Word Play (Paronomasia) on Proper Names in the Talmud
R’ Hisda - “favor”; “Ami the Beautiful”; “Mattai” (Matthew) - “when?”; Hamnuna - “hot fish”; Likhlukhit - “dirty”
This piece focuses on names of people who lived in Late Antiquity (first 500 years CE). For Biblical names that are homiletically explained in the Talmud, see my Academia piece. There I discuss and anthologize passages where the Talmud identifies and etymologizes Biblical proper names with one of the following formulas: 1) “why was he called thus?” (למה נקרא), or 2) a conflation of three names, ending with “and what’s his [actual] name? X” (ומה שמו).
In another previous piece I discussed so-called ‘appropriate names’ in the Talmud, meaning, where the name fits the person well. There I discuss Delilah; Kidor; Tzafenat bat Peniel; R’ Meir; R’ Yosei of Hutzal; R’ Yitzḥak ben Tavla.
This piece is partially based on my comprehensive survey of names in the Talmud, section “Word Play (Paronomasia) on Name” (p. 9).
In a recent piece, I also discussed a story where inter alia there's a play on the place names Bei T’rei and Kuvi.
R’ Hisda - “favor”
Gittin 7a (section #16), concluding a longer sugya, plays on the name of the Talmudic rabbi R’ Hisda:
חסדא שמך וחסדאין מילך
Your name is Ḥisda and your words find favor [ḥisda’in], as you have discovered a fine source for this halakha.
“Ami the Beautiful”
Bavli, Gittin 41a (section #9):
אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק: משום דאמי שפיר נאה הוא, אומר שמעתא דלא שפירן?!
Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: Because Ami is beautiful [shappir na’e], does he say halakhot that are not beautiful and correct?
“Mattai” (Matthew) - “when?”
Sanhedrin 43a (section #22, uncensored text, bolding mine):
ת"ר: חמשה תלמידים היו לו לישו - מתאי, נקאי, נצר, ובוני, ותודה
אתיוהו למתי
אמר להו: מתי יהרג?! הכתיב (תהלים מב, ג) "מתי אבוא ואראה פני אלהים"
אמרו לו: אין, מתי יהרג, דכתיב (שם מא, ו) "מתי ימות ואבד שמו"
Apropos the trial of Jesus, the Gemara cites another baraita, where the Sages taught: Jesus the Nazarene had five disciples: Mattai, Nakai, Netzer, Buni, and Toda.
They brought Mattai in to stand trial.
Mattai said to the judges: Shall Mattai be executed? But isn’t it written: “When [matai] shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalms 42:3). Mattai claimed that this verse alludes to the fact he is righteous.
They said to him: Yes, Mattai shall be executed, as it is written: “When [matai] shall he die, and his name perish?” (Psalms 41:6).
Mattai here is clearly Jesus’ disciple Matthew. The Talmudic story there continues with similar plays on the names of the rest of Jesus' disciples named there: Nakai, Netzer, Buni, and Toda. (These names don’t match known students of Jesus as clearly as Matthew. Toda is likely Thaddeus.)
Hamnuna - “hot fish”
On the following two names, Hamnuna and Likhlukhit, see sources and discussion in Ephraim Nissan, “Kidor: a Talmudic onomastic pun, and hypotheses concerning the etymology. Part one”, in Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia, 20.3 (2015): לכלוכית (pp. 144-5); המנונא (p. 147)
Kiddushin 25a (sections #2-3), bolding mine:
סבי דנזוניא לא אתו לפירקיה דרב חסדא,
אמר ליה לרב המנונא: זיל צנעינהו.
אזל אמר להו: מאי טעמא לא אתו רבנן לפירקא?
אמרו ליה: אמאי ניתי?
דבעינן מיניה מילתא ולא פשט לן.
אמר להו: מי בעיתו מינאי מידי ולא פשיטנא לכו?
בעו מיניה: [...]
לא הוה בידיה.
אמרו לו: מה שמך?
אמר להו: המנונא.
אמרו ליה: לאו המנונא, אלא קרנונא.
The Gemara relates: The Elders of the city of Nezonya did not come to Rav Ḥisda’s lecture.
Rav Ḥisda said to Rav Hamnuna: Go and ostracize them [tzaninhu] because they act disrespectfully toward the Sages.
Rav Hamnuna went and said to the Elders of Nezonya: What is the reason that the rabbis did not come to the lecture?
They said to him: Why should we come, as we asked him about a matter and he did not resolve it for us. We have nothing to learn from him.
Rav Hamnuna said to them: Have you asked me anything that I did not resolve for you? Ask me your question.
They raised the following dilemma before him: [...]
An answer to their dilemma was not available to Rav Hamnuna.
They said to him: What is your name?
He said to them: Hamnuna.
They said to him in jest: You should not be called Hamnuna, a good hot fish; rather, your name should be Karnuna, a cold fish that is no longer tasty.
Likhlukhit - “dirty”
I personally find this to be one of the funniest passages in the Talmud.
Nedarim 66b (sections #5-6), I added numbering (ten questions are asked and responded to):
ההוא דאמר לדביתהו ״קונם שאי את נהנית לי עד שתראי מום יפה שביך לרבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי״.
אמר להם: שמא ראשה נאה? אמרו לו: סגלגל.
שמא שערה נאה? דומה לאניצי פשתן.
שמא עיניה נאות? טרוטות הן.
שמא אזניה נאות? כפולות הן.
שמא חוטמה נאה? בלום הוא.
שמא שפתותיה נאות? עבות הן.
שמא צוארה נאה? שקוט הוא.
שמא כריסה נאה? צבה הוא.
שמא רגליה נאות? רחבות כשל אווזא.
שמא שמה נאה? ״לכלוכית״ שמה.
אמר להן: יפה קורין אותה לכלוכית, שהיא מלוכלכת במומין, ושרייה.
The Gemara relates: There was a certain person who said to his wife: Benefiting from me is konam for you until you show some beautiful [yafeh] part of you to Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei. Rabbi Yishmael attempted to find something beautiful about the woman.
He said to his students: Perhaps her head is beautiful? They said to him: It is round [segalgal].
Perhaps her hair is beautiful? They replied: Her hair resembles stalks of flax.
Perhaps her eyes are beautiful? They are narrow [terutot].
Perhaps her ears are beautiful? They are double in size.
Perhaps her nose is beautiful? It is stubby.
Perhaps her lips are beautiful? They are thick.
Perhaps her neck is beautiful? It is low and short.
Perhaps her stomach is beautiful? It is swollen.
Perhaps her feet are beautiful? They are as wide as a goose’s.
Perhaps her name is beautiful? Her name is Likhlukhit.
He said to them: It is fitting [yafeh] that she is called by the name Likhlukhit, as she is dirty [melukhlekhet] with blemishes, and he permitted her to benefit from her husband, because she did have one beautiful feature, her fitting name.