5

My family always say "pink animal" in reference to, well, the pink animal. But now we find nobody remembers the reasons for this.

It seems to me I've seen the Hebrew writers say "davar acher," or "something else," in euphemistic reference to the same famous pink animal.

Is this a Chabad tradition? Is it more widespread? What are the sources?

Improve this question
17
  • Indeed, the gemara also doesn't call a pig a pig
    – mbloch
    Mar 27, 2019 at 14:14
  • relevant: chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/2518058/jewish/…
    – mbloch
    Mar 27, 2019 at 14:15
  • 1
    @moloch Do you know places where this rule is demonstrated?
    – Chaim
    Mar 27, 2019 at 14:16
  • 1
    Pesachim 3b or Shabbat 129b are examples (davar acher) but it is not always true. I believe the mishnayot and beraitot say chazir more directly, e.g., Bechorot 40a, although one can find quite a few instances in the gemara as well. Yours is a good question
    – mbloch
    Mar 27, 2019 at 14:22
  • 1
    Considering that both are related midrashically to Esau, I wouldn't be surprised if this custom is also related to the kabbalistic custom of referring to saro shel esau as ס-מ rather then by its full name
    – Loewian
    Mar 27, 2019 at 16:14

0

Reset to default

You must log in to answer this question.