[Avodah] Afikomon

[Sacks, Avram]

When I was in college at Indiana University, my Hebrew professor was
Henry Fischel, z"l.  His area of expertise was Greco-Roman influences in
Talmudic/Rabbinic literature.  He also had smicha from the seminary in
Breslau.  Around Pesach time, each year, he would give a lecture at the
Hillel on minhagim surrounding Pesach.  It was his belief that much of
what we do at the seder reflects a rabbinic tradition of taking
practices from surrounding culture, turning them around, and giving
those practices a particularly Jewish persona.  

For example, Judaism did not invent korbanot, but the Torah redirects
their purpose and the object to whom the korbanot are directed. [See
Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim, Chelek Gimmel, Perek 32.]

So, too, one can find in the seder elements taken from Greek or
Greco/Roman culture and given new meaning.  Recliining?  Well, that is
how the citizens of Greece had their feasts, reclining on sofas.  It is
not a stretch to imagine that the matzah that was  eaten as the dessert
so that its taste lingered was given a name borrowed from the Greeks and
used to connote "after meal entertainment." 

//Avi

         Avram L. Sacks
         Riverwoods, IL 60015
 

-----Original Message-----
From: avodah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org
[mailto:avodah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org] On Behalf Of Micha Berger
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 5:00 PM
To: Avodah Torah Discussion Group
Subject: [Avodah] Afikomon

I asked a Greek co worker a couple of years ago, and his answer was
hazy, so when I found out that a co worker of mine had a PhD in
Classical
Languages, I asked her.

epikomon means "after meal entertainment".

I invite you to consider why we are discussing entertainment, and not
the
desert food itself.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha
_______________________________________________
Avodah mailing list
Avodah at lists.aishdas.org
http://lists.aishdas.org/listinfo.cgi/avodah-aishdas.org