Masks- A Linguistic Purim Spiel, Story, Dvar Torah

Bemasked and Bewigged Purim 5781

I was rather surprised and even flattered when a neighbor asked me to prepare something to say about "Masks" for the Old Fogeys' Purim Party. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if I was supposed to be serious, theological or humorous, but I figured that if I asked too many questions, I'd lose the gig.

My mind began racing in all different directions in two languages. Actually, I was thinking in English and translating into Hebrew almost simultaneously. The talk was to be in Hebrew, even though my brain's wiring is primarily English. 

One shouldn't forget that according to some expert linguists, Hebrew is the root/source of all languages. If that's really true, then thinking in English is sort of like thinking in Hebrew. 

Every once in awhile the similarities between English and Hebrew words strike me like a bolt of lightening. When I'm on the Jerusalem Lightrail in Pisgat Zeev I hear:

"פסגת זאב מרכז"

"Pisgat Zeev Merkaz*"

"Pisgat Zeev Market"

Until the lightrail announcement, I had never noticed the similarity between merkaz and market. Remember that markets are in town centers...

Back to masks...

...The job of a mask is to mask is to hide...

OOPS! A mask is a מסכה masecha, but to mask or to hide is להסתיר lihas'tir which unrelated linguistically to מסכה masecha. which has the same root as סוכה succah, which gives us protection. 

By thinking/planning in English I was making no sense in Hebrew. And davka me, who gets all riled up at bad translations causing even theological mistakes. For example a Biblical Prophet, Navi נביא is not a fortune or future teller. He or she is a messenger, a tool Gd uses to pass important warnings to the Jewish People. Because it's always translated into "prophet" meaning teller of the future, now even Hebrew speakers think that the role of a Navi is tell the future.

Mask does sound very much like masecha. Maybe they are related...

Then it hit me! Such siyate d'Shmaya, such irony, too! During this past year masks have been a tool for protection against the COVID corona virus! No longer do we primarily think of a bank robber in a mask. Now we wear masks to stay healthy and keep others healthy. It's for protection, not hiding. 

Hebrew really is the root of all languages.

Stay safe, and wear your mask in public or when with other people.

*Center

Star of The Purim Story Esther, Not Haddassa

I have my "differences" with the accepted Biblical commentaries in a lot of issues. And I see things in the linguistics of the Tanach/Bible in ways that others don't. It's hard to say why, but for sure, one of the main reasons is that I didn't grow up with the "Torah stories" that most others grew up with.

Almost everything I know about the Tanach/Bible I learned as an adult. Add that to the fact that my mind does work a bissell differently from others, and you shouldn't be surprised.

Unlike EVERYONE ELSE, I read the line I've circled here as:

"And he raised Hadassa, actually named Esther..."

Standard commentary of her name is that her Persian name was Esther, but her real name was Haddassa.

It's a well known fact that there's a Hebrew root to the name Esther סתר.  סתר S-T-R means "secret." And the same linguistic root להסתיר lihastir means to hide.  Those who claim the root to be Persian, say it's "star." I have a question for you:

When are stars out?

Did you answer "at night"?

Think again, please. Stars are always surrounding the earth. It's just that daylight hides them. Clouds and rain hide them even at night. Yes, stars are mostly hidden.

Not only did Esther hide her national identity when in the palace; she hid her intelligence, too. Ester was a woman of secrets, just like her name in Hebrew, Esther סתר , אסתר S-T-R means "secret."

There's a linguistic theory that Hebrew is the root of all languages. What do you think?

Wonderful Aliyah Story, "From Big Whine to Big Grapes"

We bloggers do consider ourselves writers and journalists, but very few of us take the giant step into publishing actual books. Ruti (Mizrachi) Eastman has taken that great daring leap and published "From Big Whine to Big Grapes" not that long ago. It's a collection of blog posts supplemented by essays specially written for this book. Ruti blogs on two blogs, Ki Yachol Nuchal! and  Never Ruthless.

