Nivreshet, Nevar-Eshta To Nivra-Itta

נברא-אתתא : אתהפכא חשוכא לנהורא

Balashon in discussing the etymology of the word nivreshet (נברשת) tells us that the word occurs in Daniel 5:5 and is generally translated as menorah (מנורה), lamp. He notes that nivreshet means chandelier or candelabrum in Modern Hebrew, citing Yoma 3:10 and 37b as described here:

"Heleni HaMalka, Queen Helena, set a golden Nivreshet over the door of the Heichal…" (Yoma 3:10). I wrote that the Nivreshet was actually a rather unusual timepiece. "When the (rising) sun shined on it, it sparkled (from the reflected light) and then everybody knew that the time had arrived for K'ri'at Shema. (Yoma 37b).

In exploring the Aramaic etymology of this word Balashon writes:

Steinberg provides a different combination: nevar-eshta נבר-אשתא - "a light of fire".

The etymology of nivreshet interests me. It is of Aramaic origin and clearly is connected to lighting up the darkness. Through this association with bringing light from darkness, nivreshet is likewise connected to the concept of ithapcha chashocha lenehora.

Itta (אתתא) is an Aramaic word meaning woman from which the Hebrew word isha (אשה) was derived [1]. I've written on my blog many times (most particularly here, here and here) of this word אתתא as it pertains to representing the evolution of woman as a manifestation of ithapcha chashocha lenehora.

Nevar-eshta represents the "light of fire" prior to the evolution of woman into a light which has evolved light from darkness (ithapcha choshocha lenehora).

In terms of evolution of the word nivreshet, rather than merely permuting nevar-eshta (נבר-אשתא) into nevar-itta (נבר-אתתא) to represent successful accomplishment of ithapcha chashocha lenehora, I posit the phrase נברא-אתתא to represent the "light of an evolved woman", where the former word נברא (meaning created - in terms of making a dwelling for the Divine) is a combination of the root נבא (prophesy [2]) and ברא (actualize potential [2]).

Footnotes:

[1] How The Hebrew Language Grew, Edward Horowitz
[2] Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark

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