Page 46 - HaMizrachi Australia Sukkot 5781

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

Names of the Week

David Curwin

T he holiday of Sukkot has sev- ‘May Hashem add (ף ֵסי) another son for
ֹ
eral names. Let’s take a look
me’” (Bereishit 30:23–24).
at them:
Chag
In Yechezkel 45:23, Sukkot is not
Chag HaSukkot referred to by name, but simply called
ג ָח ֶה. This name is found frequently in
One name of Sukkot, of course, is ג ַח
ת ֹו ּ כֻּ סַה. “On the 15th day of this sev- rabbinic literature, so any mention
enth month there shall be the Feast of just “chag” will indicate Sukkot. Of
of Booths (Sukkot) to Hashem, [to last] course, with the addition of the spe-
seven days. […] You shall live in booths cific chag it could be referring to any
(sukkot) for seven days; all citizens in of the three pilgrimage festivals. The
Israel shall live in booths, in order that notion of pilgrimage is reflected in its
future generations may know that I root: ג ַג ָח – “to make a pilgrimage, to
made the Israelite people live in booths celebrate a feast.”
when I brought them out of the land The root ג ַג ָח can also mean “to dance”
of Egypt; I Hashem your G-d” (Vayikra and is related to the root גּוח – “to make
23:34, 42–43). would be the “Festival of Ingathering,” or move in a circle.” Although today
since the crops are gathered in from
While the word sukkot in Tanach the field at harvest time, as is men- it is an anachronism, the “dialing” of
often refers to the holiday, there are tioned in Vayikra 23:39: “Mark, on the phones in Hebrew is called גּוּי ִח, and
also examples of sukkot referring to 15th day of the seventh month, when an area code is an גּוּי ִח רֹוז ֵא. From the
commonplace booths. Those booths you have gathered in the yield of your notion of a “circle of people,” we get
were used for shade, either for workers land.” the word גּוח, meaning “club” or “class.”
in a field or for livestock. The shade
provided by these booths is the root The root ף ָס ָא means “to gather, to col- Z’man Simchateinu
of the word sukkah. “Sukkah” derives lect, to assemble.” Other related words As seen above, Sukkot was the most
ְ
from the root ך ַכ ָס, “to cover,” which are ה ָפ ֵס ֲא – “assembly,” ףּו ּ ס ִא – “compila- prominent of the agricultural holidays.
also provides us with the word we use tion” and ף ֶסֹא – “collection.” This is due to the end of the harvest
to describe the covering of the sukkah: There is some disagreement over
ְ
ך ָכ ְס. This same root is the foundation which other roots may be related to season, a time of great joy. That feel-
ing is reflected in the name ּונ ֵת ָח ְמ ִׂש ן ַמ ְז,
for other words involving covering: ף ָס ָא, and this debate helps us under- which appears in our prayers. The root
ְ
• ך ָסּומ – In its only occurrence in stand the original meaning of ף ָס ָא as ַ ח ֵמ ָׂש is connected to the root ח ַמ ֶצ – “to
the Bible (Melachim II 16:18), this well. Some say it is related to the root sprout.” A similar case is found in
meant a covered portico; today it ף ָסָי – “to add, increase.” This latter root English, in which the word “elated”
means “a garage”. is found in words related to increasing, means both “happy” and “lifted up.”
ְ
• ך ָס ָמ – Originally a curtain or such as ת ֶפ ֶסֹו ּ ת ,ף ָסֹונ ,ף ָסּומ ,ףי ִסֹומ. As one Another meaning of ַח ֵמ ָׂש is “to glow”
collects and gathers, one’s possessions
screen; today it often refers to a increase. which is why it is often found together
computer monitor or the screen in with the word for light, as in ה ָרֹוא
of a phone. Others say ף ָס ָא is related to the root ףֹוס, ה ָח ְמ ִׂש ְו.
meaning “to end,” since gathering in
ֵ
• ה ָכ ּ ס ַמ – A covering; today it means items (such as the grains from a har-
“mask” (influenced by the English vest), puts them in a closed, limited
word). area. This is seen in another meaning
of ף ָס ָא – “he took away, withdrew.”
Chag HaAsif
Both meanings are found in the name
In the Torah, Sukkot is also referred given to Yosef by Rachel: “She con-
to as “Chag HaAsif” (Shemot 23:16 and ceived and bore a son, and said, ‘G-d David Curwin is a writer living in Efrat,
34:22). Often translated as the “Harvest has taken away (ף ַס ָא) my disgrace.’ So and the author of the Balashon blog,
Festival,” a more precise translation she named him Yosef, which is to say, balashon.com.

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