Did you ever wonder where the Hebrew word machar (m,ch,r), tomorrow, comes from? Well, if you stare at it, you will realize that it may be a contraction of yom achar, the day after! So suggested the 19th-century Biblical commentator S.D. Luzzatto.
I will now offer a few more examples of contractions of familiar Hebrew and Aramaic words. All come from Ernest Klein’s “A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language,” or from Jastrow.
batar (after): This is a contraction of ba-atar, in the place of.
achshav (now): This looks like a real challenge, as ayin, caf, shin is not a root. But most likely, achshav is a contraction of: atah cemo-shehu, now the way it is.
agav (upon, on the basis): This is a contraction of al gav, on the back of.
ela (rather, but): This is just a contraction of im lo. Similarly, ilu (if) is just a contraction of im lu.
altar (at once): This is just a contraction of al atar, “on the place,” which then developed a connotation of immediacy (like English “on the spot”).
ulai (perhaps): This may be a contraction of o lo, or not.
kodesh (sacred): S.D. Luzzatto (commentary on Ex. 15:11) suggests that this word originated as a contraction of kad esh, burned by fire and that the term originally applied to sacrifices that were burned to honor God. But his suggestion has not been generally accepted.
Now I would like to mention a few more interesting Hebrew and Aramaic word origins:
aderabah (on the contrary): The literal meaning here is “on the stronger (rabba) side.”
biglal (as a consequence of): This word derives from the root GLL, which means “roll.” The literal meaning is “due to the rolling of.” Similar is sibah (reason for). It comes from the root SBB, which means “turned” or “went around.”
aliba de (according to the opinion of): Aliba is based on the root lev, heart.
achrai (responsible, guarantor): This comes from achar, as a guarantor is a person who stands behind something or someone.
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Now I would like to tax the English side of your brain. Our secular calendar includes months named September, October, November and December. The first few letters of each are: Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec. These prefixes reflect the numbers seven, eight, nine and 10. Yet, in our calendar, these are months nine, 10, 11 and 12! What is going on here? One day your perceptive child will ask you this question! The answer is simple. Originally, March was considered the first month of the year (named after Mars, the god of war). In the first century, July and August were added as additional months, named after Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus. Even though these two months were added, the months from September through December maintained their original names, producing our present anomaly.
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I will close with the following. We all know that the word “utopia” means “an imaginary place.” The etymology of this word is interesting. In Greek, topos means “place,” and the prefix ou means “not.” So the combination of ou plus topos means it is not a place! (I wonder what a person familiar with Greek thinks when he sees “OU kosher”!)
By Mitchell First
Mitchell First is an attorney and Jewish history scholar. His recently published book is Esther Unmasked: Solving Eleven Mysteries of the Jewish Holidays and Liturgy (Kodesh Press, 2015). He can be reached at [email protected].
For more articles by Mitchell First, and information on his books, please visit his website at rootsandrituals.org.
