Lishmah: An Exploration of Syntactic Ambiguity and Biblical Exegesis Through the Jewish Calendar Year

Author

Shani Tzoref, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

2-2025

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Digital Humanities

Advisor

Matthew K. Gold

Subject Categories

Digital Humanities | Jewish Studies

Keywords

Syntactic ambiguity, Biblical Exegesis, Hebrew Bible, Digital Humanities

Abstract

Lishmah (Hebrew, meaning “for its own sake”) is a digital resource for exploring syntactic ambiguity in the Hebrew Bible and traditional Jewish biblical interpretation. Hosted on CUNY Manifold, it currently features twelve curated cases of syntactic ambiguity, each linked to a month of the Hebrew calendar, accompanied by annotated medieval Jewish commentaries.

The project employs digital tools for data compilation, presentation, and user interaction. While in its early stages, Lishmah aims to contribute to digital humanities by bridging traditional close reading with computational approaches and highlighting discourse analysis in biblical studies.
Future plans include developing Lishmah into a collaborative research database and a structured digital textbook for students, with the goal of broadening access to philological methods.

Recommended Citation

Tzoref, Shani, "Lishmah: An Exploration of Syntactic Ambiguity and Biblical Exegesis Through the Jewish Calendar Year" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6106