body
shoulder
At a glance
In short
Both mean shoulder, and the authorities give no single answer to how they differ. In one division, the second view the Ohel Moed cites, katef is the whole shoulder and shechem the part of it directly opposite the neck, the upper shoulder; Radak likewise makes shechem the part nearest the neck. In Iyov 31:22, where the katef sits atop the shechem, shechem seems rather to be the upper back. Shechem also carries the borrowed senses of a parcel, carried on the shoulder, and from that a portion or allotment.
Distinctions
Shechem (שכם)
Yaakov to Yosef, after blessing Yosef's two sons: "Behold, I will die and God will be with you and return you to the Land of your Forefathers. And I give to you one shechem over your brothers, which I had taken from the Emorites with my sword and my bow" (Bereishis 48:21-22). The commentators, among them Targum, Rashi and Ibn Ezra, "scramble" to explain what Yaakov bequeaths.
- Some read the Canaanite city of Shechem, which Yaakov's sons had already conquered from the Emorites who lived there, and Sefer Yehoshua ends with Yosef's bones buried in that city (Yehoshua 24:32).
- Others read not the city but an extra allotment, shechem being able to mean a parcel or package: each son received one lot of territory, while Yosef received two, one for each of his sons. That sense is a borrowed one, secondary or even tertiary; the word literally names the body part on which packages were generally carried.
The literal use is in the blessing to Yissachar, "Yissachar is like a boney donkey, crouching between the borders. And he saw rest that is good, and the land that it is pleasant. And he lowered his shechem to carry the burden" (Bereishis 49:14-15), the shechem being the part of the donkey on which it carries its yoke.
- Rabbi Dovid Zvi Hoffmann (1843-1921) connects the verb lehashkim, to wake up early, whose root is the same letters as shechem: waking involves raising one's shoulder as one goes from horizontal to vertical.
- Some linguists similarly tie rising early to the shoulder: loading parcels on a beast's back was usually done early in the morning, right before setting out for the day, so shechem came to mean doing anything early in the morning, and even waking early.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) had it that early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Katef (כתף)
The shoulder as such. It appears in contrast with shechem at Iyov 31:21-22, where Iyov, protesting that his hand never tricked an orphan, accepts a curse that his katef fall from his shechem.
Where the authorities disagree
If katef means "shoulder," how can shechem mean it too?
Rabbi Shlomo of Urbino, a sixteenth-century Italian scholar, writes in Ohel Moed, a lexicon of Hebrew synonyms, that some explain the two words to mean exactly the same thing; he then cites others who explain that the part of the shoulder directly opposite the neck is called shechem while the whole shoulder is called katef.
Radak (1160-1235): shechem means the part of the shoulder lying closest to the neck.
Against Radak, the pasuk in Iyov. Asserting his innocence, Iyov says, among other things, "If my hand tricked an orphan… my katef shall fall from my shechem" (Iyov 31:21-22), so sure that he had cheated nobody that he was willing to accept the curse on that condition. There katef is plainly a body part sitting atop the shechem, from which it seems that katef is the upper shoulder and shechem is actually the back, which suits a curse that his shoulder be dislocated from his back and fall. The commentators point out that this is at odds with Radak, who makes shechem the higher part.
Rabbi Ezra Reuven Dangoor (1848-1930), Chief Rabbi of Baghdad: the division is front and back. Shechem is the backside of the shoulder, katef the front side.
The Munkatcher Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro (1871-1937): shechem is the more inclusive term, taking in both shoulders, while katef is a single shoulder.
Rabbi Yonah Ibn Janach (990-1050) in his Sefer HaShorashim: shechem primarily means "corner" or "side," and refers to the shoulder only as a borrowed meaning, the shoulder sitting at the corner or side of the body. Radak cites the same explanation in his own work of that name. On that view the word evolved in three stages, primarily "side," secondarily "shoulder," and in its tertiary sense "package" or "portion." Rabbi Klein notes that this understanding does not account for the difference between shechem and katef, both of which mean "shoulder" and "side."
Radak on these roots
Sefer HaShorashim
כ-ת-ף
The shoulder, a known word; כְתֵפֹת, shoulder pieces, called so for sitting on the shoulders; and in other places a side or a flank.
