תַּבְלִין (Tavlin) — spice/seasoning

Etymology

In Rabbinic Hebrew, tavlin was originally the plural form of the word tevel (תֶּבֶל). Linguistic evidence for this is abundant: the Mishna uses the construct form tavlei (rather than the expected tavlinei for a singular noun), and ancient manuscripts like the Kaufmann Codex often spell it as tavlim with a standard masculine plural ending. Most Talmudic contexts treat it as a plural, describing spices being "crushed" (plural verb) in a mortar.

The transition to treating tavlin as a singular noun stems from a single, famous sentence in the Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 119a): "We have one spice (tavlin echad) and its name is Shabbat." While likely an exceptional usage, it led Ashkenazi Jewish communities to interpret tavlin as a singular noun, pronouncing it with a pattern similar to gar'in (seed). Because the majority of early 20th-century Hebrew speakers were Ashkenazi, this "incorrect" singular usage became the standard.

Grammarians and the Va'ad HaLashon (Language Committee) fought this change for decades, insisting on the original tevel and its plural tvalin. However, influential linguists like Itzhak Avineri argued that established public usage—especially one with roots in the Talmud—should be respected. By 1957, the Academy of the Hebrew Language officially sanctioned tavlin as a singular noun, and in 1977, it formally approved the plural tavlinim.

Key Quotes

"תבלין אחד יש לנו ושמה שבת" — שבת קי״ט, א׳

"לזה כבר מוכנים ומזומנים בבית גנזינו תבלינים ממין אחר לגמרי" — שמואל ליב ציטרון, המליץ, 1902

"יהא תבלין ביחיד על משקל גרעין" — יצחק אבנרי, על המשמר, 1949

Timeline

• Mishnaic Period: Used exclusively as the plural form of tevel.
• Talmudic Period: A single instance in Tractate Shabbat treats tavlin as a singular noun.
• 1902: First modern recorded use of the plural tavlinim by S.L. Zitron.
• 1933: Va'ad HaLashon rejects the singular tavlin, ruling that tevel must be used.
• 1949: Linguist Itzhak Avineri defends the popular singular usage as "the custom of the elders."
• 1957: The Academy of the Hebrew Language officially accepts tavlin as a singular noun.
• 1977: The Academy officially sanctions the modern plural form tavlinim.

Related Words

• תֶּבֶל (tevel) — The original Rabbinic singular form.
• תַּבְלִינִים (tavlinim) — The modern plural form, created from the reanalyzed singular.
• גַּרְעִין (gar'in) — Seed; the noun structure that influenced the pronunciation of tavlin.