QUESTION: I just noticed a very interesting phenomenon in the Hebrew Language:
New חדש — one חד
Old ישן — two שנ
Why is this? Is it because when something is old, it’s secondary? And when it’s new, it’s exclusive? Or because when it’s old, it has seen been around the corner (repetitive), or has seen many years (שנים)? And when it’s new, it’s sharp (חד)? (But on the other hand, שנ can mean sharp too, as in שנן!)
I understand why month is חדש, as moon gets renewed, while year is שנה because sun’s cycle just repeats.
But why is sleep ישן? Because it’s a secondary part of your day? Or because you’re changing? But when you rise, after sleeping, you’re renewed, חדש, as in חדשים לבקרים.
ANSWER: I tried to address the חדש question in a previous article. I wrote there:
“Chadash חדש (new) – This may be viewed as a compound word made up of חד-דש. The word חד here means sharp; דש means to thresh. The threshing tool is as good as new as long as it is kept sharp (see Isa. 41:15 and Rashi there); so too are humans compared to blades of steel, who keep their minds sharpened through lifelong Torah study, as the Talmud (Taanis 7a) states: “What is the meaning of the verse, ‘iron sharpens iron’ (Prov. 27:17)? This is to teach you that just as in the case of one [iron], iron sharpens the other, so too do two scholars sharpen each other’s mind through Halachic dialectics.” And just as steel is as good as new as long as it is sharpened, so does Torah preserve and improve one’s mind even in old age (see Shabbos 152b).”
By the way, great observation about the שנ bilateral. I believe it’s another example of a דבר והיפוכו, and one with an incredibly inspiring message: the years pass by whether we like it or not. But our attitudes and actions to the inevitable is up to us. By default, we’re just getting older, and the same old boring things happen year in and year out. But for those with a passion for learning and growth, ישן becomes דשן as in עוד ינובון בשיבה, דשנים ורעננים יהיו (Ps. 92:15). Every year -nay every day- dozens of new experiences, new insights, new joys.
So too, indeed with sleep. It could be viewed as a waste of a third of our lifespans; same old pattern of waking up and collapsing exhausted, or as an opportunity to face a fresh new day with renewed vigor.
Rabbi Yehoshua (Jeremy) Steinberg