The shoulder
בַּכָּתֵף יִשָּֽׂאוּ (Bamidbar 7:9), they shall carry on the shoulder; וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרָרֶת (Zecharyah 7:11), and they gave a stubborn shoulder; כְּתֵפִי מִשִּׁכְמָה תִפּוֹל (Iyov 31:22), let my shoulder fall from its blade; בִּכְתֵפָם בַּמֹּטוֹת (Divrei HaYamim I 15:15), on their shoulders with the poles. The word is known.
The shoulder pieces
כְתֵפֹת חֹֽבְרֹת (Shemos 28:7), joined shoulder pieces, are called כתפות because they were on the shoulders.
A side
וְלַכָּתֵף הַשֵּׁנִית (Shemos 27:15), and for the second side, and וְכִתְפוֹת הַפֶּתַח (Yechezkel 41:2), and the sides of the doorway: the sense of them is a side and a flank. In the construct, אֶל־ כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת (Melachim I 6:8), to the side of the house, is pointed with six dots.
The shoulder of the Pelishtim
וְעָפוּ בְכָתֵף פְּלִשְׁתִּים (Yeshayahu 11:14) is of this sense as well: the Pelishtim will be weary and weak in their shoulder, that is, in their land. Or it may be of the first sense, meaning that Israel will be weary of shoulder from striking the Pelishtim so much. Yonasan renders וְיִתְחַבְּרוּן כְּתָף חָד לְמִמְחֵי פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי, they will join as one shoulder to strike the Pelishtim.
בַּכָּתֵף יִשָּֽׂאוּ (במדבר ז, ט), וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרָרֶת (זכריה ז, יא), כְּתֵפִי מִשִּׁכְמָה תִפּוֹל (איוב לא, כב), בִּכְתֵפָם בַּמֹּטוֹת (דברי הימים א' טו, טו), ידוע. ומה שאמר כְתֵפֹת חֹֽבְרֹת (שמות כח, ז), לפי שהיו על הכתפות נקראו כתפות. וְלַכָּתֵף הַשֵּׁנִית (שמות כז, טו), וְכִתְפוֹת הַפֶּתַח (יחזקאל מא, ב), וְעָפוּ בְכָתֵף פְּלִשְׁתִּים (ישעיה יא, יד), ענינם צד ופאה. ובסמוך אֶל־כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת (מלכים א' ו, ח), בשש נקודות. ופירוש וְעָפוּ בְכָתֵף פְּלִשְׁתִּים שיהיו פלשתים עֲיֵפִים וחלשים בכתפם, כלומר בארצם. או יהיה מהענין הראשון ופירושו שיהיו ישראיל עיפי כתף סרוב הכות בפלשתים. ויונתן תרגם וְיִתְחַבְּרוּן כְּתָף חָד לְמִמְחֵי פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי.
ש-כ-ם
To rise early; and שְׁכֶם, the part of the shoulder against the neck. A side, a quarter or a portion is the same sense, since the shoulder is a side.
Rising early
וְהִשְׁכַּמְתֶּם וַֽהֲלַכְתֶּם לְדַרְכְּכֶם (Bereishis 19:2), and you will rise early and go your way, and מַשְׁכִּימֵי קוּם (Tehillim 127:2), you who rise early. וְכַטַּל מַשְׁכִּים הֹלֵֽךְ (Hoshea 6:4), and like the dew that goes early, is dew that goes off at the early hour; and מַשְׁכִּים הָיוּ (Yirmiyahu 5:8), they were early, is said of horses: every morning they were like well-fed horses, as it says of those who devise wrong on their beds, בְּאוֹר הַבֹּקֶר יַֽעֲשׂוּהָ (Michah 2:1), in the morning light they do it. He has given another explanation of it at the root מָשַׁך.
The shoulder
עַל־ שְׁכֶם שְׁנֵיהֶם (Bereishis 9:23), upon the shoulder of both of them, and וַיֵּט שִׁכְמוֹ (Bereishis 49:15), and he bent his shoulder: the part of the shoulder that is against the neck is called שכם, as it says כְּתֵפִי מִשִּׁכְמָה תִפּוֹל (Iyov 31:22), let my shoulder fall from the place at the neck.
