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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@saber.towson.edu> Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 23:17:01 -0500 (EST) Subject: Can a CD ROM Replace a Konkordance or the Mesorah Yitzchok Zlochower in v31n69 inquires about Software vs Konkordances >>>>>> of a page of the Bavli text together with Rashi and Tosfot? Can I cut and paste citations into a Word Perfect or Word or HTML document? Will the search engine serve as a user-friendly Tanach concordance? >>>>>> (In passing the answer to Yizchok's first two questions is: (a) Yes you can cut-paste with some davka software in WP/WORD) (b) You might also try downloading MTR (Mishneh Torah Rambma) at various places on the web (It has complete Tnach, Mishneh Torah(no commentary), Yerushalmi,Bavli) AND costs only $50). However I am responding to the question about using a CD ROM to 'replace' a Konkordance. No good CD ROM can replace a Konkordance and similarly even a good Konkordance can not replace the font 6 commentary surrounding the Biblical text called the "Mesorah" which lists similar verses. Let me explain. A CD ROM searches for LETTER Patterns. By contrast a good Knokordance (Mendelkorn or Ibn Shoshan) lists verses with a COMMON ROOT (This is not possible to do on a CD ROM if the verse has a weak letter which is sometimes not present). In other words, by opening the Konkordance I can find all verses where the verb TO FALL(NFL) occurs (Some CD ROMS allow 'Boolean Seardhes' but this does not give ROOT listings without alot of work and knowledge of grammar--it would be hard to get all listings of NFL (To fall) using a CD ROM) Similarly the Mesorah lists not only word patterns but phrase patterns. As a very simple example I recently suggested (see reference at bottom) that the Bible uses REPEATED CONNECTIVES when it wants to create a BULLET-LIKE effect. To prove this I had to review all verses which contains BECAUSE..BECAUSE (KI KI) and show that each "BECAUSE" clause is a separate bullet-type item. Not all CD ROMS can list this. In summary if you want to do serious Tanach search you must have a good Konkordance, a good Mesorah and I usually recommend Racacks Grammar books ROOTS, and MICHLOL which contain in a compact form alot of information you cannot get anyplace(these books deal with MEANING which cannot be fully obtained from a CD, Konkordance or Mesorah) Hope this helps Russell Jay Hendel; Moderator Rashi is Simple http://www.shamash.org/rashi/h5n4.htm (Contains the posting on bullets)