ABC Wednesday's dreaded X Day has come around again.
But this year I am ready, with a new word I came across just recently.
Soon we will have the happy Jewish holiday of Tu B'Av.
The Talmud gives several reasons for celebrating this date 15th of Av, one being that
cutting of the wood for the main altar in the Temple was completed for the year.
The wood-offering brought in the Temple is based on Nehemiah 10:35:
35 And we cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood-offering, קֻרְבַּן הָעֵצִים to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law;Josephus (Bellum Judaisum 2:17) refers to Tu B'Av as the Feast of Xylophory ("Wood-bearing").
There you have it! An X word!
.
P.S. The firewood cutting in the photo was done by me and Mark, my friend's husband.
Update: Just for fun see also http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.co.il/2008/06/woodpile.html
.
Great x-word, Dina! Do you have to take the wood to the synagoge?
ReplyDeleteThank you for this new word!
Wil, ABCW Team.
What a great word! I learned something new, as usual...lol
ReplyDeleteLeslie
abcw team
Hi Wil. No, no wood for the synagogue. It was only for the sacrificial altar in the Temple.
ReplyDeleteNow Tu B'Av is like a festival of love. Even a bit like Valentine's Day.
See my link for more about the holiday.
Leslie, I was excited to learn this word too. And I made a note to save it for ABC Wednesday X Day.
Interesting that wood is celebrated in this way! Looks like you have plenty ready.
ReplyDeleteGemma, yeah, we were just cutting firewood for the nun neighbor-friends, for the winter.
ReplyDeletegood wood, I mean word.
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
What a nice X and such a wonderful photo of you:-)
ReplyDeleteInteresting word - I am wondering how to pronounce it.
ReplyDeleteNicely done, Dina.
ReplyDeleteYou look strong. Nice pic.
Am excited to learn a new obscure word.
Aloha Shalom
I had never heard of xylophory until read another post using the same word, and I find it fascinating. Your explanation of your Jewish holiday is very interesting. Great photo, too.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteAhhhh... Dina! It brings me such joy to see a photo of you. I returned from the canyons on Sunday and am not quite normal yet.
ReplyDeletenice couple!
ReplyDeleteYukinori, I hope you mean a "nice couple" of WORKMATES. The nice man in the photo with me is the husband of my friend Kristine. He was the director of Heifer Ranch (Heifer International) in Arkansas when I served as a livestock volunteer there.
ReplyDeleteSee also
http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.co.il/2008/06/woodpile.html
love your X word, new one for me, thanks!
ReplyDeletekudos to your friend's husband for being the director of a worthwhile organization! our school used our students' charitable gifts for Heifer International one year. The funds normally went to a school in the Appalachia and the food bank in our city.
This is really a good find: a word beginning with the x would be almost impossible in Italian!
ReplyDeleteLove your history lessons! Fun word! Have done plenty of carrying of the wood in Vermont. I kept thinking how sun, fire and trees all interwtined, each essential. Fire comes from Sun. Love is fiery. Trees need the sun, absorb the energy and burning trees releases moisture, fire, smoke. Love too, ignites, flames and cools one way or another. The cycle of life. You make me think! Have a wonderful Tu B'Av. mary
ReplyDeleteIngenious X-word! And I love the photo. You look happy.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was a wood offering in the Bible! Makes good sense!
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a word; if only I could remember it the next time I play Scrabble!
ReplyDeleteFriends, thanks for all your contributions!
ReplyDeleteChrisJ, I too had never heard of a wood offering in the Temple till I learned this word.