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@msh210, I've heard this with respect to at lesat chumash and possibly tanakh (but not broader). I hope to update with some examples later when I have access to my books. –  Monica Cellio Aug 28 '12 at 19:44
FYI: In some of the literature, the concept you're referring to is called "omnisignificance." –  Isaac Moses Aug 28 '12 at 19:58

4 Answers 4


דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם‏
The Torah spoke using the language of man



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In addition to the above answers, it has been well established that the Torah repeats itself for stylistic reasons or to emphasize a point. For example, there are many examples of chiasm (aka inclusio), where the Torah intentionally repeats two similar phrases to form a structure that emphasizes a certain point.

Additionally, there are multiple examples of poetry and song in the Torah, which sometimes appear to be contain extra words just to maintain the rhythm.

How the rabbis knew which 'extra' words should be expounded (darshened) and which were just there is a complicated topic, and is beyond the scope of this question.

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perhaps on pshat level there are extra words, but the torah has many layers of meanings and ultimately every letter is crucial like the transistors in a radio as the Derech Etz Chaim of the Ramchal wrote:

Because all the (22) letters that we see in the torah, all of them teach on the 22 lights which exist on high. And these supernal lights, shine on the letters. And from them comes the holiness of the torah, the holiness of the sefer torah, tefilin, and mezuzos, and all the holy writings. And according to the holiness in which they were written, so too will be the resting and shining of these lights on the letters. Therefore the sefer torah which has one invalid letter, becomes entirely invalid because the lights cannot remain in it properly, that it should pull down the holiness to the congregation with the power of the reading of it.....it comes out from this, that even though the torah is endless, and even each letter from it is like this, however one needs to ignite it, and then it flames. For this, the intellect of man was made. Because it also has the power of great attainment...

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