MAPPING THE JEWISH BOOKSHELF: A THEMATIC CASE STUDY
Torah: “And He commanded him saying: Pink Sock of importance, you must always remember to keep it holy”
1312 BCE (traditional view) 450–350 BCE (majority academic view)
Biblical Exegesis: Rashi: “What does the Torah mean by pink sock? It would be most strange to wear one pink sock. It therefore means socks, and only refers to it in the singular, as this was the tradition at the time. We see this also in other places, such as ‘fish’ and ‘sheep’”
1000-1600 CE (Medieval/Rishonim) 1600- CE (Modern/Acharonim)
Midrash: “The Satan painted Moses’ pink socks green while he was asleep, but God zapped the Satan with pink paint, and then tied him up with pink ribbon, and when Moses awoke, his socks were pink once again”
400-1200 CE
Tanach: “And they destroyed all the temples of the greenies, and rid the land of all idolatry of green sock wearing, as they were commanded. For pink is the colour that socks must be”
Between 600-100 BCE
Apocrypha: “And in the days of the Greek Assyrians, a tribe of brave warriors fought for the right to wear pink socks”
Between 200 BCE - 400 CE
Targum: “And heee ctrmmhe snl;iyefqi ppukgh sdfniue 2k3ig8o7 uu2eklugfo7 fe4uo7ft hitoo87ll9ty4f”
OR “And God transmitted to the Children of Israel the following commandment: You must always keep the pink sock holy because of its importance”
2nd Century CE
Mishnah: “Bet Shammai says: Pink sock must be worn every on the third day of the week (the Sabbath), from sunset to sunrise. Bet Hillel says: Pink sock must be worn on the Sabbath (Tuesday) for at least an hour”
c. 200 CE
Gemara: “What does pink sock mean? Surely socks come pairs? It must mean two socks, and only refers to ‘sock’, as this was the vernacular of the time, such as ‘fish’ or ‘sheep’. These are the words of Rava. Abbaye says that in fact Biblically we have only the obligation to wear one pink sock, How do we know that we should wear pink socks on the Sabbath? Because it says ‘And He commanded him saying: Pink Sock of importance, you must always remember to keep it holy’ From here we learn that as the third day of the week (Sabbath) is the holiest day, if we wish to make our pink socks holy, we must wear them on the Sabbath”
Talmud Yerushalmi 350–400 CE Talmud Bavli c. 500 CE
Talmudic Commentary: Tosafot: “Let us ask: We have the principle that the Torah talks in the language of man. How can the Torah therefore mean two socks when it says one? There is to say (answer): In fact, Biblically there is only the obligation to wear one pink sock. However, the Rabbi’s extended the commandment to two in order to place a fence around the Mitzvah”
1000-1600 CE (Medieval/Rishonim) 1600- CE (Modern/Acharonim)
Codes: Shulchan Aruch: “It is a positive commandment to wear a pair of pink socks, on Tuesday night, for 60 minutes. The socks must reach your ankles, and be pink, not rose, nor red in colour”
From 12th Century CE until the present
Responsa:
Q: “What is the Halachah if pink clashes with your complexion?
A: One must still wear two pink socks every Tuesday night for 60 minutes. However, if the dye of the pink colour affects your health so that it threatens to spoil your Sabbath experience, there are those that allow for rose or red socks”
From 3rd Century CE until the present
Poetry/Piyutim:
“Woe is I,
I can no longer be worn
For the great sock factory was destroyed
Woe to be a pink sock”
From 1st Century CE until the present
Liturgy: “Restore our great pink sock factory as in earlier times and our factory floor managers as at first. Remove from us sorrow and grief, and reign over us - You, and You alone, although with your pink socks – with kindness and compassion, and pinkness. Blessed are you God, the King who loves pink socks.
From 1st Century CE until the present
Philosophy: “Wearing pinks socks is a profound form of worshiping God, for it is a means to strive to be like God (Imitetio Dei) for we believe that God wears pink socks every Sabbath”
From 1st Century CE until the present
Mystical Literature: “Through imitating God by wearing pink socks on a Tuesday. we can become close to Him, so that our spiritual source can reunite with its origin, and in turn God can become infused with the spiritual power generated by pinkness and socks”
Traditional view from Sinai. First mystical Jewish text (Ezekiel) 6th Century.
