Daf Yomi, Marriage Counseling, Psychotherapy, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Torah and Psychology
Our Gemara on Amud Beis notes that there are linguistic differences between Biblical Hebrew and Rabbinic Hebrew:
“When Isi bar Hini ascended from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael, Rabbi Yochanan found him teaching the mishnah to his son. Isi taught that the obligation of the first sheared wool applies only in the case of sheep [rechelim], the masculine plural form of rachel, meaning a sheep. Rabbi Yochanan said to Isi: You should teach him using the term rechelos, the feminine plural form. Isi said to him in reply: I teach the mishnah in accordance with that which is written: “Two hundred rechelim” (Bereishis 32:15). Rabbi Yochanan said to Isi: The language of the Torah is distinct and the language of the Sages is distinct—i.e., these are like two separate languages, and the Sages do not always use the same forms that appear in the Bible. In this case, they use rechelos rather than rechelim.”
The idea that Rabbinic Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew are different could just mean that language usage shifts over time, as the Ran in Nedarim (2a) says: language is merely based on agreement of terms. However, it also could have theological overtones. The Torah is divine and each word must have its own reason; there can be no synonyms, as the Malbim asserts in his introduction to his commentary, found at the beginning of Yeshaiyahu. And additionally, the Sages may deliberately choose to use a different word in order to emphasize an idea. For example, the Gemara (Kiddushin 2b) states that the Sages changed the word for marriage from “acquire a wife koneh” to “sanctify or dedicate a wife kiddushin.” I heard from Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l that the rabbis wanted to stress a sense of holiness in marriage and not have it compared to a mere transaction.
Gan Naul, in his introduction, makes an observation about the accuracy of Biblical Hebrew compared to Rabbinic Hebrew, which could sometimes be based on usage and vernacular. He notes that in the Torah the sun is described (uva hashemesh) as coming or going (Bereishis 28:11) but never as setting (shekiah). Shekiya is a rabbinic term. This is because “setting” is inaccurate. The sun never actually sets; it simply orbits. But relative to the person, it can be seen as coming or going. He further suggests that even though the Rambam and Ramban famously debated the reason why Hebrew is called lashon kodesh, the holy tongue (Moreh Nevuchim III:8 and Ramban Shemos 30:13), he offers a new reason. Kodesh also means to specify, and that is why it is used also to connote sanctification, but not exclusively. After all a prostitute is a kedeshah or kadesh because he or she is set aside for that particular activity—and of course not that they are holy. The actual word kadesh means set aside, see Rashi (Devarim 23:18.) Therefore Hebrew is lashon kodesh because it is specific in its meaning and has no synonyms.
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Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com