Strange Spices Pt. 3 - Cinnamon 250

Update!

Exodus Chapter 30 שְׁמוֹת

23 'Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.

Moses commands a simple mathematical formula, of 500 shekels of Myrrh, and half that amount – 250 shekels of Cinnamon, and sweet calamus also 250 shekels.

The rabbis pervert this verse, to suggest that the 250 shekels of cinnamon is not half of the value of the Myrrh, which is this the only logical and linguistic possibility, but half of itself! (i.e. they claim that there are actually 500 shekels of cinnamon, but half of this figure is 250). This is in Rashi, Rashbam, and other commemorators who all refer to the Mishnah of Kritut.

 

To my surprise, I have  discovered that a major rabbinical source supports my reading of the Torah, namely that the measure is 250 shekels of cinnamon!  That source is the Talmud Yerushalmi, and the commentator Rabbi Malbim  cites the yerushalmi in his comments on this verse. Here is a snippet:

מחציתו, פי' חז"ל (כריתות ה') שיקח חמש מאות ויחלקם לשני משקלים [כדי שיהיה להם שתי הכרעות] שכל משקל הוא חמשים ומאתים, ובירושלמי (פ"ו דשקלים ופ"ח דסוטה) פי' שלא לקח רק חמשים ומאתים, ולפ"ז פירוש מחציתו מחצית של מר דרור, ודעת מניח הטעמים מורה כדברי הירושלמי, אולם כבר בארתי בהתוה"מ (צו סי' ל"ח) שיש הבדל בין מחצית ובין חצי, שמחצית מציין רק אם חוצהו ע"י בני אדם עתה לשני חלקים, ואם כדברי הירושלמי היל"ל חציו, וגם שכלל מ"ש מחציתו הוא למותר, וקנה בשם, פי' הרמב"ן שהוא קלופה שבסימני הקטרת, חמשים ומאתים סך משקל כולו:

Malbim understands the Yerushalmi, which was composed in Israel, and had a closer connection to the Temple as learning the pasuk in its plain meaning.  the Yerushalmi is in fact a much more rational approach to torah than the Babylonian Talmud, as I have always found it more enlightening and honest.

Deuteronomy Chapter 4

1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you.

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy Chapter 5

28 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Deuteronomy Chapter 13

1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Josh 23;6 Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

In other words, we are told by the Prophets, Moses and Joshua, who after all, would be best informed about what went on at Sinai, not to depart from what is written in the Torah!

However, the addition of subtraction of words to a sentence to give it meaning is simply word games, which is a way of covering up lies.

As a researcher, I am pleased to learn that a major Rabbinical work - the Talmud Yerushalmi - rejects the misleading interpreation of the Mishna tractate Kritut.