[Opinions] Re: Grandparents' sibsets
in reply to a message by Ohad Yigal
Really interesting to see Ines and Viola next to the very traditionally Jewish Moshe et Al. My grandmother, Jadwiga, has a sister named Zofia. I don't know about my other grandparents.
masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
Replies
ever since the hellenistic period, that is, the late second temple period, Jewish women have commonly had foreign names of all sorts, while Jewish men had biblical names of different sorts. It remained a common distinction to this day.
Do you know why this is?
the hebrew bible doesn't have a lot of women, not all of them are notable or rightous, and a lot of them are very ugly names that are not for human consumption. but also, women traditionallu don't have a big role in torah study and synagogue services, and as such don't use hebrew as often, since their lives were more centered around family and home and less around torah.
This message was edited 3/6/2023, 2:07 PM