[Lexicog] names as characteristic of a category

[Hayim Sheynin]

Dear Fritz,

As I mentioned before, let go back to a person of the 4th century to ask this question. Of course you are right about high moral standards, but somehow other notion took preference. We never know why. Many statements in midrashim are preceded by an equivalent of such statements: "There are people who think that ..." or "a particular person (name) said ..." or "such and such person transmit the teaching of X ... (another name follows)" [we usually call this tradition of X], in Arabic literature the chain of tradition is called isnad (stress on the last syllable). In the beginning this was oral literature but in 4th and 5th centuries it was written down. Some of these X and Y are known, some of them remained in the book with only one ore two insignificant quotes [the most frequently we know only from what school he comes or who was his teacher]
And this scholastics is still studied in Jewish religious academies, although not for the sake of curiosities, but because in the same texts the halakhah (Jewish Law) is discussed.

I hope this somehow clarifies your question.

Hayim Sheynin

Fritz Goerling <Fritz_Goerling at sil.org> wrote:                                          
        Hayim,
  Thank you for your interesting information about Jewish conventions connected with biblical names.
  You wrote: 
  Joseph (son of Jacob) received fame mostly for this beauty even outside of Jewish tradition, ask any Muslim  (especially  Iranians)  and they will tell you that Joseph (Yusuf) was  a paragon of beauty.
      Not of virtue (chastity)? Why this focus on his looks? His beautiful character showed when he forgave his brothers.
  
  
  
  The Jewish conventions connected to biblical names were developed outside of biblical text in the rabbinical literature. In the early exposition (interpretation) of the bible they would as questions like who are ! the most beautiful person in the world? And usually they select either Joseph or David. 
   
     The Bible says that both Joseph and David were good-looking. But for David, as for Joseph, what counts is that the Bible
     says that he was “a man after God’s heart” which shows in the Psalms he has written.
   
  Beracha,
   
  Fritz
  
      
     
                       

 
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