Page 52 - HaMizrachi # 22 Rosh HahHana - Yom Kippur 2020 USA

THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND WHAT’S IN A WORD

David Curwin

Harat Olam

n the Rosh Hashanah prayers, Nissan, the world was created. So how did it come to mean “world,”
we say ם ָ לֹוע ת ַ ר ֲ ה םֹוּי ַ ה. This is often Nissan is in the spring, when nature which is the most common usage in
Itranslated as “today is the birthday is renewed, which is a fitting time to Modern Hebrew? Apparently, between
of the world.” This is based on the idea reenact the creation of the world. the meanings “eternity” and “world,”
that the world was created (or Man there was a middle stage, where it
was created) on the first day of the Why then do we focus on the creation meant “age” or “era.” This sense is still
month of Tishrei. of the world on Rosh Hashanah (cer- preserved in the phrases הֶּז ַ ה ם ָ לֹוע and
tainly more so than we do in Nissan)?
Yet there is a difficulty with this trans- Perhaps to emphasize the centrality א ָּ ב ַ ה ם ָ לֹוע, meaning “this age” or “the
lation. The verb ה ָ ר ָ ה does not mean “to of intent. As important as the final age to come” respectively. They refer
give birth,” but rather “to conceive.” results are, what gives them signifi- to either the current time we are living
(From the same root we get the words cance is the original intent. הׂ ֶ ש ֲ ע ַ מ ףֹוס in or a future time which in some way
ןֹוי ָ ר ֵ ה – “pregnancy” and horim םי ִ רֹוה ה ָּ ל ִ ח ְּ ת ה ָ ב ׁ ָ ש ֲ ח ַ מ ְּ ב – “the final action was will be very different.
– “parents.”) So should the phrase be [determined] by the original thought.” Those two eras are so different that
translated as “the day the world was In a period when we are occupied with they could be understood to be
conceived”? What would that refer to? repentance, our focus needs to be on entirely different worlds – in fact, a
This actually goes back to a debate our proper intent and thoughts, so more common translation for those
in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 10b). our actions will reflect those original phrases is “this world” and “the world
Rabbi Eliezer says the world was considerations. to come.”
created in Tishrei. Rabbi Yehoshua However, this is not the only word in
disagrees and says the world was the phrase whose meaning has been From the Rabbinic period onward,
created six months earlier (or later) understood differently over time. ם ָ לֹוע came to generally mean “world,”
in the month of Nissan. These and biblical phrases like ם ָ לֹוע ת ַ ר ֲ ה
two opinions are reconciled by The phrase ם ָ לֹוע ת ַ ר ֲ ה was first used by were adapted to this new meaning.
Rabbeinu Tam (cited by Tosafot the prophet Jeremiah: יִנ ַ ת ְ תֹומ אלֹ ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א Another example can be found in
on Rosh Hashanah 27a), who says ם ָ לֹוע ת ַ ר ֲ ה ה ָ מ ְ ח ַ ר ְ ו י ִ ר ְ ב ִ ק י ִּ מ ִ א י ִ ל י ִ ה ְּ ת ַ ו ם ֶ ח ָ ר ֵ מ, Jeremiah 10:10, which describes G-d
ְ
that in Tishrei G-d decided to “Because he did not kill me before as ם ָ לֹוע ך ֶ ל ֶ מ. In the biblical context,
create the world (i.e. the idea was birth, so that my mother might be my that meant “the everlasting King.” But
conceived), and six months later, in grave, and her womb pregnant for- when it was adopted into the formula
ever” (Jeremiah 20:17). of Jewish blessings, it became “King of
the World.”
We’ve already noted that ת ַ ר ֲ ה means
“pregnant.” But in this verse, ם ָ לֹוע On Rosh Hashanah, we profess that
does not mean “world,” but G-d is “King of the World.” Of course,
rather “forever.” That is the by recalling the original creation, we
meaning throughout the acknowledge that G-d’s reign is eternal
entire Bible – it consis- as well. For us humans, the distinc-
tently means “eternity” tions between space and time are dif-
or “always.” In this way, ficult to bridge. G-d, however, is above
it is related to the both time and space, so the word ם ָ לֹוע
word for “hidden” applies to Him in both of its meanings.
– ם ָ ל ֱ עֶנ – mean-
ing, “the hidden, David Curwin is a writer living in Efrat,
unknown time.” and the author of the Balashon blog,
balashon.com.

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