From: Sevillano Hispalis <sevillanomail AT yahoo.com>
To: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [b-hebrew] Purim
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:08:55 -0700 (PDT)
Shalom,
whats the meaning of the name Asher?
Does it mean "happy" as I have read?
Thank you very much
David Sevilla
Spain.
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.