IJII

The Talmud and the codes mandate that Jews should read the weekly Torah portion twice in the original Hebrew and once as it is rendered in Aramaic by Targum Onkelos. Remarkably, they lauded this work above their own writings, the Talmuds and Midrashim, for they never required that these books be read. They also extolled this translation by calling it targum didan, "our translation," suggesting that they want people to realize that this is the true plain meaning of the Torah. Yet, Jews are ignoring the rabbinical command to read the Targum today. This is a tragedy because Onkelos does contain the Torah's plain meaning, as the rabbis said, and Targum Onkelos is far more than that; it is fascinating.

Let's look at an example.
Deuteronomy 23:19 restricts certain sacrifices: "You must not bring the fee of a whore or the price (which Onkelos changes to "exchange") of a dog into the sanctuary." Why is a dog mentioned and why is it distinguished from a pig (the prototype non-kosher animal), a donkey, a cat, or other animals?

The Midrash Sifrei writes that the second half of the verse is speaking of a person who wants to exchange a lamb, an acceptable sacrifice, for a dog and offer the dog as a sacrifice; this is forbidden.

But is this the plain meaning of the passage? The midrashic explanation of the verse's final section does not parallel the introductory phrase? Also, why does our targumist convert "price" to "exchange?"

It is possible that Targum Onkelos is reflecting Sifrei's understanding of the passage, and that this is the reason why it uses the word "exchange." However, there is another possibility.
The Torah frequently belittles pagan practices; for example, it calls idols "mistakes" and pagan altars "heaps." This seems to be what is happening here. Dogs in ancient times were not domesticated; they were messy and disgusting wild beasts. Thus it is a fitting disparaging epithet for a male prostitute, the sexual opposite of the whore mentioned in the verse's first phrase. Even today, millennia later, the term "dog" is commonly used as an insulting pejorative.

It is likely that the translator recognized that "dog" referred to a male prostitute; however, having a refined nature (for example, he prefers to avoid using words like "womb"), he decided not to be explicit and explain the figure of speech. Yet, he hinted at his understanding by inserting "exchange," a term applied in ancient times to the fee of male prostitutes.

The Greek playwright Aristophanes (448-380 BCE) discussed the pay of male and female prostitutes. He states that each seeks payment, but boys are different:
"Only the whores among them, not the decent ones; decent boys never ask for money."
"And what do they ask for, then?"
"Well, one might ask for a thoroughbred, another might ask for a pack of hunting dogs."

In his Courtesans and Fishcakes (St. Martin's Press, NY, 1998, pages 109 and 110), James N. Davidson writes:
Aristophanes is here touching on something of central importance in modern anthropology: the distinction between... payments and presents.
Davidson explains that, "generally speaking, payments with money conclude the transaction, but an ‘exchange' frequently creates an ongoing relationship ... between people, who are thenceforth linked by ties of patronage and friendship ... (It is) merely the latest episode in a long history of giving and repaying favor."

Thus, the term "exchange" was used in ancient times for male prostitutes (dogs) and it is possible that the Targum Onkelos translator, knowing this, inserted the term as the appropriate synonym for the male prostitute's fee, thereby giving his readers the plain interesting meaning of the biblical verse.

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