Page 50 - HaMizrachi #32 RH-YK 2021 USA

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

The Rosh Hashanah Simanim

David Curwin

n Rosh Hashanah, it is honey, since it was a time of famine. “hay,” so be sure not to ask for that in
customary to eat symbolic At that time, only wild bee honey was the supermarket if you’re looking for
foods (simanim) that express available, and it was hard to obtain. But leeks.
Oour wishes for the year to by Talmudic times, the techniques for
come. Let’s look at the words for some beekeeping had advanced, and so in Rubia and lubia
of the most common ones: rabbinic literature, ׁש ַב ְ ּ ד generally refers
to bee honey. Until now, we’ve seen Hebrew words
Tapuach b’dvash that either have debatable translations
or have meant different things over
Silka
The word ַחּו ּ פ ַּ ת appears only a few time. With this siman, there isn’t an
times in the Bible – five times in Shir Today many people understand issue of translation, but the word itself
HaShirim, and once each in Yoel and that silka refers to beets as the word is subject to question.
Mishlei. The identity of the fruit is not for beets in Modern Hebrew is selek.
clear. Some scholars identify it with However, others say that silka refers Some people call the
siman rubia (אָי ְּ ב ֻר). This
today’s typical apple (pirus malus). to spinach, and Sefardim
Others say that fruit was not found generally eat spinach is generally identified
as “fenugreek.” The
in the Land of Israel in biblical times. for that siman. How
By looking at the verses that could the same word reason for the name rubia
is unclear, but fenugreek was known
mention the ַחּו ּ פ ַּ ת, they be understood as both from ancient times to increase milk
find several character- spinach and beets? production in nursing mothers. Along
istics: it was pleasant to Although the plants are these lines, it may be that rubia derives
look at, it was sweet and very different, their leaves look similar
fragrant, and the tree to each other. In addition, the modern from the root ה ָּ ב ַר, “to increase.”
provided shade. Mishlei Hebrew word for spinach, tered, is Others call the siman lubia (אָי ְבּול). Lubia,
25:11 mentions ב ָה ָז י ֵחּו ּ פ ַּ ת, so perhaps identified in the Talmud as beets. This in Arabic, refers to black-eyed peas.
they were a golden color. Based on all confusion can be even found in one Where did it get that name?
this, they suggest that the most likely Talmudic passage (Eruvin 28b), where There are two theories. Some say that
candidate would be the apricot, which Rav Hamnuna calls the plant ןי ִ ּ ד ְר ַּ ת and it is so-called because it originated in
was found in the Land of Israel during Rav Hisda calls it א ָק ְל ִס. To avoid this Libya – בּול in Hebrew. Others say that
those times. uncertainty, Ben-Yehuda suggested it comes from the Greek lobos, mean-
The identity of ׁש ַב ְ ּ ד is not as debatable calling spinach תי ִצֹוק, but it was never ing “pod,” since that is how those peas
as ַחּו ּ פ ַּ ת. In the Bible, there are two adopted. So while it might not be clear grow.
kinds of honey: bee honey and date what silka is on the Rosh Hashanah
honey. Date (or fig) honey is much table, in the Israeli grocery store selek Gezer
more prevalent; some scholars believe always means beets, and tered always
that of the over 50 appearances of the means spinach. While the root ר ַז ָּג, meaning “to cut,” is
word in the Bible, only a few refer to of biblical origin, the word gezer, mean-
bee honey. Karti ing carrot, only entered Hebrew in the
Medieval period. Hebrew
While today we enjoy both types of Karti (י ִּ ת ְר ַּ כ) certainly means “leek.” It borrowed it from Arabic,
honey, only date honey was seen as a is a secondary form of ה ָ ׁש ֵר ְּ כ, which in turn got it
blessing in biblical times. When the the modern Hebrew word from either Persian or
Torah calls the land of Israel ת ַב ָז ץ ֶר ֶא for leek (although leeks Pashto. This is not sur-
ׁש ָב ְדּו ב ָל ָח (“a land flowing with milk and are also sometimes prising since the carrot
honey”), it is referring to date honey, called ףּול, based on the originated in Afghanistan.
since that is a product of the land Arabic). The biblical term
itself. On the other hand, bee honey for leek was רי ִצ ָח, as in Bam-
is a sign that the land is not in a good idbar 11:5, where the people remember David Curwin is a writer living in Efrat,
state. When Ya’akov sent ׁש ַב ְ ּ ד to Yosef the רי ִצ ָח they ate in Egypt. However, and the author of the Balashon blog,
(Bereishit 43:11), it was probably bee in Modern Hebrew, רי ִצ ָח only means balashon.com.

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