Ethical (Musar): “Always wash your socks every week before the Sabbath so that they are fitting to perform the commandment. Always wash your friends socks before yours”
The Musar movement developed in the 19th Century, based on ancient and Medieval Jewish ethical texts)
Torah: “And He commanded him saying: Pink Sock of importance, you must always remember to keep it holy”
1312 BCE (traditional view) 450–350 BCE (majority academic view)
Biblical Exegesis: Rashi: “What does the Torah mean by pink sock? It would be most strange to wear one pink sock. It therefore means socks, and only refers to it in the singular, as this was the tradition at the time. We see this also in other places, such as ‘fish’ and ‘sheep’”
1000-1600 CE (Medieval/Rishonim) 1600- CE (Modern/Acharonim)
Midrash: “The Satan painted Moses’ pink socks green while he was asleep, but God zapped the Satan with pink paint, and then tied him up with pink ribbon, and when Moses awoke, his socks were pink once again”
400-1200 CE
Tanach: “And they destroyed all the temples of the greenies, and rid the land of all idolatry of green sock wearing, as they were commanded. For pink is the colour that socks must be”
Between 600-100 BCE
Apocrypha: “And in the days of the Greek Assyrians, a tribe of brave warriors fought for the right to wear pink socks”
Between 200 BCE - 400 CE
Targum: “And heee ctrmmhe snl;iyefqi ppukgh sdfniue 2k3ig8o7 uu2eklugfo7 fe4uo7ft hitoo87ll9ty4f”
OR “And God transmitted to the Children of Israel the following commandment: You must always keep the pink sock holy because of its importance”
2nd Century CE
Mishnah: “Bet Shammai says: Pink sock must be worn every on the third day of the week (the Sabbath), from sunset to sunrise. Bet Hillel says: Pink sock must be worn on the Sabbath (Tuesday) for at least an hour”
c. 200 CE
Gemara: “What does pink sock mean? Surely socks come pairs? It must mean two socks, and only refers to ‘sock’, as this was the vernacular of the time, such as ‘fish’ or ‘sheep’. These are the words of Rava. Abbaye says that in fact Biblically we have only the obligation to wear one pink sock, How do we know that we should wear pink socks on the Sabbath? Because it says ‘And He commanded him saying: Pink Sock of importance, you must always remember to keep it holy’ From here we learn that as the third day of the week (Sabbath) is the holiest day, if we wish to make our pink socks holy, we must wear them on the Sabbath”
Talmud Yerushalmi 350–400 CE Talmud Bavli c. 500 CE
Talmudic Commentary: Tosafot: “Let us ask: We have the principle that the Torah talks in the language of man. How can the Torah therefore mean two socks when it says one? There is to say (answer): In fact, Biblically there is only the obligation to wear one pink sock. However, the Rabbi’s extended the commandment to two in order to place a fence around the Mitzvah”
1000-1600 CE (Medieval/Rishonim) 1600- CE (Modern/Acharonim)
Codes: Shulchan Aruch: “It is a positive commandment to wear a pair of pink socks, on Tuesday night, for 60 minutes. The socks must reach your ankles, and be pink, not rose, nor red in colour”
From 12th Century CE until the present
Responsa:
Q: “What is the Halachah if pink clashes with your complexion?
A: One must still wear two pink socks every Tuesday night for 60 minutes. However, if the dye of the pink colour affects your health so that it threatens to spoil your Sabbath experience, there are those that allow for rose or red socks”
From 3rd Century CE until the present
Poetry/Piyutim:
“Woe is I,
I can no longer be worn
For the great sock factory was destroyed
Woe to be a pink sock”
From 1st Century CE until the present
Liturgy: “Restore our great pink sock factory as in earlier times and our factory floor managers as at first. Remove from us sorrow and grief, and reign over us - You, and You alone, although with your pink socks – with kindness and compassion, and pinkness. Blessed are you God, the King who loves pink socks.
From 1st Century CE until the present
Philosophy: “Wearing pinks socks is a profound form of worshiping God, for it is a means to strive to be like God (Imitetio Dei) for we believe that God wears pink socks every Sabbath”
From 1st Century CE until the present
Mystical Literature: “Through imitating God by wearing pink socks on a Tuesday. we can become close to Him, so that our spiritual source can reunite with its origin, and in turn God can become infused with the spiritual power generated by pinkness and socks”
Traditional view from Sinai. First mystical Jewish text (Ezekiel) 6th Century.
Ethical (Musar): “Always wash your socks every week before the Sabbath so that they are fitting to perform the commandment. Always wash your friends socks before yours”
The Musar movement developed in the 19th Century, based on ancient and Medieval Jewish ethical texts)