Prophetic blogging

So, here’s the question: Do you believe that anyone live-blogged the Exodus from Egypt?

On one hand, the historical evidence suggests that no one did. After all, the Biblical era forerunner of modern blog editing software wasn’t really worth the papyrus it was written on, and even today, few – if any - spellcheckers can handle hieroglyphics.

But on the other hand, it was the Exodus!

We’re talking the Burning Bush! The Ten Plagues! The Splitting of the Sea!

Is it really possible that not ONE person who witnessed those earth-shattering events thought to him- or herself, “Wow! This would make an AWESOME post! My readers would LOVE to hear all about it! I am SO blogging this!”

Well, as it turns out (and as YZG pointed out after shul this past Shabbat Parshat Shmot), Sephardim and Ashkenazim obviously disagree on this topic.

The former apparently feel that blogging played no part in the Exodus, but the latter clearly hold otherwise.

I say this, because while Sephardic practice is to read the haftarah of Parshat Shmot from Sefer Yirmiyahu (Chapters 1-2), Ashkenazim traditionally read from Sefer Yeshayahu (Chapters 27-29).

And if one takes a quick look at Yeshaya 28:11 – i.e. right in the middle of the haftarah - one sees the following:

“כִּי בְּלַעֲגֵי שָׂפָה וּבְלָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת יְדַבֵּר אֶל הָעָם הַזֶּה.”

Admittedly, certain literal-minded translators may claim that this verse means:

”For with distorted speech and in another tongue, he will speak to this nation.”

But we here at Our Shiputzim believe that a much better translation is:

”For [on] blogs of (‘bloggei’) language and in another tongue, he will speak to this nation.”

Your thoughts?

A royal mix-up

The following exchange occurred after a certain Shiputzim child (ACSC) came home from gan on Sunday:

ACSC: There was no food, and so David HaMelech went out of Eretz Yisrael.

Me: {tries to keep a straight face} ELIMELECH went out of Eretz Yisrael?

ACSC: Yes.

***

And speaking of the megilah which we read on Shavuot, how would YOU transliterate the name of Naomi’s daughter-in-law?

Basically, there are three options:

• 1. Use the standard English spelling – i.e. “Ruth” – and hope that the readers realize that you’re not using the English pronunciation.
• 2. Go the phonetic route – i.e. “Root” – and hope that the readers don’t think you’re talking about Tu B’Shvat.
• 3. Follow accepted transliteration rules – i.e. “Rut” – and hope that the readers understand that the name does not rhyme with “shut,” “but,” or “hut”.

Personally, I tend to alternate between options (1) and (3), depending on the context.

How about you?