Devarim- Establishing Meaning

"You stayed in Kadesh many days, [as many] as the days that you dwelt." ~Devarim 1;46

"We turned and journeyed to the wilderness by way of the Sea of Reeds, as Hashem spoke to me, and we went around Mount Seir for many days." ~Devarim 2;1

"The Emim dwelled there previously, a great and populous people, and tall as the giants." ~Devarim 2;10

"Sihon went out toward us- he and his entire people- for battle, to Jahaz. Hashem, our G-d, gave him before us, and we smote him and his sons and his entire people. We captured all his cities at that time, and we destroyed every city- the men, the women, and the small children; we did not leave a survivor." ~Devarim 2;32-34

"All these were fortified cities, with a high wall, doors and a bar, aside from open cities, very many." ~Devarim 3;5

"For only Og king of the Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaim. Behold! his bed was an iron bed, in Rabbah of the Children of Ammon; nine cubits its length and four cubits its width, by the cubit of a man." ~Devarim 3;11

Math Connection:
There are mathematically related words that we use on a regular basis, words that have a general meaning. If the people using the words don't have the same understanding of the meaning, then it can create great confusion. From a recent, personal example, my daughter was supposed to do something 5 or 6 times a day. I was checking-in with her nightly to find out how many times she had taken care of this responsibility, and she would consistently answer, "Several." Then, one night I asked her how many she thought several was, and she told me that it meant 2 or 3. What a difference!

Words such as "all" or "none" are clear even when we don't know how many are in a group, since we know that the situation refers to either the entire group or none of the group. Other words have commonly understood meanings (although even my ranges can be subjective): 
a couple = 2
a few = 3-4
several= 5-6
many = 7+

Parsha Connection:
In this week's parsha, we have many examples of non-numerical vocabulary from which we should still be able to understand a certain quantity. Some of the words are concrete and give clear meaning, even without giving specified quantities, while other words leave us with the need for common understanding in order to have a full understanding of the meaning.

Examples of non-numerical concrete vocabulary:
*Devarim 2;32-34 Sihon went out with his entire people, his entire people were smote, and all his cities were captured and destroyed

Examples of non-numerical subjective vocabulary:
*Devarim 1;46 Children of Israel stayed in Kadesh many days.
*Devarim 2;1 Children of Israel traveled around Mount Seir for many days.
*Devarim 2;10 The Emim were a great and populous people, and tall as the giants.
*Devarim 2;32-34 The Children of Israel conquered Sihon and his people, including the men, the women, and the small children
*Devarim 3;5 The cities captured from Og "were fortified cities, with a high wall, doors and a bar, aside from open cities, very many."

Sometimes, even when measurements are given, clarification is needed. When we are told in Devarim 3;11 of the measurements of Og's iron bed (Og being a giant), we are given the measurements in Amot, which is a standard biblical measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger of an average sized man. However here, Rashi specifies for us that Og's bed was actually measured in Amot based on Og's proportions, not that of an average man. This would make quite the difference in the size of his bed!

Everyday Connection:
Have you ever had a situation when you were given non-numerical quantitative information and you felt that you needed to research or discuss further to fully understand the information? Are you always clear when using such vocabulary yourself? How often do we think that we are being clear, when really we end up with a misunderstanding? I know that my daughter has helped me try to be more conscious of my own clarity when using such terms.