Lebanon’s Choice of President Is a Victory for Syria and Hizballah—with Qualifications
Michel Aoun is better than nobody.
November 2, 2016
No, the Name of This Hebrew Month Doesn’t Mean Bitter
That’s Mr. Ḥeshvan to you.
Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Marḥeshvan, often known simply as Ḥeshvan. While its name, like that of the other months on the Jewish calendar, is Babylonian in origin, a popular folk etymology understands it to mean “bitter Ḥeshvan” (from the Hebrew mar, meaning bitter)—a testament to the fact that it contains no holidays. A more playful variant takes advantage of the fact that mar can also be an honorific, in modern Hebrew the equivalent of “mister.” In fact, explains Shlomo Zuckier, Marḥeshvan derives from maraḥ shevan, meaning “the eight month,” which it is if you count from the spring month of Nissan as the Bible and ancient Jewish sources often do:
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Login or SubscribeNovember 2, 2016
How Britain’s Labor Became the Party of Left-Wing Anti-Semitism
And its belligerent refusal to face its problem.
Don’t Panic over Muslim Immigration to the U.S.
The threat of Islamic terror is very real, but so is America’s ability to integrate new arrivals.
A Millennium-Old Arabic Inscription Acknowledging the Presence of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
A far cry from today’s propaganda.
No, the Name of This Hebrew Month Doesn’t Mean Bitter
That’s Mr. Ḥeshvan to you.