוֹס עֵינֶךָ׃

The word I've rendered here, literally, as "concavity" is normally rendered "hand"; however an article I found in an academic journal that I found in my flat when I first moved in (!) argues that a correct translation would actually be "you shall shave her pubic hair". Anyhow, if that makes you squirm a bit, the Samaritan text is also prudish: instead of "private parts", it substitutes בִּבְשׂרָוֹ "his flesh".

Samaritan Torah notes         Jewish learning notes index

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

a correct translation would actually be "you shall shave her pubic hair".
gives a new meaning to the end of the pasuq: "לֹא תָחוֹס עֵינֶךָ".

However, while cutting off her had or "cavity" seems overmuch for a accidental touching, shaving the pubic area seems a little pointless.