Ruti writes a lot about her and her family's aliyah, move to Israel. They came from the United States, and she's not shy about admitting that without the assistance of Nefesh B'Nefesh, they never could have afforded to make the move. At no point does Ruti ever complain. Ruti only sees the good. And good things do happen to the Eastman family, whether it's an amazingly helpful clerk, a ride in the middle of no-place to where they need to go or finding someone they know to lend them cash when the only nearby ATM is empty.

I have no doubt that one of the reasons that people are so nice to Ruti is that she greets them with a smile and is so friendly and upbeat. We do make our own luck. Ruti doesn't go into details, but she does mention that she and her husband chose to be Jewish. Yes, they are converts, and that whole story would no doubt make a very compelling book.

Because Ruti divided "From Big Whine to Big Grapes" into chapters of essays that are connected by content, there isn't a clear chronology to the narrative. It jumps around, which is both good and bad. For the reviewer, like myself, who needs to finish reading the entire book as quickly as possible, it got confusing at first. After reading a couple of chapters, I "got the rhythm." But I think that most readers will, davka, enjoy it, since you'll have the chance to savor various topics and choose what you're interested in, even skipping around the book and rereading when necessary. I'm sure that those dreaming of aliyah or actually planning it for real will really love "From Big Whine to Big Grapes." You can get some very good advice from reading it. And it's also a great book to give friends and relatives of olim, to make them feel better concerning the new lives chosen by their loved ones.  And even though my husband and I made aliyah decades before the Eastmans, I really enjoyed reading "From Big Whine to Big Grapes." Some things never change and others have changed enormously.

Those who claim that aliyah is too hard, frequently have money complaints. The Eastmans seem to to have made their Israeli life suit their finances and not attempt to reproduce their American life in Israel on an insufficient budget. They rent an apartment unit in a house and don't have a car. They are happy to be here in Israel and consider the "sacrifices" a good trade-off. The relations with the Hebrew-speaking landlords and hitchhiking adventures make great reading.

Ruti is still struggling to master the Hebrew language, which adds more humor to life here in Israel. Advice to potential olim, immigrants to Israel from Ruti, which I agree with completely, is to learn as much Hebrew as you can before you make aliyah.

You can purchase "From Big Whine to Big Grapes" from Amazon, Lulu, Book Depository or here in Israel, email rutimizrachi@gmail.com directly. Ruti has revealed that there's another book in the works, so stay tuned... I can't wait to read it.

I must confess that Ruti and I are friends. We have a lot of mutual friends, and we sometimes meet at IFL football games. But at the games we cheer for different teams. My son used to tackle her son, but now my son's opponent is Ruti's husband; they are both coaches. We both root for a fair and safe game, one without injured players. We want to see them play like "mensches." 

Ruti wants to "coach" me into writing a book (or books) from the material in my blogs. What do you think?

Purim: Mordechai and Esther, The Rebel and The "Sleeper"

One of the great things about the Hebrew language is that pretty much every single combination of two or three letters can be understood as words.

Waiting to hear the Megilla, the Scroll of Esther

Chaz"al, our sages, have been debating and discussing the meanings of the two most crucial names in Megillat Ester, Mordechai and Esther. Most claim that neither are actual Jewish/Hebrew names. Maybe it's a bit chutzpadik of me to add my two cents 2¢ to the discussion, but very learned teachers and friends do respect my opinions, so here goes:

Megillat Ester, Chapter 2, Verse 7זוַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ Hadassah, that is Esther

I agree with those who say that the name Esther/Ester is Hebrew/Jewish, not a version of "star." It is derived from the Hebrew linguistic root  סתר, s, t, r, which means hide. In the megillah narrative, Esther is planted as a spy, a "sleeper," by her uncle Mordechai. In the line in which she is introduced to us, I don't think that the הדס hadas, myrtle plant is used as a noun, name of the bush.  The myrtle is a hardy, evergreen plant. The fact that in the megillah, it's written with a ה "h" at the end to make it feminine, I consider it an adjective. So I'd translate it as:

"strong/hardy is Esther"

We have some myrtle in our garden, and they thrive in the most difficult of weather. Yes, that is very much like Esther who rose so magnificently to the challenges she was faced with.

