Tell me more ×
Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

What is the Diffrence between Eitz and Illan?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 8 down vote accepted

Etz is Biblical Hebrew; ilan is Rabbinic.

Also, etz is ambiguous, since it can mean "tree" or "wood." Thus Rashi (to Gen. 18:4) finds it necessary to gloss תחת העץ as תחת האילן, to make it clear that Avraham was inviting his guests to rest under the shade of a tree rather than under a wooden canopy or something similar.

share|improve this answer
2  
It does get a Mention in Daniel – SimchasTorah Nov 5 '10 at 6:06
4  
Actually ilan does appear twice in the Bible, once in Gen 26:34 as the name of Esau's father in law, and again in Dan 4:7. Esau's in-laws were not Jews, and Daniel is written in Aramaic, which leads to believe that Ilan is actually an Aramaic word, that was adopted into Rabbinic Hebrew. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok Nov 5 '10 at 7:07
3  
Eisav's father-in-law was named "Elon" (with a tzeirei), not "Ilan" (with a chirik). – Alex Nov 5 '10 at 15:06
1  
R' JD Bleich has said that Ilan is Aramaic not Hebrew (unsurprising it wound up in the Mishna); he goes so far to then state that "Ilana" is a non-Hebrew name and is properly spelled אילנא, just like "Lisa" would be ליסא, the ending-with-heh-for-feminine is only for authentic Hebrew names. – Shalom Nov 5 '10 at 16:05
(From yutorah shiur of his on spelling names in Gittin.) – Shalom Nov 5 '10 at 16:06
show 5 more comments

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.