הִמּוּר (Himur) — gambling
Etymology
The word Himur originates from a linguistic evolution of a story found in the Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 31a). The story describes two men who "rebelled" (hamru) against Hillel the Elder, attempting to provoke him into anger for a wager of 400 zuz. While the original root was likely m-r-y (rebel/disobey) in the Hiphil form (himru), the context of the wager led the 11th-century commentator Rashi to interpret the verb as "wagering." Rashi linked this to a phrase in Sanhedrin about "provoking pigeons," which he understood as betting on pigeon races.
During the Hebrew Enlightenment (Haskalah), the term hit’arevut (wager) became the dominant term for betting, also based on Rashi's interpretation of a biblical verse in Kings II. However, in the 1920s, journalists at the Haaretz newspaper began using the Piel form himer (to gamble) and the noun himur. This was technically a linguistic "error," treating the first letter He of the Hiphil form as a root letter rather than a prefix.
Prominent grammarians such as Yitzhak Avineri and Shaul Perlmuter fiercely opposed this new form in the 1940s and 50s, labeling it a corruption and urging editors to root it out. Despite their protests and the preference for the older Hiphil form lehamrot, the "mistake" of himur proved resilient. It eventually became the standard modern Hebrew term for gambling, distinguishing itself from hit’arevut, which is more commonly used for personal wagers or bets on factual outcomes.
Key Quotes
"מעשה בשני בני אדם שהמרו זה את זה: אמרו כל מי שילך ויקניט את הלל יטול 400 זוז" — תלמוד בבלי, שבת ל"א, א'
"מי שנדר או שנשבע שלא יצחוק שום צחוק אסור להטיל גורלות ולא שום אדם בשבילו וכן אסור להמרות עם חבירו" — שולחן ערוך, יורה דעה רי"ז, מ"ח
"הכותב בחשבו ש'המרו' בא מהשרש 'המר' מבנין השלמים בבנין פיעל ומתוך כל יצא לו 'מהמרים'... ולא היא" — שאול פרלמוטר, הארץ, 1944
Timeline
- ~500 CE: The Talmud records the story of Hillel using the verb hamru (likely meaning "provoked/rebelled").
- 11th Century: Rashi defines the Talmudic hamru as "wagering" and interprets hit’arev in the Bible as "betting."
- 1563: The Shulchan Aruch uses the Hiphil form lehamrot for wagering.
- 1870: Early modern newspapers like Ha-Karmel use the Hiphil noun hamra'ah for a wager.
- 1920s: The Piel form himer and the noun himur begin appearing in the Haaretz newspaper.
- 1944–1957: Grammarians (Perlmuter, Avineri, Berggruen) campaign against the "erroneous" use of himur.
Related Words
- הִתְעָרְבוּת — Wager; betting on a specific fact or outcome.
- הִמְרָה — To rebel or disobey (the original root of the Talmudic term).
- תַּחֲרוּת — Competition (used in the 19th century to mean betting).