More on boiling the Passover offering

The learned members of my commenting community are attempting to deny the obvious contradictions between the Passover laws in Exodus and those in Deuteronomy. In time, perhaps we'll deal with all of their arguments and successfully demonstrate that what they have actually done is interpret the verses in such a way that the contradictions disappear. For now, I'd like to shoot one particular fish in a barrel, and demonstrated that a real contradiction exists between the required cooking methods.

Here is the commandment in Exodus:
אַל-תֹּאכְלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נָא, וּבָשֵׁל מְבֻשָּׁל בַּמָּיִם
Don't eat it raw and don't cook it in water

And in Deuteronomy
וּבִשַּׁלְתָּ, וְאָכַלְתָּ, בַּמָּקוֹם
You shall cook it and eat it in the place.

Those who claim there is no contradiction here, despite the duplication of the root BShl, argue that this is a general term for cooking. According to them, God used the word BShl in Exodus to tell us what not to do, and then, without irony or any desire to confuse us, used the same exact word in Deuteronomy to tell us what we should do.

After the jump, I demonstrate that BShl always means boil. Also, I make the case that boiling was a usual method for cooking sacrifices. See more after the jump


Exodus 16:23
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם, הוּא אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה--שַׁבָּתוֹן שַׁבַּת-קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה, מָחָר: אֵת אֲשֶׁר-תֹּאפוּ אֵפוּ, וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר-תְּבַשְּׁלוּ בַּשֵּׁלוּ, וְאֵת כָּל-הָעֹדֵף, הַנִּיחוּ לָכֶם לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת עַד-הַבֹּקֶר
And the Lord said tomorrow is Shabbos. Bake everything that you need to bake and BShl everything that you need to BSHl...

• BShl, in this context, is clearly wet cooking. Otherwise, what's distinction is there between BShl and baking (dry cooking)?

Exodus 23:19
לֹא-תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי, בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ
Don't boil a kid in its mothers milk

• BShl means wet cooking here, too, though milk, not water, is used

Leviticus 6:21
וּכְלִי-חֶרֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר תְּבֻשַּׁל-בּוֹ, יִשָּׁבֵר; וְאִם-בִּכְלִי נְחֹשֶׁת בֻּשָּׁלָה, וּמֹרַק וְשֻׁטַּף בַּמָּיִם.
And if [the Sin Offering] was BShl in a clay pot, you should break it; if it was BShl in a copper pot, scour it and rinse it in water

• What is prepared to eat in a clay or copper pot without water? 
• See Leviticus 7:9 [ וְכָל-מִנְחָה, אֲשֶׁר תֵּאָפֶה בַּתַּנּוּר] When a dry method of cooking is used, the verb is APhA

Number 6:19
לָקַח הַכֹּהֵן אֶת-הַזְּרֹעַ בְּשֵׁלָה, מִן-הָאַיִל, וְחַלַּת מַצָּה אַחַת מִן-הַסַּל, וּרְקִיק מַצָּה אֶחָד; וְנָתַן עַל-כַּפֵּי הַנָּזִיר, אַחַר הִתְגַּלְּחוֹ אֶת-נִזְרוֹ.

• Every translation takes בְּשֵׁלָה as wet cooking. You can see them here: http://bible.cc/numbers/6-19.htm

Numbers 11:8
שָׁטוּ הָעָם וְלָקְטוּ וְטָחֲנוּ בָרֵחַיִם, אוֹ דָכוּ בַּמְּדֹכָה, וּבִשְּׁלוּ בַּפָּרוּר, וְעָשׂוּ אֹתוֹ עֻגוֹת
They gathered [the mon] ground it or crushed it, BSHl it in  פָּרוּר  and made it into cakes

• The word פָּרוּר means kettle. If you BSHl the mon in a kettle, you wouldn't also make it into cake; rather the verse is saying some ground it up and made a kind of soup, while others crushed it and made it into cakes. (As if it needs to be said, any food cooked in a kettle is going to be wet)

Judges 6:19
וְגִדְעוֹן בָּא, וַיַּעַשׂ גְּדִי-עִזִּים וְאֵיפַת-קֶמַח מַצּוֹת, הַבָּשָׂר שָׂם בַּסַּל, וְהַמָּרַק שָׂם בַּפָּרוּר; וַיּוֹצֵא אֵלָיו אֶל-תַּחַת הָאֵלָה, וַיַּגַּשׁ.
And Gideon came and prepared the kids, and matza. He put the meat in a basket and the soup in a pot, and brought it out to the tree and presented it

• Though the word BShl doesn't appear, Gideon has obviously boiled his sacrifice. What other method would have produced soup?

