Ah, Artscroll. How do I hate thee let me count the ways(2). Well, in truth, I have but one reason for truly despising Artscroll translations, and that is their blind obeisance(3) to the idea that the Wise Men of Israel knew secular subjects as fully and completely as they knew the holy ones.
A galling example is on page 62A of their translation of Brachos. Here is the passage (Soncino translation)
The problem? Kappandaria (as Soncino points out) is clearly a corruption of the Latin word, compendiaria, for "shortcut."
So why does Artscroll give us a long note describing a disagreement based on absolutely nothing but the fact that the participants knew no Latin? We aren't given a compendium(4) of every single medieval Talmudic debate, so why is this one included? Why didn't ArtScroll simply tell us what the word means, without muddying the issue by subjecting us to a long synopsis of a disagreement made possible only because the parties, through no real fault of their own, just didn't know what they were talking about?
(1) Casey Stengel
(2) Elizabeth Browning
(3) An actual word, not a typo for obedience. I mention this here and now in case ArtScroll, in the next millennium, attempts to elucidate this blog and, as per their usual methods, make some mistake about the meaning of this word.
(4) An English word derived from compendiaria
Search for more information about how secular knowledge and Talmudic knowledge often must go together at4torah.com
A galling example is on page 62A of their translation of Brachos. Here is the passage (Soncino translation)
What is the meaning of kappandaria? Raba said: A short cut, as its name implies.R. Hanah b. Adda said in the name of R. Sama the son of R. Meri: It is as if a man said, instead of going round the blocks [makkifna adari],In a lengthy note, the ArtScroll elucidator tells us that our Rabbis read this passage in various ways. Some took it to mean that Raba and R. Hanna were not arguing at all. Both agree that a kappandaria is a shortcut, with R. Hanna only coming to tell us the etymology of the word.. Others took it to mean that the two Amoraim were disagreeing about the origin of the word, with Raba thinking that kappandaria is a word of Greek or Roman (sic, the language is Latin) origin and R. Hana insisting the word resulted from a strange semantic shift involving two Aramaic words. Still a third group say that Raba believes kappandaria is a Greek word meaning "gathering place" while R. Hana thinks it means shortcut and this dispute is the real subject of their debate.
The problem? Kappandaria (as Soncino points out) is clearly a corruption of the Latin word, compendiaria, for "shortcut."
So why does Artscroll give us a long note describing a disagreement based on absolutely nothing but the fact that the participants knew no Latin? We aren't given a compendium(4) of every single medieval Talmudic debate, so why is this one included? Why didn't ArtScroll simply tell us what the word means, without muddying the issue by subjecting us to a long synopsis of a disagreement made possible only because the parties, through no real fault of their own, just didn't know what they were talking about?
(1) Casey Stengel
(2) Elizabeth Browning
(3) An actual word, not a typo for obedience. I mention this here and now in case ArtScroll, in the next millennium, attempts to elucidate this blog and, as per their usual methods, make some mistake about the meaning of this word.
(4) An English word derived from compendiaria
Search for more information about how secular knowledge and Talmudic knowledge often must go together at4torah.com
