Re: What About Those Four-Legged Insects?

It is a difficult question. A four legged flyng swarming creature. It is a common truth, I believe, that all insects have six not four legs. So, what is the Hebrew Scriptures referring to when this creature is described?

According to a biblical scholar of the 11th century, Rashi, the animal that uses the front legs, the four aforementioned appendages, for ambulatory purposes, and the hind not mentioned as legs, but referred to in the passage as needed to leap on the ground, are primary and secondary appendages. The jumping legs allow the animal to fly, and are not used as legs to crawl upon the earth.

So, are we to assume that this is the truth and the scriptures without errors? That would be where faith steps into the picture. I will not deny that I had problems with this verse over the past Sabbath when the Torah portion of the week, Sh'mini, was read. We had a lively discussion and being the in-house biologist, I was asked what creature, named or translated as types of grasshoppers and locusts and crickets as well. As I saw these creatures as being six legged insects, I told the congregation I would look into the matter.

Now I have never been a fan of Rashi and his explainations. Sometimes the story just is not a "good" story that satisfies my question. However in this instance, I can see where Rashi can extrapolate the answer as I have described above. This explanation i a satisfactory one that even I can say....OK that is possible, that makes sense.

So agree, disagree?? that friends is up to your faith in what the word is and how it plays out in your lives. To me, I have found the answer to give a reasonable explaination. And since I was not around when the scriptures were put onto parchment, I cannot ask the scribes and learned elders of the time to explan face to face, what is meant by these verses.
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