[Avodah] How Bitter Can A Month Be? Bittersweet.

[Richard Wolpoe]

On 10/13/07, Zev Sero <zev at sero.name> wrote:
>
> R Wolberg wrote:
> > The month of Cheshvan is also referred to as "Mar-Cheshvan." Mar means
> > "bitter" — because there are no holidays this month, we allude to it as
> > 'bitter'.
>
> Unfortunately, that piece of folk etymology has about as much truth as
> most such.  Merach-Shevan simply means "eighth month"; the mem and resh
> are an integral part of the name, not a prefix, and there is no such
> thing as plain "Cheshvan".
>
> --
> Zev Sero


Zev is correct for support see a fine Article by Ari Zivotovsky:

www.ou.org/publications/ja/5761fall/LEGALEAS.PDF
<http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5761fall/LEGALEAS.PDF>

I have also speculated that MAYBE the term was at one time
YerachShemon  and that the Mem got transposed somehow and the Vov/yud was
flipped and transposed




-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
Please Visit:
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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