Page 38 - HaMizrachi Australia Rosh HaShana Yom Kippur 5781

THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND WHAT’S IN A WORD

David Curwin

Harat Olam

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

So how did it come to its meanings.
mean “world,” which David Curwin is a writer living in Efrat,
is the most common and the author of the Balashon blog,
usage in Modern balashon.com.

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