B"H

Menachem Ibn Saruq, a contemporary of Dunash, was born in Tortosa (Spain), but moved at an early age to Cordoba. While in Cordoba, he engaged in linguistic research under the patronage of Hisdai Ibn Shaprut, the physician.

Dunash Ibn Labrat was born in Fez (Morocco) and later studied under RSG in Baghdad (Iraq). When he left Iraq, he settled in Cordoba (Spain). It was there that he became the opponent of Menachem Ibn Saruq at Ibn Shaprut's court.

quote:

Originally posted by David Ben-Abraham:

This country produces marjoram (Majorana syriaca), and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and savory (Micromeria fruticosa) a plenty! But RSG's explanation of the Hebrew word איזוב as being "marjoram" begs the question:

The Jewish translators of the Hebrew books who gave the gentile world its Septuagint have unanimously called the איזוב "hyssop." But if it is, indeed, marjoram, why didn't the ancient Greek writer, Theophrastus, in his "Inquiry into the Properties of Plants," give also the name "hyssop" to the plant described by him as marjoram? Rather, he calls marjoram by the Greek name "amarakos," while hyssop has its own separate description.

I think that I have found the answer to the very question that I posed here.

In Mishnah Parah, chapter 11, we learn that "Greek hyssop" (Heb. אזוביון) is invalid when used as the "eizov" of the Bible. This, then, would explain why Rabbi Saadiah Gaon and all of our ancients have explained the "eizov" as being "sweet marjoram." The Greeks simply gave a different name for what we call "eizov" - calling it "hyssop," or what the Sages knew as "Greek hyssop" (אזוביון).

Sincerely,
David Ben-Abraham

B"H

It is interesting to note here that Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon translates חבצלת השרון ("the rose of Sharon"), in Song of Songs 2:1, and in Isaiah 35:1, as literally meaning "the narcissus of Sharon." The taxonomic name of that variety of flower which grows in the Sharon plains (Israel) is known as Pancratium maritimum.

So, too, has Rabbi Shimon Kiara, in his "Halachos Gedolos," Hilchos Birkas Hareach, (8th century C.E.) explained this word, as did Rabbeinu Hananel on Berakhos 43b, s.v., נרקיס (published by Machon "Lev Someach"), as well as Rabbi Yoseph Karo in his Shulchan Arukh, Hilchos Birkas Haperos, section # 216, item #9. All say that it is the narcissus!

For a picture of this beautiful flower, click on to the following link!

http://www.tau.ac.il/~ibs/album/pancratium.m.html

David