[HANASHIR:16995] Re: V'samachta B'chagecha

[Sholom Simon <sholom...>]

> FYI,
> As was mentioned by Meris, "V'samachta B'chagecha" is for the Shalosh
> Regalim  (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot).  This goes back to the
> rabbinic
> classification of holy days.  The word "chag" is a technical term in
> that context.  Purim  and Chanukah, post-Torah holidays,  are considered
> "minor holidays," so the  term "chag" is not applied to them.

Just to clarify -- and to anticipate the next question: "What about the
song 'Chag Purim' ?"

Basically, "chag" has two meanings.  It has a torah meaning (the shalosh
regalim, as just explained by CantorJ), and it also has a contemporary
meaning, which means "holiday in general".

Context is everything. <g>

So how do we decide which meaning "V'samachta" has?

In this case, the answer is simple -- because the context is clear. 
"V'samachta, b'chagecha" is itself a posuk (verse) right from the Torah,
so, necessarily, it applies only to the shalosh regalim.

-- Sholom



------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+
Hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network, http://shamash.org  
a service of Hebrew College, which offers online courses and an
online MA in Jewish Studies, http://hebrewcollege.edu/online/

To unsubscribe email listproc (at) shamash(dot)org and have your message read:
unsubscribe hanashir
------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------=