tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post6640363047802358598..comments2023-10-30T08:40:59.016-04:00Comments on Wolfish Musings: (Mar)Cheshvan? What about MarTammuz?BrooklynWolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-8885772959491681102008-11-02T18:22:00.000-05:002008-11-02T18:22:00.000-05:00An interesting post and some interesting comments....An interesting post and some interesting comments. When you have a moment I'd like to invite you to check out an online Jewish journal I publish called the New Vilna Review (www.newvilnareview.com) which might be of interest to you and and your readers. We're always looking for new contributors, so if you'd like to submit something we'd be happy to hear from you.<BR/><BR/>-Daniel E. LevensonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-7621035611997384822008-10-31T02:22:00.000-04:002008-10-31T02:22:00.000-04:00Originally the month was called Warchashman and go...Originally the month was called Warchashman and got switched to Marcheshwan with time. Warcha = Yarcha = Yareach = month. Shman = 8. Eighth month. It's not quite Hebrew, but it's Akkadian so it's fairly close.Bluddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11231523810503270962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-79681065316330926792008-10-30T01:46:00.000-04:002008-10-30T01:46:00.000-04:00I recently learned what BD and ft have already sai...I recently learned what BD and ft have already said. Apparently, Cheshvan is just what you get after removing the Mar. And that's it.The Rashbloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08417387457516475229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-45795473856285778992008-10-29T22:34:00.000-04:002008-10-29T22:34:00.000-04:00They didn't use the Mar in my shul. I guess the Re...They didn't use the Mar in my shul. I guess the Rebbe must have forgotten. Or perhaps they did institute a new holiday this month. Who knows? All I do know is that Mar means bitter, and boy is it getting bitter cold lately.Originally From Brooklynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927411127491577903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-36521847129745593102008-10-29T20:01:00.000-04:002008-10-29T20:01:00.000-04:00You're reading "marcheshvan" in the wrong language...You're reading "marcheshvan" in the wrong language. It's not Hebrew, so "bitter" is just later-develeped homiletics. It just means "moon eight," or, less literally, "eighth month." Almost all such frum toyreh is based on this kind of wordplay and not real linguisitics and etymology. e.g. the numerous teyches for "yarmulkeh". There's even a few such folk etymologies in the Torah, like the one given for Moshe's name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-76585657283467687952008-10-29T16:43:00.000-04:002008-10-29T16:43:00.000-04:00How can you be bitter in Tammuz? The weather is to...How can you be bitter in Tammuz? The weather is too nice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-36851797188816547552008-10-29T16:30:00.000-04:002008-10-29T16:30:00.000-04:00Wolf:"So, the mar=bitter part is just an after-the...Wolf:<BR/>"<I>So, the mar=bitter part is just an after-the-fact explanation.</I>"<BR/><BR/>Correct.<BR/><BR/>"<I>how did the shortened name ever come about?</I>"<BR/><BR/>I don't know. It does seem to be a relatively late development, though. Check out <A HREF="http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5761fall/LEGALEAS.PDF" REL="nofollow">this article</A> (read the footnotes!).Baal Devarimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06490450025721108241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-50338759227024603502008-10-29T16:11:00.000-04:002008-10-29T16:11:00.000-04:00Interesting! Thank you BD. So, the mar=bitter pa...Interesting! Thank you BD. So, the mar=bitter part is just an after-the-fact explanation. That being the case, how did the shortened name ever come about?<BR/><BR/>The WolfBrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-60530439062313797012008-10-29T15:57:00.000-04:002008-10-29T15:57:00.000-04:00Marcheshvan is in fact the proper Hebrew translite...Marcheshvan is in fact the proper Hebrew transliteration of the original Babyloniyan name for that month. (All Hebrew month names are Babylonian in origin -- and the same is true for our calender system in general.) See <A HREF="http://www.livius.org/caa-can/calendar/calendar_babylonian.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.Baal Devarimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06490450025721108241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-43728820446635143112008-10-29T15:52:00.000-04:002008-10-29T15:52:00.000-04:00True, but I always wondered how much the Mabul tru...True, but I always wondered how much the Mabul truly means to us. After all, we fast for Tisha B'Av, 17 Tammuz, 10 Teves et al, because we are sad about the events that occurred then. No one (to my knowledge) fasts because of the Mabul. Based on that, I'd still say that Tammuz is a more bitter month than Cheshvan.<BR/><BR/>The WolfBrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-35916856537194474912008-10-29T15:39:00.000-04:002008-10-29T15:39:00.000-04:00I think it has something suppoably to do with the ...I think it has something suppoably to do with the mabul.Jacob Da Jewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181930948956094882noreply@blogger.com