Jews from The Netherlands don’t know Hebrew but they do know Dikduk — Hebrew Grammar. However, often people who are excellent in Hebrew do not even know the most basic simple Dikduk.
Shabbat haGadol is the Shabbat before Pesach. Shabbat is female, so shouldn’t it be: shabbat gedola? Gadol / gedolah means “great” (m/f).
Rabbi Adin ben Rivka Leah Steinsaltz (may he have a complete recovery, speedily and in our days, together with all the sick we Jews care about) once suggested tongue in cheek, that this Gadol could refer to the lengthy sermons on that Shabbat which make the day seem go on forever. These preachings should help people repent, just like those on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, but most of the time they are just hot air, jointly creating what we know in Israel as: chamsin: 50 days in spring and autumn of heat waves. Could that be?
No, Shabbat haGadol does not mean the Great Shabbat because hagadol here is not an adjective but a noun. And the ha- here is not the definite pronoun “the” (what it normally is) but is part of the s’michut construction, which makes one definite noun possessive of another one. (If it’s three or more definite nouns in a row, only the last one get the ha- – if it needs that to become definite.)
A few easy examples will clarify this all. Don’t panic. It won’t get more complicated than this! The Hebrew words I’ll use are: sus = horse, melech = king, ha- = the, shel = of, and there is no Hebrew for: a.
hasus shel hamelech = the horse of the king, but also:
sus hamelech = the horse of the king – in the s’michut construction does not need shel or the first ha-
sus hamelech ≠ (a) horse of the king, because for that there is a second s’michut construction type:
sus lemelech – though that also could mean: (a) horse to a king
sus david = the horse of David (David is a definite noun without the or ha-)
sus melech david = the horse of King David (three nouns in a row).
Therefore: Shabbat haGadol means: The Shabbat of the Great – what was so fantastic? The Miracles that happened on the Shabbat before the Exodus from Egypt, which we acknowledge and celebrate every years on our Shabbat before Pesach.
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Same story for the greeting Shabbat Shalom.
It’s not shabbat sh’loma, because Shalom here is a noun too. [I wish you] a Shabbat of Peace should actually be: shabbat leshalom, as we saw in the example above. However, that could also mean: a Shabbat towards peace, and we do not want to bless someone half-way.
A similar case we see in the First Blessing of our Main Prayer:
go’eil livnei veneihem = literally: (a) Redeemer to-sons-of their-sons, which (no doubt on purpose) could mean two things:
(a) Redeemer for the sons of their sons, or even more hopeful, actually:
a Redeemer of the sons of their sons.
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Bonus remark: In the s’michut construction, the first nouns(s) sometimes change(s). Shabbat in s’michut has twice the vowel patach. So even for Charedim:
no: shabbos hagodoil, but: shabbas hagodoil
no: shabbos sholoim, but: shabbas sholoim.
Easier: Gut Shabbos!
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In the Hymn after a bread meal we mention on Shabbat: hashabbat hagadol vehakadosh haze – this great and holy Shabbat, all in the male. Should this not be: hashabbat hagedolah vehakedoshah hazot – all in the female?
Well, this was a trick question, because it actually says: this Seventh day of the Shabbat, of the Great, and of the Holy – and “day” in Hebrew is male.
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The Sages of Old knew Hebrew. They helped us by giving us a set prayer text because they saw that we don’t. We still need to read it as it says (to actually say what they had in mind) and understand it.
Shabbat haGadol Shalom!
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
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