After a soldier enlists in the Israeli army, there are two words to describe him (or her, although I'm providing the male forms of the words): טִירוֹן tiron - "new recruit" and טוּרַאי turai - "private" (his initial rank). While the two words apply to a similar time in the military, and look somewhat similar, they are actually not related etymologically. Tiron entered Hebrew in the rabbinic period, borrowed from the Latin tiro. The English word "tyro" has the same meaning and origin: "a beginner in learning anything," 1610s, from Medieval Latin tyro, variant of Latin tiro (plural tir ..read more

What is the origin of the word andarta אַנְדַּרְטָה - "monument, memorial"? The word first appears in rabbinic Hebrew, where it was spelled אַנְדְּרָטָא. The meaning in those sources in the Talmud, midrashim, and Targumim is "statue" and usually had the negative associations with idolatry and worshipped statues of emperors and kings. That original meaning is reflected in the etymology as well. Here's Klein's entry: PBH, respectively NH feminine noun. statue, image, bust.  [Gk. andrias, genitive andriatos (= the image of a man, statue), from aner, genitive andros (= man), which is co ..read more

What is the origin of the word אֻכְלוּסִיָּה uchlusiya - "population"? This is a word that entered into Hebrew in the Talmudic period (for example, Yevamot 36b) with the sense of "multitudes", borrowed from the Greek ochlos, meaning "crowd." Klein says that the Greek word is "perhaps related to ochein (= to carry), and cognate with Latin vehere (= to carry, convey)."  In the entry for the the related word ochlocracy - "government by the rabble", the Online Etymology Dictionary adds the following: "government by the rabble," 1580s, from French ochlocratie (1560s), from Greek okhl ..read more

Israel is still grieving and reeling from the barbaric massacre carried out by the terrorist organization Hamas on Simchat Torah. And now we are about to read Parashat Noach, which describes the terrible state of humanity before the flood: וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס׃  "The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with violence." (Bereshit 6:11) This has led many to wonder - is there a connection between the word for violence in Hebrew - khamas - and the Arabic name of the violent organization Hamas? Let's look at each of these wo ..read more

I'm so happy to share with all of you that after nearly six years of work, my first book, Kohelet - A Map to Eden, is available: While it doesn't deal with etymology per se, it does use a linguistic lens to discover connections and parallels between Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) and the opening chapters of Bereshit (Genesis).  It's a genuine page-turner, and shows how Kohelet - often viewed as depressing, confusing, and even tedious - tells a real story, and provides a powerful message of hope.  Kohelet – A Map to Eden is not simply a running commentary on Kohelet, although I ..read more

My book, Kohelet - A Map to Eden is now fully available in Israel! It is available in many of the book stores in Israel that carry Judaica books in English, as well as on the Koren website: https://korenpub.co.il/en/products/kohelet-a-map-to-eden Through that website you can also see a preview of the first 30 pages. For more information about the book, see my post where I first announced its release.  I hope you enjoy the book, and looking forward to your feedback ..read more

This post is part of a series about words from Kohelet, in honor of the release of my new book, Kohelet - A Map to Eden. For more information about the book, and how to get a discount for your purchase, see this Balashon entry.  The eighth chapter of Kohelet opens with this verse: מִי כְּהֶחָכָם וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ פֵּשֶׁר דָּבָר חׇכְמַת אָדָם תָּאִיר פָּנָיו וְעֹז פָּנָיו יְשֻׁנֶּא׃ "Who is like the wise man, and who knows the meaning of the adage: 'A man’s wisdom lights up his face, So that his deep discontent is dissembled'?" (Kohelet 8:1) The word translated here as "meaning ..read more

Taking a quick break from the series of Kohelet posts, for an investigation of a special word: sandak סַנְדָּק. Our daughter just gave birth to our first grandchild, and this past Shabbat, I had the privilege of being the sandak at his brit milah - meaning he was placed on my lap during the ceremony.  It was one of the most special moments of my life, so I thought it deserved a post.  The word sandak doesn't look Hebrew, and indeed isn't. Here are Klein's definition and etymology: סַנְדָּק m.n. MH    ‘sandak’, godfather, one who holds the child on his kn ..read more

This post is part of a series about words from Kohelet, in honor of the release of my new book, Kohelet - A Map to Eden. For more information about the book, and how to get a discount for your purchase, see this Balashon entry. The word holelut (or holelot) הוללות appears in Kohelet, and only in Kohelet (1:17, 2:12, 7:25, 9:3, 10:13). It is an abstract noun, and Gordis notes that it means "madness, mad revelry, wickedness." Alter expands on this idea and writes: The common rendering of holelut as “madness” (for which in biblical Hebrew, as in the modern language, the primary term w ..read more

This post is part of a series about words from Kohelet, in honor of the release of my new book, Kohelet - A Map to Eden. For more information about the book, and how to get a discount for your purchase, see this Balashon entry. In the Tanakh, the Hebrew root תקן appears only in Kohelet (1:15, 7:13, 12:9). As Klein notes, it means "to be or become straight", as in its first appearance in Kohelet: מְעֻוָּת לֹא־יוּכַל לִתְקֹן וְחֶסְרוֹן לֹא־יוּכַל לְהִמָּנוֹת׃  "That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered." (Kohelet 1:15) It also appea ..read more