Tazria | אם לנקבה ואם למקרא: Limitations and Flexibility in Reading and Interpreting the Text of the Torah, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The opening passage in פרשת תזריע, the rule of the יולדת, includes an awkward word when detailing the duration of her impurity when giving birth to a girl: וטמאה שבעים כנדתה. The key word שבעים, is vocalized "Shevu'ayim" (i.e. "a pair of weeks") and that is, indeed, the Halakha. A curious passage in the Sifra seems to include a proposal that the word be read "Shiv'im" - (70) which would extend her period of impurity by 8 weeks. The defense is first presented as a structural consideration - and then is anchored in the phrase "יש אם למקרא" - which seems to mean "we interpret the word exclusively as it is vocalized" - yet a careful look at the text of the Midrash Halakha proves to be puzzling. In this shiur, we try to unravel the puzzle.

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