A side, a portion
כִּי תְּשִׁיתֵמוֹ שֶׁכֶם (Tehillim 21:13), for You will set them שֶׁכֶם, is to one side and to one quarter; דֶּרֶךְ יְרַצְּחוּ שֶׁכְמָה (Hoshea 6:9), they murder along the way שֶׁכְמָה, is on one way and one side; לְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָֽד (Tzefaniah 3:9), to serve Him with one שְׁכֶם, is with one heart and one mind; and וַֽאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד (Bereishis 48:22), and I have given you one שְׁכֶם, is one portion. All of it is one sense, for the shoulder is a side and a quarter; and so a side is called כתף, a shoulder, as in וְלַכָּתֵף הַשֵּׁנִית (Shemos 27:15), and for the second side.
[הִפְעִיל] וְהִשְׁכִּים אַבְשָׁלוֹם (שמואל ב' טו, ב), וְהִשְׁכַּמְתֶּם וַֽהֲלַכְתֶּם לְדַרְכְּכֶם (בראשית יט, ב), שָׁוְא לָכֶם מַשְׁכִּימֵי קוּם (תהלים קכז, ב), וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר (בראשית כו, לא), הַשְׁכֵּם וְהַֽעֲרֵב (שמואל א' יז, טז), הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹֽחַ (ירמיה ז, כה). ובא באל"ף תמורת הה"א וָֽאֲדַבֵּר אֲלֵיכֶם הַשְׁכֵּם וְדַבֵּר (ירמיה ז, יג). ונכתב ביו"ד המשך. וכן וַיִּקְרְאוּ לְפָנָיו אַבְרֵךְ (בראשית מא, מג) כמו הַבְרֵך. וְכַטַּל מַשְׁכִּים הֹלֵֽךְ (הושע ו, ד), כלומר כטל שהולך בהשכמה. וכן סוּסִים מְוֻזָּנִים [מְיֻזָּנִים] מַשְׁכִּים הָיוּ (ירמיה ה, ח), כלומר בכל בקר ובקר היו כבוסים מיוזנים כענין שנאמר (מיכה ב, א) חֹֽשְׁבֵי־אָוֶן וּפֹֽעֲלֵי רָע עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם בְּאוֹר הַבֹּקֶר יַֽעֲשׂוּהָ כִּי יֶשׁ־לְאֵל יָדָֽם. וכבר פירשנו בו פירוש אחר בשרש מָשַׁך. עַל־שְׁכֶם שְׁנֵיהֶם (בראשית ט, כג), שָׂם עַל־שִׁכְמָהּ (בראשית כא, יד), וַיֵּט שִׁכְמוֹ (בראשית מט, טו), מה שעל הכתף שהוא כנגד הצואר יקרא שכם. כמו שאמר כְּתֵפִי מִשִּׁכְמָה תִפּוֹל (איוב לא, כב). והה"א נחה ומשפטה במפיק וכבר כתבנוהו עם חביריו בחלק הדקדוק. כִּי תְּשִׁיתֵמוֹ שֶׁכֶם (תהלים כא, יג), לצד אחד ולפאה אחת והוא בשש נקודות ובאתנח. דֶּרֶךְ יְרַצְּחוּ שֶׁכְמָה (הושע ו, ט), על דרך אחת וצד אחד. וכן לְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָֽד (צפניה ג, ט), בלב אחד ובדעת אחת. וַֽאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד (בראשית מח, כב), חלק אחד. והכל ענין אחד, כי הכתף צד ופאה. וכן הפאה נקראת כתף וְלַכָּתֵף הַשֵּׁנִית (שמות כז, טו).
Radak, Sefer HaShorashim, Berlin 1847. Public domain, digitised by Sefaria from the National Library of Israel.
Sources
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "Shouldering the Burden," What's in a Word?, Ohr Somayach, 30 December 2017.
Cited in the essay: Bereishis 48:21-22 with Targum, Rashi and Ibn Ezra, and 49:14-15; Yehoshua 24:32; Iyov 31:21-22; Rabbi Shlomo of Urbino, Ohel Moed; Ibn Janach and Radak, each in his Sefer HaShorashim; Rabbi Ezra Reuven Dangoor; the Munkatcher Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro; Rabbi Dovid Zvi Hoffmann; Benjamin Franklin.