Tachash
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Tachash [1] is traditionally held to be an animal, referred to in the Bible (Exodus 25, 26, 35, 36 and 39; Numbers 4, and Ezekiel 16:10), the skin of which was used in the Tabernacle as the outer covering of the tent of the Tabernacle and to wrap sacred objects used within the Tabernacle for transport.
What animal the word 'tachash' refers to is a matter of some debate. According to the Babylonian Talmud and Rashi's commentary, the tachash was a kosher, multi-colored, one horned desert animal which came into existence to be used to build the Tabernacle and ceased to exist afterward. The King James Version of the Bible translates the word tachash as badger (Lat. Meles taxus). Another hypothesis is that the Hebrew term "orot t'chashim" refers to very fine dyed sheep or goat leather, hence the Jerusalem Bible translates the term as "fine leather". A currently popular hypothesis is that the term "tachash" means dugong[2]. This translation is based upon the similarity between tachash and the Arabic word tukhas, which means dugong. In accordance with this hypothesis several translations, such as the Jewish Publication Society translation, render tachash as dolphin or sea cow. Others believe the tachash was related to the keresh,[3] a creature most often identified with the giraffe, with a similar description mentioned in the Gemara.[4] It is not explicitly stated if the tachash was a mammal or not.
In Literature
The poet Robert Graves says in The White Goddess the covering skin of the Ark was "dolphin hide", but in I, Claudius, has the narrator describe it as badger skin.
Unclean animals excluded
In light of Leviticus (11:4-8; 11:10-12; 11:27-28; 20:25-26 -- most translations) the Tahash as "badger"[5] is excluded because the badger does not "chew the cud and divide the hoof" ("of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you"..."all that go on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you"); the dugong, sea cow, seal,[6] dolphin and porpoise are excluded because they do not have "fins and scales" ("everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you"), nor do they "chew the cud and divide the hoof" (therefore, "of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you"); and the giraffe is probably excluded because its range was primarily Africa. The Arabs of the Sinaitic peninsula apply the name tucash to the seals and dugongs which are common in the Red Sea, and the skins of which are largely used as leather for tent curtains and coverings and for sandals. But whereas other peoples of the Levant use sea mammals, Jewish people cannot. "I am the LORD your God, who have separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean; you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine." Hence the badger, dugong, sea cow, seal, dolphin and porpoise according to the Torah are unclean and an abomination to the people of Israel; they are not to be touched.[7] This supports the hypothesis that "orot t'chashim" refers to very fine dyed sheep or goat leather as a parallel with "rams' skins dyed red." The New American Bible footnote to Exodus 25:5 (in part) says of Tahash: "The Greek and Latin versions took it for the color hyacinth" (dermata huakinthina). In this case, we have (Exodus 26:14) "a covering of rams' skins dyed red, and above that a covering of hyacinth skins": a covering of skins dyed red and an outer covering of skins dyed indigo (blue-processed). (see indigo dye)[8] Wilhelm Gesenius (Leipzig, 1905) cites Bondi (Aegyptica, i.ff) who proposes the Egyptian root t-ch-s, making the expression " 'or tachash / 'or tahash" mean "soft-dressed skin." This suits the context in every passage of scripture where the word appears. The apparent similarity in sound between the Arabic word tukhas/tucash and the Hebrew word tachash/tahash/takhas may be misleading, just as the similarity in sound between the Hebrew "tachash" and the Latin "Meles taxus" (badger) may be misleading. (see "false friend") But there is a surprising phonetic similarity between "tachash/takhash" and "addax" which should be considered.[9]
Addax
