[Avodah] hayom yom rishon....

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 09:32:05AM -0500, Lisa Liel wrote:
> Why not?  We have children named Dennis or Denise, both of which come  
> from Dionysus.  The Yiddish name Feivush/Feivel (and the English name  
> Phoebe) both come from Phoebus Apollo....

BTW, add Isidore (Isis + adore) and Isibelle (Isis + belle=beauty) to the
list. And since I'm reprising things we said in 2009, lets ad the biblical
names Ehud (which Lisa told us was "Sumerian for House of Shamash (E.UD),
where Shamash was their sun deity), and the name Anat (a Canaanite deity)
in Shamgar ben Anat.


Even though there is a difference between a god who is currently widely
worshipped and one that is basically defunct (+/- some oddballs),
I really think these names would still be assur if the gods involved
were still remembered by the masses such that people associated them
with their origins.

A person who today names their daughter Esther (or did some 21 yrs ago)
is thinking of Grandma Esther, of hesteir panim, or the like. The origins
are lost.

Unlike Christopher, where the association is still common knowledge.


BTW, notice that the fifth thing lists in the mishnah (Taanis 4:6) of
the calamities that occured on 17 beTammuz was the introduction of a
tzelem into the heikhal. According to the gemara (28b) this was during
bayis rishon. (Citing Daniyel 12:11 and 9:27.)

To me it seems significant about AKhG telling us to call the month in
which this happened a name that brings AZ into the calendar. (Even if
I can't say /how/ it's significant.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Nearly all men can stand adversity,
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