MASOOLA, ma-soola, a boat common on the east coast of India, adapted to be beached on the surf-beaten shore. The planks are sewed together with coir, over wads of the same material, which press upon the seams. The boats are 30 to 35 feet long, 10 to 11 feet beam, 7 to 8 feet deep, and are rowed by 12 men, oars double banked, and a steersman with an oar at the stern.
MASORA, or MASSORAH, MASSORETH, a Hebrew word signifying "tradi tion," the name of a collection of notes refer ring to the Hebrew text of the Old Testa ment, and written in Chaldee chiefly on the margin of Hebrew manuscript. These notes are various in their character, critical, gram matical and explanatory. Since in early Hebrew writing no vowel signs appeared, great con fusion arose in time from the many modes of reading and supplying vowels to the consonants. The Masora set a fixed reading to each word and thus put an end to the multiplicity of readings. At what time the accumulation of
these notes was commenced cannot be ascer tamed. According to some Jewish writers the notes are in some cases as old as the time of Moses; according to others they were begun in the time of Ezra. It is more likely that they are the result not of one period but of many centuries of compilation and emendation. A useful edition of the Masora is the translation of Dr. Ginsburg (3 vols., London 1880-87). See JUDAISM - The Massorah. Consult Comely, 'Introductio in V. T. Libros Sacros' (Vol. I, Paris 1894) ; Ginsburg, C. T., 'Introduction to the Hebrew Bible' (London 1899); Driver, S. R., 'Notes on Hebrew Text of the Books of Samuel, with Introduction to Hebrew Palaeog raphy) (2d ed., Oxford 1913) • Harris, 'Rise and Development of the Massorah' (in Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. I, London 1889).