Hi Steve - I would like to encourage you to submit 'Eglah 'arufah as a
subject heading via the Judaica SACO Funnel. The funnel was established to
encourage and enable catalogers at non-PCC member institutions to
contribute subject headings of relevance to Jewish Studies and Hebraica.
If you are interested, I suggest that you review the SACO website
(http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/saco/saco.html), use the e-mail form for
proposing new headings, and send/fax your proposal to me for review. After
I have gotten back to you with comments, etc. you can then use the web-form
for proposing new headings.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Heidi
At 10:53 AM 7/27/2005 -0400, you wrote:
You may wish to propose 'Eglah 'arufah as a subject heading. There's an
article in EJ, so it would be very easy to justify it. There is also a
heading Atonement (Prayer)--Judaism. And as Stanley suggested, you can
assign a subject for the pesukim, if the work addresses the ritual and its
biblical source.
Lenore
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/26/05 1:05 PM >>>
I have a book in hand about the meaning of the formulaic statement of
innocence/request for forgiveness recited by the elders of a city during
the Eglah Arufah ceremony, in which a cow that has not yet been used for
labor is slaughtered to atone for the finding of a murdered body in the
outskirts of the city. Any ideas as to subject headings that might apply
to this book?
Steven
Deut. 21:1-9
If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to
possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him;
then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure
unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. And it shall be,
that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of
that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought
with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke. And the elders of that city
shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be
plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley.
And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near--for them the Lord thy
God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to bless in the name of the
Lord; and according to their word shall every controversy and every
stroke be. And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the
slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken
in the valley. And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have not shed
this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Forgive, O the Lord, Thy
people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to
remain in the midst of Thy people Israel.' And the blood shall be
forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst
of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.
(JPS, 1917)
Heidi G. Lerner
Hebraica/Judaica Cataloger
Catalog Dept.
Stanford Univ. Libraries
Stanford, CA 94305-6004
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ph: 650-725-9953
fax:650-725-1120