The word "addax" is from Native North African speech, as is the Egyptian root "t-ch-s", and denotes a species of antelope which was and is highly prized for its fine leather, horns and meat; and according to tradition the Jews were in Egypt in North Africa for 450 years where they would not have been unaware of this animal and its name. Addax have been domesticated for nearly 4500 years by nomadic and agricultural peoples. Historically, addax skins have been made into tent curtains, covers, fine leather goods, and sandals; addax-skin leather would have been among the normal choice materials that were used to fashion the outer covering of a great desert chieftain's pavilion or dwelling. It is arrow-proof,[10] water-proof, weather-resistant, tough, and very durable. It is also kosher, "clean," in accordance with the prescriptions in the Torah. It can be processed into a very luxuriant soft leather. Indigo-dyed addax leather is strikingly beautiful. (The Tuaregs, for example, are fond of indigo dye. Clothes dyed with indigo signified wealth.) "Soft-dressed" (t-ch-s) addax skins can also be "blue-processed" (t-ch-s) addax skins, and the addax is a large animal; such skins would have made a very suitable, and radiantly beautiful,[11] outer covering for the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, the Dwelling. A covering of valuable antelope skins would have been understood without the necessity of an explicit mention of them; and in accordance with the dignity of the Dwelling of the LORD, and the prescription of the Torah, they would have been specially prepared (i.e. "t-ch-s") antelope skins. "Over the tent itself you shall make a covering of rams' skins dyed red, and above that, a covering of tahash skins." (Exodus 26:14 NAB) Here, we have most probably an implicit connotative play on words, "tachas addax skins," "addax" being implied;[12] hence the most probable meaning: "soft-dressed indigo-dyed antelope hide"--indigo hides, blue-processed skins; tachash hides, tachash skins. Such skins would have been among the valuable "spoils of Egypt" that the people of Israel carried away with them into the wilderness of Sinai.
See also
Other Biblical Translations
The Navigating the Bible II World ORT translation (2000) translates tachash as blue-processed (blue-processed skins).
The New American Standard Bible (NASB) (1971-1995) translates tachash as porpoise.
The Revised Standard Version (RSV) (1952-2006) translates tachash as goat (goatskins).
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) (1989-2005) translates tachash as fine leather.
The Revised English Bible (REB) (1989) translates tachash as dugong.
The New American Bible (NAB) (1991-2005) renders tachash as tahash.
The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) (1985) translates tachash as fine leather.
The New International Version (NIV) (1978) translates tachash as sea cow.
The New World Translation (NWT) (1961) translates tachash as seal (sealskins).
The God's Word Translation (GW) (1995) translates tachash as fine leather.
The American King James Version (1999) translates tachash as badger (badger's skins).
The Bible in Basic English (BBE) (1949-1965) translates tachash as leather.
The Douay-Rheims Bible (Douai, D-R, DV) (1610-1750) translates tachash as violet.
Young's Literal Translation (1862-1898) translates tachash as badger (badgers' skins).
References
- ^ Tachash (or Tahash): spelled (Hebrew letters) "Tav"-"Heth"-"Shiyn" (approximate articulation "tawv"-"khayth"-"sheen") "T-H-S" or "T-CH-SH": pronounced takhash, takh'-ash, (or "tak'-Hash") with hard "ch" as in "CHanukkah/Hanukkah," German ch = Greek X (nearly "kh") as in "XP" ("chi-rho", i.e. "khee-hro"), or the Scottish word "loch," not the soft "ch" as in "church"; the editors of the New American Bible (NAB) have rendered the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet ("CHeyth--KHayth--Heth") as "h": hence, Tahash.
- ^ Dr. Rivkah Blutstein
- ^ Talmud: Shabbat 28b see tachash: Kolel's Parasha Study (which says)"...'Keresh,' a large rainbow colored unicorn. ...Contemporary scholarship may be correct that tachash refers to tanned skins and not an animal at all, but it seems much more fun to imagine that the tachash could be a giraffe, a narwhal, or a mythical unicorn." Talmud: Shabbat 28b see REVIEW QUESTIONS--SHABBOS 28: 28b--28b: 7) (a)(b)(c)(d) and see REVIEW ANSWERS--SHABBOS 28: 28b--28b: 7) (a)(b)(c)(d): (which says) "There is also an animal called 'Keresh', a species of Kasher *Chayah* that has only one horn. Consequently, it cannot be taken for granted that the Tachash was a Beheimah (like Adam's bull), when it could equally have been a Chayah (like the Keresh)." (Kasher means kosher. see kashrut. see CHAYAH--Hebrew Lexicon)
- ^ Identification of Biblical animals
- ^ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Hebrew Lexicon "badger" 8476 tachash (antelope?) see addax. In ancient times, addax spread from North Africa through Arabia and the Levant. Pictures from Egyptian tombs show them being kept as domesticated animals in around 2500 BC. They are amply suited to live in the deep desert under extreme conditions.
