Riddle: What Jewish holiday is represented by the number 40,320?
Answer:
Shemini Atzeret. Atzeret is the Hebrew word for the mathematical term factorial.
Shemini Atzeret = 8! (eight factorial) = 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 40,320
Ilana-Davita posted about the seven Noachide laws. According to Jewish tradition, these commandments are also binding on non-Jews. Here’s a mnemonic for remembering them:
The Big Three refer to transgressions that are so serious, Jews are required to martyr themselves rather than commit them. Unfortunately Jews have had many such opportunities. I don’t believe that Noachide laws require the same of non-Jews.
The Big Three:
So that no one will complain (again) that males are second-class citizens on this blog, please list popular boys’ names in the comments.
The top ten names for boys in 2006 were Itai, Uri/Ori (spelled identically), Noam, Daniel, David, Ido, Moshe, Yosef, Yehonatan, and Amit.
When I was pregnant with my oldest, I shocked my mother by telling her that we were considering the name Ido (pronounced eeDO with a long O). Now, I would think nothing of it (but none of my sons is called that).
Related:
Popular Israeli Names for Girls
Help This Reader Choose a Hebrew Baby Name
Alison left the following comment:
I am an American Jew and I am trying to find popular Israeli girl names.
We are due in April with a girl and we’d like to give her a Hebrew name (her older brother is named Avishai Navon). Both my husband and I have come up with several but none we can agree upon. I have been doing lots of web searches to try and find current Israeli girl names but I keep coming up with the same few.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as we are at a road block at this point.
First of all, thank you for visiting and I wish you an easy pregnancy and birth.
In 2006, the most popular girls’ names were: Noa, *Shira, *Maya, *Yael, Tamar, Sarah, *Roni, Agam, Michal, and *Adi. My 4-year-old has friends in gan with the starred names. We also have Ayelet, Shahar, Aviya, and Dalia. Dalia is old-fashioned–I don’t know if it’s making a comeback.
A lot depends on the “migzar.” Haredim, national religious, and secular Israelis choose different types of names, although there is a lot of overlap. The trends for girls’ names change more quickly than for boys.
Readers, please comment with names of girls in your neighborhood, especially babies. Alison, let us know if you want help with the connotations of a particular name.
Haloscan comments (in addition to comments below)
Help This Reader Choose a Hebrew Baby Name
Popular Israeli Baby Names for Boys
More Popular Israeli Baby Names
The responses to my post about the unfriendly woman in shul ranged from “She’s shy” to “She’s a snot.” I think the answer lies elsewhere. First let me give an update.
One day in September while I waited for the gan to let out, she did come and sit next to me. She asked how I was, and I asked her what she was doing. After she told me I waited, and she then asked what I was doing. This was by far the longest conversation we have ever had. After Yom Kippur she approached me in shul and said that because our children had played together over the holidays and gotten to know each other, she was sure they would now be good friends in gan.
I believe that Americans and Israelis have different approaches to relationships. While some Israeli women are friendly and gregarious, the majority are more reserved. When I see someone on a regular basis, say in shul on Shabbat, I will begin to greet her when I pass her on the street. But some Israelis would need to have more in common with someone before acknowledging me. It sounds snobby, but I see it as a cultural difference.
I don’t mean to say that Israelis can’t be snobs. Snobs exist everywhere.
I mentioned this issue to my Israeli friend, O, who recently returned from a few years in Europe. She pointed out that as an English speaker living in a Hebrew-speaking country, I have an immediate connection with other English speakers even if we have little else in common. It might not be fair to compare the friendliness and closeness I feel among my English-speaking friends to the situation in my synagogue. O. has a point–any feelings of isolation among native Israelis might be exaggerated because of the contrast of my connectedness with fellow English-speakers. However, I am beginning to feel much more comfortable in our shul (although it’s been over seven years!).
Those who live in places with large groups of English speakers, like Beit Shemesh or Raanana, might not have the same experience. Wait until you are in a Hebrew-speaking course and discover one other English-speaker–you are likely to be friends for life.
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