Language, Religion, Tradition

[Koichos]

As Hebrew is a verb-based language, all its nouns, adjectives, adverbs and, of course, verb inflexions can be traced back ultimately to (normally three-lettered) verbal roots, which are designated as (i) the פ pe-letter, (ii) the ע 'ayin-letter and (iii) the ל lammed-letter—the letters פ pe, ע 'ayin, ל lammed spell פָָָּעַַל pa'al = 'he worked' or 'he did' (a word that is used to denote a verb in its simplest form).

All Hebrew verbs can exist in one or more of the seven different בִִּנְְיָָָנִִים binyanim (singular בִִּנְְיָָָן binyan, a word that literally means 'building' or, in the grammatical context, a 'conjugation' or 'paradigm'). A Hebrew verb has three active binyanim, and they are called

• פָָָּעַַל pa'al or 'simple (active)',
• פִִּעֵֵל pi'el or 'intensive (active)' and
• הִִפְְעִִיל hif'il or 'causative (active)'.

And each of these has a corresponding passive binyan:

• נִִפְְעַַל nif'al or 'simple (passive)',
• פֻֻֻּעַַל pu'al or 'intensive (passive)' and
• הֻֻֻפְְעַַל huf'al (sometimes הׇׇׇפְְעַַל hοf'al) or 'causative (passive)'.

In addition to these, there is also a seventh binyan called

• הִִתְְפַַּעֵֵל hitpa'el,

representing the verb's reflexive mood, although it does not always have a reflexive meaning (i.e., doing something 'to oneself'); e.g., the infinitive construct (that is, the infinitive including the word 'to') לְְהִִתְְפַַּלֵֵּל l'hitpallel ('to pray') is reflexive in Hebrew. Go figure!

וַַתֹֹּ֨אמֶֶֶר֙ בִִּ֣י אֲֲֲדֹֹנִִ֔י חֵֵ֥י נַַפְְשְְׁךָָ֖ אֲֲֲדֹֹנִִ֑י אֲֲֲנִִ֣י הָָֽאִִשָָָּׁ֗ה הַַנִִּצֶֶּ֤בֶֶֶת עִִמְְּכָָָה֙ בָָָּזֶֶֶּ֔ה לְְהִִתְְפַַּלֵֵּ֖ל אֶֶֶל־יְְיָָֽ׃​

Hannah said to 'Eli, 'Please, Sir—as surely as your soul lives, Sir—I am that woman who was standing here with you to pray to Adοnai... (Sh'muël Alef 1:26)

The root of the noun תְְּפִִלָָָּה t'fillah ('prayer') is פ.ל.ל, which has the basic meaning of judging, though not usually in the judicial sense (for which ש.פ.ט would be used instead). The verb-root פ.ל.ל invariably occurs in בִִּנְְיַַן הִִתְְפַַּעֵֵל binyan hitpa'el (the reflexive form) when it has the sense of praying and, when this is the case, can also have the meaning of בַַּקָָָּשָָָׁה baḳḳashah (a petitionary prayer) as in

אֶֶֶל־הַַנַַּ֥עַַר הַַזֶֶּ֖ה הִִתְְפַַּלָָּ֑לְְתִִּי וַַיִִּתֵֵּ֨ן יְְיָָ֥ לִִי֙ אֶֶֶת־שְְׁאֵֵ֣לָָָתִִ֔י אֲֲֲשֶֶׁ֥ר שָָָׁאַַ֖לְְתִִּי מֵֵֽעִִמּֽוֹֹ׃​

...[it was] for this child that I was praying and Adοnai has granted my request that I asked of Him.' (Sh'muël Alef 1:27)

 

[Koichos]

Yesterday, 1st Elul, was Rοsh Ħοdesh of Elul (second day). The month of Elul can never begin on a shabbat, a Tuesday or a Thursday because Rοsh Hashanah is one month after 1st Elul, and Rοsh Ħοdesh of Tishri (1st Tishri, the festival of Rοsh Hashanah) never falls on a Sunday, a Wednesday or a Friday. The three days Rοsh Hashanah may not fall on are represented by the Hebrew mnemonic אד"ו.

When a month is 30 days long, Rοsh Ħοdesh (a festival marking the first of the month) is two days. Elul is preceded by a 30-day month (Av) so that Rοsh Ħοdesh of Elul is 30th Av and 1st Elul. There are always 29 days in Elul, with the 1st and the 29th falling on the same day; accordingly, if 1st Elul were to fall on a shabbat, a Tuesday or a Thursday, 1st Tishri would be a Sunday, a Wednesday or a Friday!

Take a look toward the evening sky just after sh'ḳiy'ah (sunset) on any given Rοsh Ħοdesh and you will see (weather permitting) the crescent new moon setting in the west so that the Hebrew months are still in step with the moon. A special string of t'fillot (prayers), including an assortment of Biblical passages from the Tana"ch, are recited before and after the molad (the 'birth' of the new moon):

• בִִּרְְכַַּת הַחֹֹֽדֶֶֶשׁ birkat haħοdesh ('the new moon/month’s blessing') on shabbat m'varchim (the last shabbat before Rοsh Ħοdesh)
• בִִּרְְכַַּת הַַלְְּבָָָנָָָה birkat hal'vanah ('the new moon’s blessing') customarily on a mοtza'ei shabbat that is at least 3 days post-mοlad

As Mori Yosef Ḳafeħ Z.Tz.L notes in his perush (commentary) on the Ramba"m’s work ‘Mοreh N'vuchim’ (Guide for the Confused), in

.ח"ב פ"ה הע' טו: וְְהַַבִִּטּוּי בְְּכׇׇׇל הַַמְְּקוֹֹרוֹֹת הָָָעַַתִִּיקִִים בִִּרְְכַַּת הַַיָָָּרֵֵֽחַַ, אוֹֹ בִִּרְְכַַּת הַַלְְּבָָָנָָָה, וְְלֹֹא "קִִדּוּשׁ לְְבָָָנָָָה" שֶֶֶׁנִִּכְְפַַּל בַַּתְְּפִִלּוֹֹת​

pt.2 ch.5 fn.15: The phrase in all the ancient sources is birkat hayare'aħ or birkat hal'vanah, not ‘ḳiddush l'vanah’ that repeatedly occurs in the prayers.

In the Torah and the Nach, the moon is most commonly referred to as

• יָָָרֵֵֽחַַ yare'aħ (this word is related to יֶֶֽרַַח yeraħ, a month; see post#13), which relates to its orbit around the Earth,

while in the Nach there are just three occurrences (in Y'sha'yah 24:23, 30:26 and Shir Hashirim 6:10) of

• לְבָָָנָָָה l'vanah, a poetic term that revolves around (heh!) its physical appearance (l'vanah means 'the white one'; masc. לָָָבָָָן lavan).