Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Uzi Silber <uzisilber AT gmail.com>]

Isaac,

During a brief speech at my son's brit mila on Taanit Esther 2003 at the
Eldridge Street Synagogue on the Lower East Side, I raised that very issue:
the distinct possibility (and I suspect probability) that Asher was the
masculine counterpart of Canaanite Ashera (Ashtoret/Ishtar/Esther). It's
certainly interesting that the traditional symbol of the Tribe of Asher is
a tree.

What made it especially fun is that members of my very frum family in the
pews stared at me aghast as if I'd just landed from Mars.

Uzi Silber



On Thu, Mar 15, 2012 at 8:06 PM, Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:

> You are right about the possibly ultimate irony of Purim on which day the
> followers of YAH were delivered by the wily Morduk and the seductive
> Ashtor(et) (E$-AT-OR-AT, the feminine counterpart of A$ER?)
>
> Isaac Fried, Boston University
>