My late great grandfather was a torah scholar, but with all his learning, he never knew that a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly. He was amazed when someone told him about the common phenomenon. My question is, is this metamorphosis ever mentioned in torah literature, be it Tanach, Chazal, Rishonim, or Acharonim?
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2See Malbim (Iyov 27:18) who interprets the verse as referring to the ephemeral nature of a Lepidoptera chrysalis.– FredMay 9, 2014 at 22:42
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1@Fred, sounds like an answer; why not post it as such?– msh210 ♦May 11, 2014 at 5:20
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2@msh210 I guess so, but I would feel more comfortable in posting an answer if I was prepared to include an analysis of traditional understandings of the עש/סס/אבזקא/דרנא, as well as a halachic discussion of the status of a caterpillar (whether it is considered sheretz ha'of and/or whether the status should be dependent on the fact that it has a flying form at a later stage). Oh well, I'll post it as is for now and hopefully someone will come along with a more thorough answer at some point.– FredMay 12, 2014 at 6:18
1 Answer
Iyov (27:18) discusses the ephemeral nature of a wicked person's success:
בָּנָה כָעָשׁ בֵּיתוֹ וּכְסֻכָּה עָשָׂה נֹצֵר
Translation (Mechon-Mamre):
He buildeth his house as a moth,1 and as a booth which the keeper maketh.
The Malbim (Iyov, ibid.) interprets the verse as referring to the ephemeral nature of a Lepidoptera chrysalis:
כמו שהעש בעת שמתעטף במעטפה שזה ביתו, ואחר שיוצא מן המעטפה את ביתו ישא רוח
Translation (mine):
Just as the moth, when it wraps itself in the chrysalis that becomes its home, afterwards, when it emerges from the chrysalis, its home is blown away by the wind....
1 Likely, the word עָשׁ in Biblical usage can apply to the entire order Lepidoptera.
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Thanks Fred. One comment: When the Malbim concludes ישא רוח, you assumed it refers to the house. I think it refers to the insect itself: the wind lifts it, meaning it can fly.– MurexMay 23, 2014 at 17:46
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@Murex Interesting read, but then what do you do with the words "את ביתו"?– FredMay 25, 2014 at 17:08