Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Commentary for Kiddushin 59:11

לפיכך נקראו ראשונים סופרים שהיו סופרים כל האותיות שבתורה שהיו אומרים וא"ו (ויקרא יא, מב) דגחון חציין של אותיות של ס"ת (ויקרא י, טז) דרש דרש חציין של תיבות (ויקרא יג, לג) "והתגלח" של פסוקים (תהלים פ, יד) יכרסמנה חזיר מיער עי"ן דיער חציין של תהלים (תהלים עח, לח) והוא רחום יכפר עון חציו דפסוקים

half the verses. The boar out of the wood [mi-ya'ar] doth ravage it:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXX, 14. rgh');"><sup>23</sup></span> the 'ayin of ya'ar<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' .');"><sup>24</sup></span> marks half of the Psalms.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is not stated whether letters or words are meant: S. Strashun observes that he counted the words, and found that the first half exceeds the second by nearly 2,000; hence the reference is to letters, and there is such a reading too.');"><sup>25</sup></span>

Daf Shevui to Kiddushin

While historians usually understand “soferim” as scribes, taking the word to refer to the meaning of the verb as “counting” this passage, this passage associates it with the meaning of “counting.” These sages loved counting the words of the Torah and Psalms, the two most learned books in rabbinic times. They worked out which letters and words appeared right in the middle of these books. Interpreters have often tried to find deeper meaning out of the search for the middles of these books. But in my opinion, this is just something people love to do. Some people (including myself) simply love statistics.
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