Mordechai is considered by most as a totally non-Jewish, non-Hebrew name. It is even suggested that he is the Navi, Prophet Malachi. But I see a Hebrew name very clearly. Actually, so did Haman. Haman accused Mordechai of being rebellious. And what is the meaning for the first three Hebrew letters in מָרְדֳּכַ֛י Mordechai?

מרד mered, rebellion

Now go over Megillat Ester with this new information. What do you think?

Chag Purim Sameach!

GUEST POST: Mr Sy Syms

Short True Story about Mr. Sy Syms
a Famous Jewish Businessman and Mega-Donor
(a guest post by Mr. Cohen)
============================
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sy_Syms
============================

In the 1990s, Mr. Sy Syms, a famous Jewish businessman

who was affiliated with Conservative Judaism, was asked

why he made major charitable donations to Orthodox

institutions [specifically, to Yeshivah University],

instead of the Conservative Judaism movement,

with which he was affiliated.

He explained that, in his personal opinion,

Orthodox Judaism was [or is] the future of Jews.

This story was told to me, many times,

by a former Dean of Yeshivah University,

who asked that question to Mr. Sy Syms.

=====================================

Please also read: If Daniel Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-daniel-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Isaiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-isaiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Ezekiel Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-ezekiel-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Jeremiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-jeremiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Ezra Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-ezra-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Nehemiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/if-nehemiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Joshua Were Alive Today:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/05/if-joshua-were-alive-today.html
 

Please also read: Refuting the Fans of Vashti:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/02/refuting-fans-of-vashti.html
=====================================
____________________________________________________________
PLEASE help by making
a PayPal donation to:
FourCupsOfWine@gmail.com.
THANK YOU!!
____________________________________________________________
OTHER BLOG POSTS BY MR. COHEN:

Quick Bible Quotes from Joshua and Jeremiah:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-joshua-chapter-23-verse-12.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-jeremiah-chapter-17.html

Ancient Roman historians connected Jews with the Land of Israel and Jerusalem:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/02/guest-post-josephus-vs-muslim-liars.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-cornelius-tacticus.html

Rambam Rejected Childless Messiah:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/rambam-rejected-childless-messiah-by-mr.html

Why Muslims Hate Jews:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-why-muslims-hate-jews.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-moynihan-1982.html

Forgotten Oppression against Jews:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-forgotten-oppression.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-forgotten-anti-semitism.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/06/guest-post-kiddush-hashem-1498.html

American anti-Semitism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-seven-times-stronger.html

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-jewish-nyc-mayor.html

How a Reform Rabbi Become Orthodox (true story):

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-did-reform-rabbi-become-orthodox-jew.html

Why Barak Hullman left Reform Judaism and became Orthodox:
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-reform-judaism-doesnt-work-wont-work-and-how-to-fix-it/

Sephardic Jews Reject Reform Judaism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/sephardim-reject-reform.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/08/guest-post-persian-rabbis-decree.html

Greek NYC Jews and Syrian NYC Jews
(a rarely-told true story that very few people know about):
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/greek-jews-syrian-jews.html

How to Convict the New York Times of Unfair Bias Against Israel:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-how-to-convict-new-york-times.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-nyt-erases-israel-from-map.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-postnyt-vs-israel.html

Why Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/04/guest-post-why-pray-for-idf.html

How to Pray for Tzahal-IDF:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-pray-for-tzahal-idf.html

How Torah Can Defeat Terrorism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/08/defeat-terror-with-torah.html
____________________________________________________________
Do Palestinians Want a Two-State Solution?
by Daniel Polisar, PhD in Political Science
https://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/2017/04/do-palestinians-want-a-two-state-solution/

