Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 28:9/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ח:ט׳
אואבן השהם. לבנה, ובארמית בורלא ולשון ישמעאל בלאור ואין לנו דרך בבירור לדעת אבני המלואים כי הגאון תרגמם כרצונו, כי אין לו קבלה שיסמוך עליה כי הנה ראינו שתרגם ספיר לבן, ואינו רק אדום, ואין טענה מאודם הכתוב בראשונה כי ידוע כי חמש הם גווני העינים, הלבן וברקת, ואדום וירוק ושחור והנה בעבור היות האדום האמצעי ימצא על מינים רבים ותרגום נופך כדמות שחור בעבור ותשם בפיך עיניה (מ"ב ט ט), וזה לא יתכן שלא יהיה נו"ן נופך שרש, כי הוא על משקל אודם, וחכם גדול ספרדי אמר כי יהלום הוא הנקרא אלמם שהוא שובר כל האבנים, ונוקב הבדולח מגזרת הולם פעם (ישעי' מא ז), והיו"ד נוסף כיו"ד יצהר, גם אחלמה, אל חלמה, והוא אבן שכל מי שהאבן ההיא באצבעו לעולם יראה חלומות, ואין לתמוה על זה, כי כח ימצא בתולדת כל אבן ואבן, כי יש אבן שמושכת את הברזל, והמעמדת את הדם והבורחת מהחומץ, והנשברת לעולם על משולש:
1ONYX STONES. The avne shoham (onyx stones) were white. They are called burla in Aramaic and balor in Arabic. We have no way to positively identify the stones that were set in the breastplate. Rabbi Saadiah Gaon translated them114 as he saw fit, as he had no tradition to rely upon.115 We read the Gaon’s translation and noticed that he rendered sappir (sapphire) as white.116 to as a white stone. See I.E. on Ex. 24:10. However, this is not the case. Sappir is red.117 is a red stone. As noted before, sapphire is usually blue, sometimes white, hardly ever red. See chapter 24, note 3. The fact that the first stone118 mentioned by the Torah was a carnelian119 (a red stone). does not refute this,120 is a red stone. In other words, one should not assume that there was only one red stone on the breastplate. for there are five visible colors: white, lightning,121 red, green, and black. Now since red is the middle color122 it comes in various shades. Saadiah Gaon renders nofekh (carbuncle) as black on the basis of and she painted (ba-pukh)123 is peh, vav, kaf. her eyes (II Kings 9:30).124 is a “black mineral powder, for increasing brilliance of eyes by darkening edges of lids.” (Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, edited by Brown, Driver, Briggs, Oxford University Press, Oxford). However, the nun in nofekh is undoubtedly a root letter,125 is nun, peh, kaf. Hence nofekh and pukh are two different words. for nofekh follows the paradigm of odem (carnelian).126 A great Sephardic scholar said that yahalom (emerald) is a diamond.127 in Arabic. This stone has the ability to break up all other stones and to bore through bdellium. Yahalom is related to the word holem (smiteth) in smiteth the anvil (Is. 41:7). The yod of yahalom is not a root letter.128. The yod of yahalom is a form letter. It is like the yod of yitzhar (oil).129 is tzadi, heh, resh. Also achlamah (amethyst) is to be identified with the dream stone.130 in Arabic. This is a stone that always induces dreams in the person who wears it.131. One should not be surprised at this,132 as every stone has a specific power placed in it by nature. Thus there is a stone that attracts iron.133 There is likewise a stone that stops bleeding. Another stone is repelled by vinegar. There is also a stone whose pieces always form a triangle when broken.