Mark E. Shoulson wrote:

>
> Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>
> >Mark E. Shoulson wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'll have to look this up and get the details right, but this reminds me
> >>of a distinction made in the Talmud regarding writing Torah, Mezuzah,
> >>and phylactery scrolls. They speak of three kinds of parchment: g'vil,
> >>klaf, and duchsutus (I think). One is unsplit, one is split and is the
> >>thick (flesh?) side, and one is split and is the other side. And they
> >>discuss which can be used to write which article, and on which side each
> >>flavor of hide is to be written, etc etc...
> >>
> >>
> >
> >That third one doesn't sound like an Aramaic word ... do let me know the
> >reference! (Maybe I can remember to look in Jastrow.)

I actually have remembered several times, but never when in the same
room as Jastrow.

> Well, first of all I got the third one wrong (I was missing an s, it's
> duchsustus), and second of all, you're right, it doesn't sound Aramaic.
> Sounds like a Greek borrowing to me. I did some searching, and I see
> some stuff discussed in tractate Shabbat, p. 79, and Menachot p. 31a.
> Here's a source from the shulchan aruch harav (a book by a prior
> Lubavitcher Rebbe) that discusses the matter, and incidentally talks
> about the etymology of the word, claiming that "Duch" is Aramaic for
> "place" and "sustus" is Greek for "flesh" (gvil is unsplit, klaf is the
> outer layer when split, since it was "peeled" (Q.L.P) from the inner
> part, and duchsustus is the inner layer, as explained. Klaf is written
> on the inner side, Duchsustus on the outer side, and gvil on the inner
> side as well, which I know doesn't seem to make sense). Aha! At
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t01/t0116.htm there is an English
> version of this, which translates duchsustus as "double vellum" and
> glosses it in Greek as δο-Î*Ζστος which probably makes more sense than
> the Aramaic/Greek theory. sacred-texts.com doesn't have the Menachot
> text; it lacks that part of the Talmud.
>
> Well, good luck with it...

:-)
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@...