Articles Refuting the so-called “Two-State Solution”:
www.algemeiner.com/2017/10/08/the-two-state-solution-is-holding-israel-hostage/
https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/2017/06/when-it-comes-to-territorial-compromise-israel-doesnt-have-a-choice/

*********************************************************

PLEASE HELP DEFEND ISRAEL FROM UNFAIR MEDIA:
*********************************************************
http://advocacy.ou.org/
https://antisemitism.uk/
https://twitter.com/EyeOnHamas 

www.camera.org

www.DanielPipes.org
www.FactsAndLogic.org
www.HonestReporting.com              
www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

www.memri.org

www.memriTV.org

www.MideastReporter.com
www.MythsAndFacts.org                 
www.TheIsraelProject.org

www.BBCwatch.org                         

www.jhrw.com                                  
www.ngo-monitor.org
www.PalWatch.org                           
www.UKMediaWatch.org
www.UNwatch.org

www.aish.com/jw/mo/4-Reasons-Why-the-Media-is-Biased-against-Israel.html

____________________________________________________________

Passover Story, Jewish Slaves, Nothing Like Pre-Civil War America

a very typical depiction of what is known as Jewish slavery in Egypt

Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago I posted a series of articles about the true meaning of the Hebrew word חרות HERUT.

חרות Cherut/Herut is Not Freedom!

Guest Post by Atara Snowbell on חרות Herut

For a Good Jewish Theological Discussion, You Need Hebrew!

In a sense this is a continuation of my quest to properly understand the Hebrew terminology and not get it confused with modern, or more recent history, sociology, anthropology and philosophy.

It has always seemed that people, when growing up in New York and here in Israel, have made some confusing and most probably totally inaccurate image of what both "series" were.

black slaves hard at work

That's because both in Hebrew and in English the same word is used for the status of both, slaves and עבדים avadim. The lack of choice and personal freedom may have been very similar, but their status and how they became slaves were totally differnt.

I had tried to explain that to my neighbors at our weekly Shabbat class, the shiur nashim, many of you have read about. Please remember that the black slaves in America and other parts of the world were human beings who had been (or their parents/grandparents etc) rounded up and captured like animals from their native Africa and then sold as "work animals" to those looking for servants/workers etc. Because of their dark, unfamiliar color and the fact that they had been captured in the jungle, the "white men" considered them as trainable apes who were non or sub-human. And that is one of the reasons the discrimination against them continued long after the American Civil War when it became illegal to own a human being.

In Biblical Egypt the Jews were not slaves in that sense. The history of how they arrived in Egypt is well-known. During a time of famine, Jacob's children and grandchildren accepted the generous offer of the Pharaoh of the time to move lock, stock and barrel to Goshen, a very fertile area in Egypt, because Pharaoh's Viceroy was Jacob's son Joseph. As explained in the Bible, after a few decades "there was a new Pharaoh who didn't know/remember Josef" and didn't remember/recognize the promise/contract that had been made with Jacob way back when.

The result was more like Hitler's antisemitic laws that discriminated against Jews and forced them from their homes in pre-World War Two Germany. Life in a Concentration Camp, or especially a Forced Labor Camp could be considered more like the Jewish slaves in Egypt during the time of the Bible.

I will end this here to give you some food for thought and sincerely appreciate your comments about it.

Jewish People/Nation/Religion Like No Other. Maybe That's Why We're Hated?

Yesterday, Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, in synagogues all over the world, the weekly Torah Portion, Yitro was read. Yitro, Jethro, was a non-Jew or convert, and there's an irony in that davka in that Torah Portion, named after him we also read the Ten Commandments, the foundation of the Jewish Religion.

