Q:
What’s the purpose of shnayim mikrah v’echod targum?
A:
What’s the purpose of shnayim mikrah v’echod targum?
Now the purpose of shnayim mikrah, you understand. When you hear something once, you read it once, it’s like an introduction but you don’t really get the benefit of it. If you read it a second time, very many times you discover that you didn’t even hear it the first time. That’s good advice always.
That’s why the whole system of the Tanach is repetition. A remarkable thing. האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. All of Tanach, in shirah, Mishlei, Tehillim, the first half usually is repeated by the second half. Of course there’s different words and there are different shades of meaning but more or less the idea is repeated.
Now the Metzudos when he comes to such a case, how can he add something new each time when the first half and the second half are saying the same thing, so the Metzudos says, כפל הענין במילים שונות – it’s repeated with different words. But that’s only for the moment an explanation.
Actually every superfluous word has an extra meaning, but the fact that the idea is repeated all throughout the Tanach, you have to know it’s for the purpose that it should sink in a second time. Once is not enough.
And any good author and any good speaker does that. You never say one statement and then go on to the next because your public will remain confused. It won’t sink in at all. You have to say one thing, then you have to repeat it. It’s best if you can repeat it with different words. So you say a statement, then repeat it with different words, it’ll sink in. Sometimes if you’re a seasoned speaker, you’ll say the same thing ten times but the people are not aware because you’re using different words each time but the idea will sink in more thoroughly.
And that’s why shnayim mikrah. You must say it twice. If you study Tanach, you’ll see how important a principle that is.
Why echad targum? In the days when targum was the spoken language like in the Bayis Sheini, they came from Bavel, they all spoke Aramaic, it was important. But the targum is not only a translation, Targum is also a peirush, he’s explaining. For us, it’s profitable to say targum too because when you see the targum, you get shades of meaning in the Chumash that you weren’t aware of by saying just Loshon Kodesh.
(February 1982)
