2341: shavuous May 16, 2021
The holiday of Shavuos (associated in Christian theology as 'Pentecost'), one of the major Jewish holidays, goes by many names in the Bible is first mentioned as חג הקציר (Chag haKatzir) literally 'holiday of the reaping' as it is based around a grain harvest festival followed shortly after with the name used today חג השבועות (Chag haShavuos) meaning "holiday of the weeks" since it is measured by 7 weeks after the second day of Pesach. This term is also used more often in the Bible. Later after that though there is יום הבכורים (Yom haBikkurim) which is often translated as 'First Fruits' but this word is used for any first-born offspring including for sons and doesn't relate to 'fruit' per se. Outside of the 5 Books also, it is referred to as עצרת (Atzeres) meaning 'conclusion' as it is a conclusion of a 50-day counting process and זמן מתן תורתנו (Zman Matan Toraseinu) or 'Time of Giving of Our Torah' as this is the date for the revelation on Mount Sinai.
2236: Why Tu BShvat is called 'Tu' Jan 28, 2021
The Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat—which just ended if you read this at the time of publication—is named for the date: the 15th of the month of Shvat (שבט). 'Tu' (ט״ו) is not a number however though it is seen here and also in the holiday Tu B’Av. Indeed, Hebrew uses a quasi-decimalized numerical system for writing numbers based off the order of the alphabet, as with Greek numerals, but while numbers from ten (י), eleven (יא or 10+1), twelve (יב or 10+2) etc. just go in order that way with addition, 15 and 16 are represented ט״ו (9 + 6) and ט״ז (9 + 7) as to avoid writing out one of the spellings for a name of Gd. It just so happens טו would be pronounced 'tu', but in normal speech the word would be חמש-עשרה (chamesh-esre).
2193: Why the Spelling for the Maccabees is Controversial Dec 16, 2020
An important source to understanding the story behind the holiday of Chanuka is from The Book of the Maccabees, but exactly how to spell 'Maccabees' in Hebrew is unclear. These days, it is 'מכבים' but irrespective of that it might be surprising there is the ambiguity at all. This is actually because the oldest known records are in Greek, where is it universally Μακκαβαῖοι (Makkabaioi), despite the fact the entire subject matter focuses on fighting the Greeks militarily and culturally. It is unclear whether the name originates, as is most commonly understood, as an acronym written on their flags from מי־כמכה באלם יי (mi chamocha ba'elim [Hashem]) meaning "who is like You among the heavens [G-d]?". The name could also come as a reference to the military strength, with [מקבי[ם meaning 'hammer' in Aramaic. Keep in mind that while this is often taken to be a family name, as with Yehuda Maccabee, their actual dynastic name being חשמונאים ([the] Hasmonaim).
2173: הודו & חג ההודיה (Thanksgiving & Turkey): Unrelated Nov 26, 2020
While people might like to make the connection between Hebrew חג ההודיה (chag ha'hodiah) for the Thanksgiving holiday, and הודו (hodu), the imperative form of 'thank' that also means 'turkey', but it is not from this holiday that the bird is called this in Hebrew. Just compare the name for 'India' in Hebrew, הודו, and you'll notice it is literally the same word. This might become clearer considering the longer name of the bird is תרנגול הודו (“India fowl”), similar to how 'turkey' got its name from the country of Turkey, even though it is from the Americas. The name for the country in Hebrew comes from the Old Persian 'hiduuš', from Sanskrit, and is not related to anything along the lines of 'thank'.
2147: A Parisian Menu with Actual Zoo-Animals Oct 31, 2020
It didn't have to be Halloween to enjoy "Cat à la Rat", or "Wolf's Leg, with venison sauce". The French are known worldwide for their fancy gourmet foods—snails and frogs notwithstanding—but there is a Parisian menu from 1870 that shows zoo animals on it. This, as a historical record, shows the way in which people reacted to the Franco-Prussian war, the siege on Paris, and the starvation it caused. Some more items include Elephant Soup, Kangaroo Stew, Stuffed Donkey Head, Antelope Terrine, and English-Style Camel...
2103: The Many Names of Rosh Hashona Sep 17 2020
The Jewish new year holiday, Rosh Hashona, goes by many names, but 'Rosh Hashona' (ראש השנה), literally 'head of the year' actually only appears once in the Bible—Ezekiel 40:1—and it's much later than when initially mentioned. It is first mentioned in Leviticus as Zichron Teruah (זכרון תרועה) meaning "a memorial of blowing [of the shofar]". It is elsewhere however referred to as Yom Teruah (יום תרועה) meaning 'Day of Blowing' (the Shofar) and prayers it is referred to has Yom Hazikaron (הזכרון יום), though now this is also a secular Israeli Memorial Day and is not so used for Rosh Hashona.
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