ORIGIN OF "FEIVISH"

[Howard Gershen]

Gary Opper asked about the origin/history/meaning of the Yiddish name
"FEIVISH."

Well, it's complicated and weird, but here's the story (from an old
posting in MENDELE-L, the Yiddish literature and language emailing
list):

----- Begin Included Message -----

From: nmi...@trincoll.edu (Norman Miller)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: help with name
Date: 30 Jun 94 21:56:12 GMT
Organization: Trinity College, Hartford, CT
Content-Length: 1458

In article <2uv56l$j...@Mercury.mcs.com>,
David W. Tamkin <dat...@MCS.COM> wrote:
>
>The name Feivel is a diminutive of Feivish, and it is a Yiddish name, not
>a Hebrew one. Generally a Yiddish name alone is not acceptable in formal
>religious situations, so a Hebrew equivalent is placed before it. Thus we
>have common double names like "Dov Ber" or "Z'ev Wolf" or "Naphtali Hirsch"
>or "Yhudah Leib", whereas Ashkenazi women often have only the Yiddish name
>because traditionally they weren't in the situations where Yiddish alone
>wouldn't do. (In a Conservative congregation where women are called to Torah
>reading, perhaps one hears forms like "Shoshannah Reizl" or "Tovah Gitl.")
>
>There's a good chance that your grandfather was also called Shraga Feivel
>or even Shraga when he was called for an `aliyyah.
>
>In the case of Feivish or Feivel, there is, well, an additional problem, so
>let's just say that the standard substitute is the Aramaic word Shragha',
>which means "light" or "enlightenment" and refers to the illuminating effect
>of Torah in our lives and to its truth rather than to the kinds of light and
>truth that etymologically the name "Feivish" honors.

What delicacy! Would it not have been, well, more honest just to say
that Faivish is Phoebus Apollo? Since everyone knows it by now, what is
served by this pussyfooting? Reminds me of the Victorian practice of
dressing up piano legs.

----- End Included Message -----

So, there you have it: "Feivish" is ultimately derived from the name of
a Greek god, 'Phoebus' Apollo.

This is apparently not the only Jewish name derived from the Greek or other
pagan origins. Other MENDELE postings on this subject brought up:

-- "Kalman" may be an Aramaic form of the Greek "Kalonymos"

-- Mordechai from the Babylonian god "Marduk"

-- Esther from the goddess "Ishtar" or "Astarte"

One wonders if that Warren Beatty/Dustin Hoffman movie of a few years back
would've fared any better if it was called "Esther". :)

Howard Gershen
how...@boxhill.com

[Gary Opper]

Does any know the origin, history and meaning of the Yiddish name
"FEIVISH"?

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Gary Opper
appr...@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us