The children of Israel camp opposite Mount Sinai, where they are told that G‑d has chosen them to be His “kingdom of priests” and “holy nation.” The people respond by proclaiming, “All that G‑d has spoken, we shall do.”
On the sixth day of the third month (Sivan), seven weeks after the Exodus, the entire nation of Israel assembles at the foot of Mount Sinai. G‑d descends on the mountain amidst thunder, lightning, billows of smoke and the blast of theshofar, and summons Moses to ascend.
G‑d proclaims the Ten Commandments, commanding the people of Israel to believe in G‑d, not to worship idols or take G‑d’s name in vain, to keep theShabbat, honor their parents, not to murder, not to commit adultery, not tosteal, and not to bear false witness or covet another’s property. The people cry out to Moses that the revelation is too intense for them to bear, begging him to receive the Torah from G‑d and convey it to them. (Chabad)

In the title I gave this post, I called us not only a religion, because we're also a people and and nation and I even left out another two crucial aspects.

• We Jews have a very unique language, Hebrew, which unlike other languages has what can be considered "magic letters." As I mentioned in my book review of "Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew," any combination of them has meaning.
• We Jews are a Land, too. Many of our Mitzvot, G-d given commandments are based on being in the Land He gave us, the HolyLand, the Land of Israel. 

No other society or religion or nation or language is like the Jewish one. Is it this uniqueness that is the proof that we are G-d's Chosen People, and the other nations, religions etc are jealous? That could be it, because the two most powerful and ambitious religions Christianity and Islam both attempt to supplant us. Both have stolen the narrative of our Bible, our Land and try to show that G-d has rejected the Jews and chosen them. In today's lingo it's called "identity theft."

And why is, davka, this important Torah Portion named after a man who wasn't born a Jew? That must be because instead of being jealous and hateful of the Jewish People, Yitro accepted and recognized that we Jews are G-d's Chosen People. 

Today's world is mirroring many of the events in our ancient past. And just the fact that we Jews are the same People as lived thousands of years ago, while all of our ancient enemies are no longer in existance, troubles those who are trying to supplant and destroy us.

The Torah Portion of Yitro stresses that the "righteous gentiles" who accept and support us will always be honored. 

Shavua Tov uMevorach

May the New Week be Good and Blessed

Aliyah Time! Hebrew is The Key to Success!

Aliyah Time is an Arutz 7 radio show that encourages aliyah, moving to Israel.

I was interviewed for this week's program about my opinions about how to help new immigrants, olim chadashim, adjust to the Israeli school system. Most olim chadashim consider language one of greatest difficulties.

Please listen to my interview. I'd love to hear your opinion.

Old and Ancient Sure Have Different Meanings When Living in Israel

My fellow jblogger, Paula, the Soldiers' Mother is having the same reaction to Europe as I had when in Philadelphia last summer.

I asked the really nice Pakistani taxi driver how old London was - I should just do the research. He said - "very old. More than 300 years old."

Pretty much everything in America (at least in terms of architecture) is, at most, 200 years old so at 300 and more, that becomes impressive. The problem, I realize, is that after living in Israel so long, pretty much nothing tops it. There are parts of Jerusalem that are 2,000 years and more. Rome will likely have similarly aged buildings but I've clearly decided my question was wrong. Old , for someone who is in Jerusalem daily, is not a good measuring factor.

Shiloh was the Capital of the Jewish State that had existed here three thousand years ago.  Our People, religion and country existed before there was a language called English, or French or Russian.  We speak, work and invent modern technology in that very same language.

A mile from my house is the Shiloh HaKeduma, Tel of Ancient Shiloh. 

Most of my Shiloh neighbors live much closer to the Tel than I do.  Modern Shiloh grew around the old structures.

My sons live and one even works in Jerusalem buildings over a hundred years old.

The Jewish Religion and Jewish Nation are thousands of years old.  We have out-survived all of our enemies, and we're thriving, thank G-d.  Everything looks different from the perspective of being here in Shiloh, Israel, the Holy Land.

The State of Israel would be in better shape if only our political leaders would accept this and stop trying to more "modern," like other countries.  We are not the same as other countries, other religions and other societies.

Let's stand up proudly and state that our country is thousands of years old.  We predate all of those who try to tell us what's best for us.  The only One Who does know what's best is G-d Almighty.  That's it in a nutshell.