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15 Removal of ink from animal skins through abrasion with a sharp instrument, found extensively in the Dead Sea Scrolls, may have also been one of the functions of the scribe’s razor mentioned in Jer 36:23 (see § 5.11.1, below). This was a method suited for papyrus, not animal skins or medieval paper. Egyptian scribes as early as the Old Kingdom included a sponge in their standard set of equipment for washing off ink. Scribes in the ancient world employed a variety of methods to erase texts written in ink. However, as Siegel himself pointed out, there is one instance where the Tetragrammaton was physically erased through abrasion in 1QIsa a (see § 5.11.1, below).Ģ Methods of Erasure in the Ancient World According to Siegel, this special treatment reflects an early adoption of the prohibition against erasing the divine name. In contrast, the two errors involving the Tetragrammaton were marked with dots to indicate that they were superfluous (see § 5.1.2, below).
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14 He observed that thirty errors in 11QPs a were physically erased using abrasion, that is, scratching the ink off the writing surface with a sharp instrument. Jonathan P. Siegel argued that the Tetragrammaton and other divine appellations (e.g., אדוני, אלוהינו, צבאות) were written in Paleo-Hebrew script in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, specifically to ensure that they would not be erased. This even applies to a biblical context where the divine name was supposed to have been written, but the scribe formed the requisite intent to write “Judah.” 12 On the other hand, writing those same letters in the wrong place with the intention of recording the Tetragrammaton, resulted in a sacred word that it was forbidden to physically erase in whole or in part. Even though the first three letters of “Judah” are identical to the beginning of the Tetragrammaton, the scribe had to have the specific intent to record the divine name for these letters to be considered sacred. Writing the Tetragrammaton was thus understood as a sacred act. Rabbi Judah says, “He traces over it with the pen and sanctifies it …” 11 ⟨The scribe who⟩ was supposed to write the ⟨divine⟩ name, ⟨mistakenly⟩ wrote “Judah” with intention, but had not yet placed the dalet he erases it and writes the ⟨divine⟩ name.
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9 This prohibition does not extend to ink that drips on the letters of the Tetragrammaton, “for ⟨the scribe⟩ never had any intention ⟨concerning the dripped ink⟩ other than to correct.” 10 Intention is a key part of the prohibition, as can be gleaned from the minor tractate Soferim (ca. mid-eighth century), which incorporates large sections from the earlier Sefer Torah: third century), the prohibition against erasing single letters of the Tetragrammaton goes into effect only once the first two letters have been written. 8Īccording to the minor tractate Sefer Torah (ca. 7 Rabbi Ishmael’s midrashic interpretation extends the prohibition against cursing God by erasing his name into the realm of correcting scribal errors. 6 Rabbi Ishmael uses the verb מח״ק, which can mean both to wash off and to scrape off ( abrade), the latter also referred to more specifically by the verb גר״ר or גר״ד (see § 5.11, below). 4 To be sure, metaphorically erasing a name had the sense of a curse in biblical times, as we see in the Psalms: “in the generation following, let their name be blotted out.” 5 The biblical curse uses the root מח״ה, which literally means to “wash off” (or “wipe off”) the ink with liquid, possibly using a sponge (see § 5.12, below). Rabbi Ishmael (early second century) seems to be seeking a biblical justification for a preexisting cultural taboo against erasing the divine name. Rabbi Ishmael says, “From where ⟨do we know⟩ that he who erases a single letter of the name violates a prohibition? As it says, ‘And you shall destroy their name … you shall not do so to the Lord your God’ ” (Deut 12:3–4). Sifre Deut reimagines this warning as a proscription against erasing even a single letter of God’s name: Verse 4 then warns the Israelites not to worship God in the same manner as the Canaanites did. 1 Halakic Prohibition against Erasing the Tetragrammatonĭeuteronomy 12:3 contains an injunction to destroy places of worship dedicated to the names of Canaanite deities.