1 Samuel 2:13 ff
וּמִשְׁפַּט הַכֹּהֲנִים, אֶת-הָעָם--כָּל-אִישׁ זֹבֵחַ זֶבַח, וּבָא נַעַר הַכֹּהֵן כְּבַשֵּׁל הַבָּשָׂר, וְהַמַּזְלֵג שְׁלֹשׁ הַשִּׁנַּיִם, בְּיָדוֹ
וְהִכָּה בַכִּיּוֹר אוֹ בַדּוּד, אוֹ בַקַּלַּחַת אוֹ בַפָּרוּר--כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה הַמַּזְלֵג, יִקַּח הַכֹּהֵן בּוֹ; כָּכָה יַעֲשׂוּ לְכָל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַבָּאִים שָׁם בְּשִׁלֹה
And this was the custom of the priest whenever the people offered sacrifices: The priest's servant would come while the meat was BShl, a three pronged fork in his hand. And he would thrust the fork in to the pot, cauldron, vat or kettle, and whatever the fork picked up the priest would take....

• Here the word BShl means boil (Why else is the meat in a cauldren or a kettle?) and we see the meat was boiled for sacrifice. 

2 King 4:38
וֶאֱלִישָׁע שָׁב הַגִּלְגָּלָה, וְהָרָעָב בָּאָרֶץ, וּבְנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים, יֹשְׁבִים לְפָנָיו; וַיֹּאמֶר לְנַעֲרוֹ, שְׁפֹת הַסִּיר הַגְּדוֹלָה, וּבַשֵּׁל נָזִיד, לִבְנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים
And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there as a famine and the prophets were in front of him. He said to his servant: Set up a big pot and BShl stew for the prophets

• Again BShl is wet cooking

Ezekiel 24:3:5
מְשֹׁל אֶל-בֵּית-הַמֶּרִי, מָשָׁל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם, כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה: שְׁפֹת הַסִּיר שְׁפֹת, וְגַם-יְצֹק בּוֹ מָיִם.
אֱסֹף נְתָחֶיהָ אֵלֶיהָ, כָּל-נֵתַח טוֹב יָרֵךְ וְכָתֵף; מִבְחַר עֲצָמִים, מַלֵּא.
מִבְחַר הַצֹּאן לָקוֹחַ, וְגַם דּוּר הָעֲצָמִים תַּחְתֶּיהָ; רַתַּח רְתָחֶיהָ, גַּם-בָּשְׁלוּ עֲצָמֶיהָ בְּתוֹכָהּ.
Say a parable about the rebellious house, as follows: This is what God said: Put on a cooking pot and fill it with water. Put all the best pieces of meat into it - the leg and should - and the best bones from the best of the flock - bring it to a boil and BShl the bones in it.

• Again BShl means cook in water. 

Ezekiel 46:20 ff
יֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י זֶ֣ה הַמָּקֹ֗ום אֲשֶׁ֤ר יְבַשְּׁלוּ־שָׁם֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים אֶת־הָאָשָׁ֖ם וְאֶת־הַחַטָּ֑את אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֹאפוּ֙ אֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה לְבִלְתִּ֥י הֹוצִ֛יא אֶל־הֶחָצֵ֥ר הַחִֽיצֹונָ֖ה לְקַדֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־הָעָֽם׃
He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to BSHL the guilt offering and the sin offering[e] and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating the people.”

• Note the distinction between wet [BShl] and dry [APhA] cooking

21 וַיֹּוצִיאֵ֗נִי אֶל־הֶֽחָצֵר֙ הַחִ֣יצֹנָ֔ה וַיַּ֣עֲבִירֵ֔נִי אֶל־אַרְבַּ֖עַת מִקְצֹועֵ֣י הֶחָצֵ֑ר וְהִנֵּ֤ה חָצֵר֙ בְּמִקְצֹ֣עַ הֶחָצֵ֔ר חָצֵ֖ר בְּמִקְצֹ֥עַ הֶחָצֵֽר׃
22 בְּאַרְבַּ֜עַת מִקְצֹעֹ֤ות הֶֽחָצֵר֙ חֲצֵרֹ֣ות קְטֻרֹ֔ות אַרְבָּעִ֣ים אֹ֔רֶךְ וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים רֹ֑חַב מִדָּ֣ה אַחַ֔ת לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֖ם מְ̣הֻ̣קְ̣צָ̣עֹֽ̣ו̣ת̣ ׃
23 וְט֨וּר סָבִ֥יב בָּהֶ֛ם סָבִ֖יב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֑ם וּמְבַשְּׁלֹ֣ות עָשׂ֔וּי מִתַּ֥חַת הַטִּירֹ֖ות סָבִֽיב׃
24 וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלָ֑י אֵ֚לֶּה בֵּ֣ית הַֽמְבַשְּׁלִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר יְבַשְּׁלוּ־שָׁ֛ם מְשָׁרְתֵ֥י הַבַּ֖יִת אֶת־זֶ֥בַח הָעָֽם׃
21 He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. 22 In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed[f] courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide;[g] each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. 23 Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for BShL [=hearths or fireplaces] built all around under the ledge. 24 He said to me, “These are the houses of BShl [=kitchens] where those who minister at the temple are to BSHL the sacrifices of the people.”

• Obviously the BSHL is not going to be done on the alter (there are BSHL stations built into the masonry surrounding the courtyard ) Rather these are something like fireplaces, where a cauldron can rest

 Search for more information about BOILING  at 4torah.com