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Oneg Shabbos Issue 260
Bovine Words
T
par for a male. Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim he Torah allows ritual Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein of Breslau (1740–1814) classifies the words sacrifices to be brought from Author of Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew par/parah as derivatives of the biliteral only three families of animals: (Mosaica Press) root PEY-REISH. In Rabbi Pappenheim’s ovine (sheep), bovine (cows), opinion, this root refers to the act of and caprine (goats). In this “breaking something down into smaller essay, we will explore various Hebrew words related to the components.” Different words derived from this root include bovine family, explaining exactly what they mean and how perurim (“crumbs”), efer (“ash”), parur (a special “pot” for they differ from one another. The more we dig into this, the cooking crumbs or other small grains), pri (a “fruit,” which more we notice that English terminology has neat parallels to is a microcosm of a tree that comes off the tree), pe’er/tiferet the various Hebrew words used for cattle-beasts. However, in (a form of “all-encompassing beauty” which breaks down Hebrew we can trace the etymology of these words and related into multiple aspects), hafarah (the act of “disintegrating” or words to various themes, whilst in English we cannot. “nullifying” a vow), primah (the act of “tearing” clothing into There are two English words for a female bovine: a heifer multiple shreds), and tefirah (“sewing,” the means of rectifying refers to a young female bovine, especially one that had not yet the damage done by primah). given birth to a calf; whereas a cow is a mature female that has Rabbi Pappenheim explains that a pri refers to the act of already given birth, and therefore produces milk. Nonetheless, reproduction or procreation (whether we are talking about in a colloquial sense, the word “cow” is generally used to refer people, plants, or animals). Similarly, the par (“bull”) is to any bovine animal, not just a mature female one. associated with reproduction because it is fertile, unlike the When it comes to male bovines, English differentiates castrated shor (“ox”). The female parah (“cow” or “heifer”), between gelded (i.e. castrated) and fertile, young and old, and of course, is almost always used for its maternal, motherly animals bred for food and work. Castration, of course, is used properties—whether for breeding calves or for producing milk. to render these beasts docile and more disposed to working. Only a small minority of female cows are ever made impotent. A male bovine with its testicles intact is called a bull and is The Mishnah (Parah 1:1) records a dispute between Rabbi typically used for breeding. A castrated male bovine used for Eliezer and the Sages regarding the cut-off age that sets apart producing beef is called either a steer/bullock (if castrated an eglah (“female calf”) from a parah. Rabbi Eliezer maintains when young) or a stag (if castrated when older). An older that a calf is an eglah until it has finished its first year, and castrated bovine used for draft work (like pulling wagons from then on it is called a parah. The Sages, on the other hand, or ploughs) is called an ox. Nonetheless, the term “ox” is maintain that it is still called an eglah even in its second year, sometimes used in a colloquial sense to refer to any bovine but from after that point it is called a parah. Either way, Rashi trained for draft work. (to Tehillim 69:32, Chullin 60a, 8a) writes that a shor can Now let’s turn to the Hebrew terms. already be called so from the day it is born (see Lev. 22:27), Rabbi Eliezer HaKallir in a piyyut (liturgical poem) for whilst a par only assumes that name later. the second day of Passover uses five Hebrew words for “ox”: Rabbi Pappenheim traces the word shor to its biliteral root par, shor, egel, aleph, and bakar. In this article, we will explore SHIN-REISH. He explains that the word shor specifically these five words and their meanings. [Interestingly, Peirush is borrowed from shar/ sharir (see Ezek. 16:4, Prov. HaRokeach and Rabbeinu Efrayim ben Shimshon write 3:8, and Job 40:16), which means “umbilical cord.” Just that the Bible alludes to these five names for bulls as the umbilical cord at the unborn baby’s stomach by levying a penalty on a thief who steals cattle and attaches it to its mother, and serves as its conduit for slaughters/sells it. Such a thief is obligated to pay the all growth, so too does a shor contain the core of its original owner five-times the value of the stolen energies and strengths in its stomach. [In Aramaic, the bovine (see Shemos 22:37).] letter SHIN of the Hebrew shor morphs We begin with the first stage in the life a bovine—when it is a “calf.” Calves are immature bovines which rely on their mother’s milk in order to survive and grow. In English, the word “calf” refers to both a male and female. In Hebrew, an egel is a male calf, while eglah is a female calf. Rabbi Zalman Hanau (1687–1746) in Tzohar HaTeivah writes that the word egel is derived from the word igul (“circle”), because young calves tend to be round and pudgy. The classical words for bovines in Hebrew are parah for a female, and
into a TAV to become tor. In fact, some linguists maintain that the Latin word taurus is derived from the Aramaic tor.] R’ Efryaim ben Shimshon (to Bereishis 2:19) argues that the word shor is related to the word shur (“gaze”) and refers to the ox who views the rest of the world as a yoke upon him, which makes him fitting to be the King of Domesticated Animals (as opposed to the lion who is King of the Wild Animals). While many presume that a shor, by definition, must refer to a castrated
