By Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein
The Hebrew language is blessed with many different words to refer to the act of “writing.” The most common verb that denotes that act is ketivah, inflections of which appear about 260 times in the Bible. For example, the Bible refers to the Ten Commandments being “written” on the stone tablets with forms of the word ketivah (Ex. 31:18, 32:16, 34:28, Deut. 9:10, 10:4). But there are other words used in the Bible to denote the Decalogue being “written” on the tablets, such as charut (Ex. 32:16) and pasal (Ex. 34:1, 34:4, Deut. 10:1, 10:3). If we look beyond Biblical usage, we encounter another term used to describe the words “written” on the tablets: chakuk. That word is used by Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi in his poem Yom Shabbaton when describing the fact that the commandment of Shabbat was inscribed on the twin tablets that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. The Aramaic verb galif is used to describe that writing as well in the Zohar (Yitro 84b) and in Hebrew poetry (e.g., a yotzer for the Second Day of Pesach by the Luccan poet Rabbi Meshullam bar Kalonymus). In this essay, we explore the various synonyms used in Hebrew for the act of “writing,” tracing their respective etymologies and cognates to hone in on what exactly each words means and if/how it differs from the rest.
A long-standing tradition that dates back to the Maharal of Prague says that the first time a word appears in the Bible epitomizes the very essence of that word’s meaning and can shed light on other instances of that word elsewhere. Given that paradigm, it is quite telling that the first time a cognate of ketivah appears in the Bible is after the war against Amalek following the Exodus, when Hashem tells Moses to “write [ktov] this in a book as a remembrance, and put it in the ear of Joshua, for I shall surely erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens” (Ex. 17:14). In this passage, Hashem tells Moses to write down the story of the war of Amalek as He promises to rid the world of that wretched nation in the future. The upshot of this idea is that “writing” things serves to help the words last longer than if they were merely said. Writing gives those words tangible continuity and allows them to remain in a much more robust way than relaying the very same message verbally. Interestingly, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh points out that a similar theme is found in the very last instance of kaf-tav-bet in the Prophets (Mal. 3:16), which refers to being written (vayikatev) in a sefer zikaron(literally, “book of remembrance”). This too focuses on the special property of written things to serve as long-lasting reminders.
Rabbi Shem Tov Gaguine even goes as far as to say that from the fact that “writing” is never mentioned in the entire Book of Genesis, Moses was the first person to ever write anything down, and his recording of the story of Amalek’s attack was the first thing ever written. I’m sure most historians would disagree with this, but it’s still a fascinating suggestion to think about.
Rabbi Shamshon Raphael Hirsch (to Ex. 34:27) connects the root kaf-tav-bet with other phonetically-similar roots, including kaf-tav-peh (“shoulder”), kuf-tet-peh (“plucking/detaching”), and kuf-tet-bet (“killing”). These connections are made by invoking the interchangeability of peh and bet, of kaf and kuf, and of tet and tav. The way Rabbi Hirsch explains the connection, something “written” is a worthy bearer of ideas, but is still nonetheless a dangerous medium because it jeopardizes the existence of that which remains unwritten. Meaning, if something is written down, then one only has exactly what was written and is in danger of losing the idea as a whole that might include elements that are not written. This can metaphorically be represented as somebody “detaching” part of an idea from the entire edifice, which could even lead to “killing” the whole idea. It also relates to the “shoulder,” which is just a corner of the body, but is not the entire body itself. As Rabbi Hirsch stresses, it is because of this danger that Hashem presented the Jews not only with the Written Torah (as it is written), but with the Oral Torah which encompasses so much more beyond that which is written. Only the Written Torah and Oral Torah in tandem lead one to the complete, accurate picture of Hashem’s will.
This article has been abridged from its original version. For the full version, please visit 5tjt.com/yisro-write-it-down.
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein is an author and freelance researcher based in Beitar Illit. He studied in Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles, the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and Beth Medrash Govoha of America in Lakewood, and received semichah from leading rabbis. He also holds an MA in Jewish Education from Middlesex University/London School of Jewish Studies. Rabbi Klein authored two popular books that were published by Mosaica Press, as well as countless scholarly articles published in various venues. His articles on Hebrew synonyms are commissioned by Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem and have appeared on their website since 2016.