Rashi writes:
causing the belly to swell and the thigh to rupture [This refers to] the belly and thigh of the adulterer, or perhaps only those of the adulteress? [However,] when Scripture says “causes your thigh to rupture and your belly to swell” (verse 21), those of the adulteress are stated [thus here it must refer to the adulterer]. — [Sotah 28a and Sifrei Naso 1:65]This idea that it applies to the male adulterer is thus a traditional Jewish one; and it also makes us see the justice of the situation, for otherwise the suspected adulteress dies while her lover gets off without harm.
If we would not resort to this midrashic explanation of the miracle, one could imagine that he would not escape his due punishment; for her miraculous punishment would indicate her guilt, and if we don't understand the double Amen to apply to another man, then he has been shown to be guilty as well. Of course, this is not the way the halacha has been established; I am merely pointing out how this sense of justice could have been catered to in a different scenario.
The derivation of this midrash has to do with duplication (pasuk 21 and 22), as well as dikduk. Because there is a seeming eschewing of possessive pronouns, which would indicate gender. Thus, יְרֵכֵךְ and בִּטְנֵךְ in pasuk 21 for the woman, but לַצְבּוֹת בֶּטֶן וְלַנְפִּל יָרֵךְ with no possession in pasuk 22. And so the midrash is free to run with this and apply it to the man, the adulterer.
Baal Haturim likes to take traditions which have been derived using other mechanisms and further support them with gematrias. Thus, he writes:
The word הַמְאָרְרִים is equal to 2 X Ramach. This shows that it enters into all the limbs of both the woman (as one) and the man (as another). He further connects it to another fairly common textual feature, that in the word "hi" (meaning "she") there is a vav, as if it were "hu" (him). Thus it refers to him, the adulterer. One a peshat level, this is a relic of the development of the imot hakeriah, and does not bear any special import.
There is a difference between taking an existing derasha from Chazal and supporting it with a gematria (thus perhaps adding extra inspiration for those who like and believe in gematrias) on the one hand, and coming up with new derashot with little or no support from Chazal, on the other. Can gematria be the basis of a novel derasha? Such examples are few. But by way of illustration, here are all the places in Tanach words occur with the value 496 (which is 248 X 2):
| Text | Strong's | First Occ. |
| ויפת |  H3315 Yepheth / Japheth | Gen 7:13 |
| וישקף | H8259 shaqaph / look | Gen 19:28 |
| המאכלת | H3979 ma'akeleth / knife | Gen 22:6 |
| כתמול | H8543 temowl / times | Gen 31:2 |
| ומתן | H4976 mattan / gift | Gen 34:12 |
| יפות | H3303 yapheh / fair | Gen 41:2 |
| נמות | H4191 muwth / die | Gen 42:2 |
| צרור | H6872 tserowr / bundle | Gen 42:35 |
| בצפרדעים | H6854 tsephardea` / frog | Exo 8:2 |
| לגלגלת | H1538 gulgoleth / poll | Exo 16:16 |
| וכליתיך | H3615 kalah / consume | Exo 33:5 |
| וסלת | H5560 coleth / flour | Lev 7:12 |
| H8263 sheqets / abomination | Lev 11:11 | |
| מטמאתו | H2932 tum'ah / uncleanness | Lev 14:19 |
| מכלות | H3615 kalah / consume | Lev 26:16 |
| לשמעון | H8095 Shim`own / Simeon | Num 1:6 |
| המאררים | H0779 'arar / curse | Num 5:18 |
| ומררים | H4844 meror / bitter | Num 9:11 |
| מתנו | H4191 muwth / die | Num 14:2 |
| תמנו | H8552 tamam / consume | Num 17:13 |
| מלכתו | H4438 malkuwth / kingdom | Num 24:7 |
| בנחלתו | H5159 nachalah / inheritance | Num 36:9 |
| ועדתיו | H5713 `edah / testimonies | Deu 6:17 |
| וכסית | H3680 kacah / cover | Deu 23:13 |
| תלינו | H3885 luwn / lodge | Jos 4:3 |
| פיות | H6366 peyah / edge | Jdg 3:16 |
| התיכונה | H8484 tiykown / middle | Jdg 7:19 |
| וכעת | H6256 `eth / time | Jdg 13:23 |
| מנות | H4490 manah / portion | 1Sa 1:4 |
| כלותם | H3615 kalah / consume | 1Sa 15:18 |
| תמלוך | H4427 malak / reign | 1Sa 24:20 |
| ומלכת | H4427 malak / reign | 2Sa 3:21 |
| ככלותך | H3615 kalah / consume | 2Sa 11:19 |
| תסוכי | H5480 cuwk / anoint...8, | 2Sa 14:2 |
| והתיכנה | H8484 tiykown / middle | 1Ki 6:6 |
| מתאנה | H0579 'anah / deliver | 2Ki 5:7 |
| עדותיו | H5715 `eduwth / testimony | 2Ki 17:15 |
| ויתכס | H3680 kacah / cover | 2Ki 19:1 |
| מלכות | H4438 malkuwth / kingdom | 1Ch 12:23 |
| ונפשכם | H5315 nephesh / soul | 1Ch 22:19 |
| מתנדב | H5068 nadab / offered | 1Ch 29:5 |
| ומנת | H4521 menath / portion | 2Ch 31:3 |
| ותנם | H5414 nathan / give | Neh 4:4 |
| לויתן | H3882 livyathan / leviathan | Job 3:8 |
| ולכתם | H3800 kethem / fine | Job 31:24 |
| סביבותיו | H5439 cabiyb / round | Psa 18:11 |
| מוקשים | H4170 mowqesh / snare | Psa 64:5 |
| האכלתם | H0398 'akal / eat | Psa 80:5 |
| כסיתו | H3680 kacah / cover | Psa 104:6 |
| ופתי | H6612 pethiy / simple | Pro 19:25 |
| וטמאתם | H2930 tame' / unclean | Isa 30:22 |
| תכלמו | H3637 kalam / ashamed | Isa 45:17 |
| יתכסו | H3680 kacah / cover | Isa 59:6 |
| וחטאותינו | H2403 chatta'ah / sin | Isa 59:12 |
| תאמנה | H0539 'aman / believe | Isa 60:4 |
| ממותי | H4463 mamowth / death | Jer 16:4 |
| וימתם | H4191 muwth / die | Jer 52:27 |
| והכינתה | H3559 kuwn / prepare | Eze 4:3 |
| והודעתה | H3045 yada` / know | Eze 22:2 |
| המאתים | H3967 me'ah / hundred | Eze 45:15 |
| מאחזתם | H0272 'achuzzah / possession(s) | Eze 46:18 |
| אתיעטו | H3272 ye`at (Aramaic) / counsellor | Dan 6:7 |
| שקוץ | H8251 shiqquwts / abomination | Dan 12:11 |
| כמלקוש | H4456 malqowsh / latter | Hos 6:3 |
| כלמות | H3639 kelimmah / shame | Mic 2:6 |
Thus, the general Baal Haturim-type gematria is not the same as looking at a pasuk, or looking at the world, and saying that X must be so because the gematrias add up. For example, the Barack Hussein Obama is the same gematria as Yishmaelim, so Obama is a closet Muslim. I do not believe that Baal Haturim would subscribe to such nonsense, as much as we occasionally disagree of the validity of his own methodology.
No comments:
Post a Comment