The names originally used to represent the months in the Jewish calendar were simply their cardinal numbers. The Torah refers to the first month in the Hebrew equivalent of "the first month." It was only after the Babylonian exile that months started appearing in the K'tuvim (e.g., Megillat Esther, the books of Ezra and Nechemia) referred to by the Persian names that we use today.
As a people, we Jews tend to retain customs and habits that had formerly belonged to our host countries throughout the exile. Examples of this may be noted in our languages, dress customs and even religious practices. Nonetheless, and although various explanations have been proffered justifying these behaviors, lingering doubts as to the real reasons behind these actions abound. In the case of the Persian names for the months, however, to have made it into the Tanach, I believe there had to be special meanings in these names. Here is a possible explanation for the month of Sivan, this month, the month wherein we celebrate Shavuot, the giving of the Torah.
The word Sivan in the most primitive form of writing out the letters consists of a circle a dot a small vertical line and a long vertical line. According to Jewish mystical tradition, the circle or samech represents the infinite; i.e., it is endless, with no beginning or end. The dot or yod stands for high knowledge or chochma. The vov indicates the tzadik, both wise and righteous, while the long line or nun sofit is the recipient, in this the mundane world. In other words: the month of Sivan represents diagrammatically the conveying of knowledge from the infinite source of all knowledge through an intermediary to the earth; i.e., the giving of the Torah, with Moshe Rabeinu as the intermediary.
With the Samech removed we are left with "YaVaN", or Greece, which when spelled backwards is "noi" or beauty, the ultimate value of ancient Greece. This is in contradistinction to the Torah value of Truth, as in the expression, "Torat Emet." This idea allows us to understand a Gemara that states if one is told "there is wisdom among the nations" to believe it, but "that there is Torah among them" not to believe it. This is so because their knowledge can only come from the ground up, as illustrated by the word "noi"; whereas, our knowledge comes from the infinite. It is not man-made.
What I see as the greatest "Jewish Problem" is the fact that most of us have no Jewish pride or a misplaced Jewish pride. This misplaced pride, which is often more dangerous than no pride, is evident when Jews brag about how some artist or politician is lionized by a foreign power or foreign group. At which point, we fall all over ourselves in awarding them. Examples abound: prizes for a self-hating, religion-bashing play-dough expert, and an angry "in your face" Jewish conductor, who flaunts his disdain of Holocaust survivors and his love for 21st century Nazism at every opportunity. Worse, are our "leaders," both elected and non-elected, whose vapid emptiness of true Jewish pride and values motivates them towards decisions and pronouncements that make our genuine enemies proud.
We must take the lesson of the month of Sivan and its meaning, that of receiving strength and knowledge from the Infinite as His true people, a beacon to mankind, to generate genuine Jewish pride. We have what no other nation has. If we succeed, our enemies will become meaningless, our actions will become meaningful, and we will merit true Redemption, very soon.
As a people, we Jews tend to retain customs and habits that had formerly belonged to our host countries throughout the exile. Examples of this may be noted in our languages, dress customs and even religious practices. Nonetheless, and although various explanations have been proffered justifying these behaviors, lingering doubts as to the real reasons behind these actions abound. In the case of the Persian names for the months, however, to have made it into the Tanach, I believe there had to be special meanings in these names. Here is a possible explanation for the month of Sivan, this month, the month wherein we celebrate Shavuot, the giving of the Torah.
The word Sivan in the most primitive form of writing out the letters consists of a circle a dot a small vertical line and a long vertical line. According to Jewish mystical tradition, the circle or samech represents the infinite; i.e., it is endless, with no beginning or end. The dot or yod stands for high knowledge or chochma. The vov indicates the tzadik, both wise and righteous, while the long line or nun sofit is the recipient, in this the mundane world. In other words: the month of Sivan represents diagrammatically the conveying of knowledge from the infinite source of all knowledge through an intermediary to the earth; i.e., the giving of the Torah, with Moshe Rabeinu as the intermediary.
With the Samech removed we are left with "YaVaN", or Greece, which when spelled backwards is "noi" or beauty, the ultimate value of ancient Greece. This is in contradistinction to the Torah value of Truth, as in the expression, "Torat Emet." This idea allows us to understand a Gemara that states if one is told "there is wisdom among the nations" to believe it, but "that there is Torah among them" not to believe it. This is so because their knowledge can only come from the ground up, as illustrated by the word "noi"; whereas, our knowledge comes from the infinite. It is not man-made.
What I see as the greatest "Jewish Problem" is the fact that most of us have no Jewish pride or a misplaced Jewish pride. This misplaced pride, which is often more dangerous than no pride, is evident when Jews brag about how some artist or politician is lionized by a foreign power or foreign group. At which point, we fall all over ourselves in awarding them. Examples abound: prizes for a self-hating, religion-bashing play-dough expert, and an angry "in your face" Jewish conductor, who flaunts his disdain of Holocaust survivors and his love for 21st century Nazism at every opportunity. Worse, are our "leaders," both elected and non-elected, whose vapid emptiness of true Jewish pride and values motivates them towards decisions and pronouncements that make our genuine enemies proud.
We must take the lesson of the month of Sivan and its meaning, that of receiving strength and knowledge from the Infinite as His true people, a beacon to mankind, to generate genuine Jewish pride. We have what no other nation has. If we succeed, our enemies will become meaningless, our actions will become meaningful, and we will merit true Redemption, very soon.