[net.religion.jewish] Purim

dsg@mhuxi.UUCP (David S. Green) (11/08/84)

[golem, golem]

> It is certainly our religious right to ignore the similarity of the
> names Esther and Mordecai to Ishtar and Marduk (Marduk lives?).
> I think we should extend similar rights to others.
> I'm bracing for flames on this note.  I would appreciate it if some
> of the flames would include:
> 	- discussing the origin of the word "Esther"
> 	- discussing the origin of "Mordechai", which to me is
> 	  a very strange looking Hebrew word

> 	- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
> 	allegra!eosp1!robison
> 	or: decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
> 	or (emergency): princeton!eosp1!robison

Sorry, this is not a flame but what I can glean from reading the
Megillah Esther last night  ( ArtScroll Edition ):

1. Mordechai is similar to "flowing myrrh" [Exod. 30:22 ] which
the Targum renders as 'Mira Dachia', which in both spelling and
sound resemble Mordechai ( Chulin 139b ).  Just as the foremost
of spices, so Mordechai was the foremost of the righteous of his
generation ( Midrash ).

2.  There is a difference of opinion among the Sages ( Meg. 13a )
whether Hadassah was her proper name and Esther was added later, or
vice-versa.  Both names are descriptive of her virtues.  Hadassah
is derived from the Hebrew word translated as 'Myrtle'; Esther 
from 'Istahar' [ as beautiful as the moon, says Rashi ].
"Just as the myrtle has a sweet smell but a bitter taste, so
Esther was sweet to Mordechai but bitter to Haman" (Midrash).

Well, at least halloween is over and done with; I hope.
Let us get back to business...  What are the odds of winning at
dreidel? 

Shalom,
David Seth Green   {ihnp4}!mhuxi!dsg   201-564-4468

robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (11/09/84)

In article <229@mhuxi.UUCP> dsg@mhuxi.UUCP (David S. Green) writes:

>What are the odds of winning at dreidel? 

More facinating to me in recent years is that Fantasy Role Game Players
(Dungeons and Dragons, etc.) use a pyramid shaped object when they
need a four-sided die.  The pyramid is a nuisance to "roll" and to read.
But these game players don't seem to have tried driedels yet.

	- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
	allegra!eosp1!robison
	or: decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
	or (emergency): princeton!eosp1!robison

dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (11/13/84)

In article <1244@eosp1.UUCP> robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) writes:
|| 			  The pyramid is a nuisance to "roll" and to read.
|| But these game players don't seem to have tried driedels yet.

Nah, they'd get bored waiting for it to stop spinning.

Dave Sherman
-- 
 { allegra cornell decvax ihnp4 linus utzoo }!utcsrgv!dave

dave@gitpyr.UUCP (David Corbin) (11/13/84)

> More facinating to me in recent years is that Fantasy Role Game Players
> (Dungeons and Dragons, etc.) use a pyramid shaped object when they
> need a four-sided die.  The pyramid is a nuisance to "roll" and to read.
> But these game players don't seem to have tried driedels yet.
> 
> 	- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
 
Well, since driedels are top-like, I imagine it would take to long for the
die-spin to finish. Also, consider, when a player has to roll 20 4-sided
dice, it is a lot easier to take a handful of pyramids, and throw them, than
it is to spin 20 tops.


David Corbin 
Georgia Institute of Technology
Box 34034
Atlanta GA 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!dave
...!{rlgvax,sb1,uf-cgrl,unmvax,ut-sally}!gatech!gitpyr!dave