Karen Kirshenbaum

This book attempts to reach a better understanding of the realia relating to interior furniture in the Mishnaic period. Our goal is to identify and describe the interior furniture which appears in the Mishnah, and in so doing to provide a better understanding of the diverse laws concerning furniture. Throughout our research we encountered many differences of opinion concerning the identification of specific pieces of furniture. In some instances the suggested identification is incompatible with a halakhic ruling in the Mishnah or does not fit the context of a specific text. Therefore we have suggested new identifications for certain items of furniture and their parts which are in keeping with the context of the rabbinic text and with the archaeological research of the period. In order to reach an understanding of the “pshat” (the simple meaning of a Biblical or rabbinic text) in everything related to the form and use of tangible objects mentioned in the Mishnah, we must familiarize ourselves with the realia of the Mishnaic period as opposed to that of later periods. We have used sources from the Tannaitic period and occasionally from the Palestinian Amoraic period. Another source is the detailed description of architecture and utensils occurring in Roman literature of the Mishnaic period. After ascertaining the correct reading, we have tried to clarify the meaning of technical terms and their etymology, which is often derived from a foreign language (Aramaic, Latin, Greek, etc.). We have made use of the fundamental works of early authorities. Following the lexicographic-etymological clarification, we have made use of archaeological research in order to identify a piece of furniture referred to in the Mishnah with a remnant of furniture, a relief, or an artifact from the Roman period, found in excavations in Israel. In the absence of local findings we turned to archaeological evidence from the Roman Empire. After identifying the piece of furniture with tangible remnants of the period, we have a better understanding of what the Sages were referring to when mentioning certain objects in the context of Halakhah and Midrash. The book is divided into four main chapters: Tables, Chairs, Beds and Cabinets.