- ^ see pinniped
- ^ see Leather: Contents: 8. "Religious sensitivities to leather". see kashrut
- ^ It is worth noting that indigo dye obtained from plants (i.e. indigofera tinctoria) is "unclean," "treif," "non-kasher," according to the Talmud, while the purple and indigo purple dye obtained from the murex snail (which does not have fins and scales and is a carnivore) is "clean," "kasher," according to the Talmud. see tzitzit: "Karaite tzitzit." see tekhelet: "Talmudic source" and "Lost knowledge" and "Karaite views" (in particular the extensive discussion provided in the External Link (1) to "Teachings of Hakham Rekhavi".)
- ^ see Google Translate: first, "takhash": Translate from Hebrew, Translate into English: click the audio icon: next, "addax": Translate from Hebrew, Translate into English: click the audio icon: second, "takhash": Translate from Arabic, Translate into English: click the audio icon: next, "addax": Translate from Arabic, Translate into English: click the audio icon.
- ^ see adarga
- ^ The Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Shabbat 28a "Sas-gavna" The word "Sas" comes from the Hebrew and means joy, "gavna" means colors. Parshat Vayakhel[1] "...Gavna, which is Aramaic for 'shades' (as in shades of color)..." (see Photo Feature: Hilltop Restaurant Bridges Shades of Old and New) "...gavna (from the Aramaic word for varieties)..." (see Gush Etzion) "Sas" can mean "joy," "joy-causing," "rejoicing," "vivid," "vibrant," "radiant," "beautiful," "exquisite(ly)"--"Gavna" can mean "colors," "varieties," "shades," "multiple-dyed (double-dyed, triple-dyed, dyed seven times over)," "rich color," "luxuriant color," "greatly dignified color," "awe-inspiring color." (see translation: "dynamic equivalence") It does not necessarily mean rainbow colors. It can mean instead various shades or tones of one kind of color (in this case, various shades or tones of indigo blue--see indigo: see violet (color).) The Onkelos Targum "sas-gavna" ("joy-colors") can be translated: "radiantly colored" (skins, leather)--"richly colored" (skins, leather).
- ^ "implied": just as today we say "patent leather" and understand it to mean "patent-processed fine-grain cow-hide leather," "processed fine-grain cow-hide" being implied. No one asks, "What mysterious kind of animal is the patent?: its leather has been used for shoes, but today there is no known animal called the patent; we may therefore safely conclude that the patent may now be extinct, or that it simply ceased to exist." Again, we know what "glove leather" means, just as Moses and the descendants of Israel understood what "tachash skin" means. Translators and commentators centuries after Moses may perhaps be excused for taking what had become (for them) an obscure term as the name of an animal--especially when it is associated in the text with the word for leather skin. But this then raises a more penetrating question: "Why do some translators propose as a translation of the word 'tachash' the hide or skin of an unclean animal or unclean 'abomination' as the covering of the most holy Tabernacle of the LORD?" It is an absolute contradiction. Whoever touched it would become unclean and abominable. "...if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether the uncleanness of man or an unclean beast or an unclean abomination, and then eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD's peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people." (Leviticus 7:21) "...their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:8) "...their carcasses you shall have in abomination. Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you." (Leviticus 11:12) "...all that go on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:27-28) "...you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst." (Leviticus 15:31) "...you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean." (Leviticus 20:25) "...If any one of all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 22:3) "...appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it; they are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall tend it, and shall encamp around the tabernacle. When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if anyone else comes near, he shall be put to death. ...the Levites shall encamp around the tabernacle of the testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the people of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony."(Numbers 1:50-51 and 53) "Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and everyone having a discharge, and every one that is unclean through contact with the dead; you shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell." (Numbers 5:2-3) "Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to save you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, that he may not see anything indecent among you, and turn away from you." (Deuteronomy 23:14) (text references RSV)
Multi-Version Bible Concordance "badger"
Easton's Bible Dictionary "badger"
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia "badger"
The Catholic Encyclopedia "Tabernacle"