פרוֹכת PAROKET and כפוֹרת KAPORET Lev. 16:2

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Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

פרוֹכת PAROKET and כפוֹרת KAPORET Lev. 16:2

Post by Isaac Fried »

we read there
דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאַל יָבֹא בְכָל עֵת אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ מִבֵּית לַפָּרֹכֶת אֶל פְּנֵי הַכַּפֹּרֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאָרֹן
NIV: "The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark"
פָּרֹכֶת = פר-הוּא-כ-את is from the root פרך, a bona fide member of the root family:
ברג, ברח, ברך, ברק
פרג, פרח, פרך, פרק
typified by פרק PRQ, 'take apart, dismantle, disassemble, fold', as hinted by the existence in the root of the constituent uni-litiral root R. So, פָּרֹכֶת is a kind of פָּרֹקֶת or בָּרֹכֶת, namely a pliable, foldable (like a בֶּרֶךְ, 'knee') and removable, loosely hanging curtain.
In spoken Hebrew פָּרִיךְ = פר-היא-ך PARIYK is 'brittle', and בּוֹרֶג = ב-הוּא-רג BOREG, is 'screw, removable connector'.

כַּפֹּרֶת = כפ-הוּא-ר-את is from the root כפר, a bona fide member of the root family:
גבר, חבר, כבר, קבר
כור
גפר, חפר, כפר
typified by קבר QBR, 'bury, loosely cover', as hinted by the inclusion in the root of the constituent uni-litiral root R.
I am not fully convinced of the "atonement cover" of the English translation.
The כֹּפֶר KOPER of Gen. 6:14 is a coat of sticky pitch smeared to cover and seal a wall to render it water tight. The כְּפוֹר KPOR of Ex. 16:14 is hoarfrost covering the ground. The כְּפִיר KPIYR, 'young lion', is a huge, כביר KABIYR, animal.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: פרוֹכת PAROKET and כפוֹרת KAPORET Lev. 16:2

Post by Isaac Fried »

This historical account in Mishnah Shekalim 8:5 of the large separating פָּרֹכֶת PAROKET in the second temple should be of interest:

רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן הַסְּגַן, פָּרֹכֶת עָבְיָהּ טֶפַח, וְעַל שִׁבְעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם נִימִין נֶאֱרֶגֶת, וְעַל כָּל נִימָא וְנִימָא עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה חוּטִין. אָרְכָּהּ אַרְבָּעִים אַמָּה וְרָחְבָּהּ עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, וּמִשְּׁמוֹנִים וּשְׁתֵּי רִבּוֹא נַעֲשֵׂית. וּשְׁתַּיִם עוֹשִׂין בְּכָל שָׁנָה, וּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת כֹּהֲנִים מַטְבִּילִין אוֹתָהּ:

"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Shimon the son of the deputy High Priest: The curtain was one handbreadth thick and was woven onto seventy-two threads,
each thread was braided from twenty-four threads [consisting of six threads of blue wool, six of purple wool, six of crimson wool and six threads of linen]. Its length was forty cubits and its width was twenty cubits [corresponding to the dimesions of the entrance hall] and was made out of eighty-two times ten thousand [individual threads]. They would make two [new]
curtains every year [which required immersion to sanctify its use for the Temple] and three hundred priests would immerse it."

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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