Etymology: Stamen, Stamina

Thought it interesting that Stamen is the male reproductive organ in plants and our word of 'Stamina' -- to me it it seems simply like a crossover much the same way the word 'virility' came from the latin of 'vir' - man.

Found this blog on the word stamina as well http://www.languagehat.com/archives/003141.php.
Didn't understand alot of it, but thought it interesting the association of 'stamen'-- 'stamina' --'sta'--'standing'-- and שת as in שתי וערב. Quite possibly showing a direct link between standing and עלמא דדכורא


blog excerpt mentioned above:

STAMINA.
Another bout of idle wondering led me to look up the etymology of stamina; I suddenly realized it looked like the plural of stamen, but thought "that can't be right." As it turns out, it is, in an unexpected way. Before stamen meant "The male or fertilizing organ of a flowering plant," it meant 'the warp in an upright loom' (the Latin word stāmen is from the Proto-Indo-European root *stā- 'stand'), and from there it came to mean (in the OED's words) "The thread spun by the Fates at a person's birth, on the length of which the duration of his life was suppose[d] to depend. Hence, in popular physiology, the measure of vital impulse or capacity which it was supposed that each person possessed at birth, and on which the length of his life, unless cut short by violence or disease, was supposed to depend." (1709 Tatler No. 15.1 "All, who enter into human life, have a certain date or Stamen given to their being, which they only who die of age may be said to have arrived at"; 1753 L. M. Accompl. Woman I. 246 "Bad example hath not less influence upon education than a bad stamen upon the constitution.") Hence the plural stamina meant "The congenital vital capacities of a person or animal, on which (other things being equal) the duration of life was supposed to depend; natural constitution as affecting the duration of life or the power of resisting debilitating influences" (1701 C. WOLLEY Jrnl. New York 60 "Such as have the natural Stamina of a consumptive propagation in them"; 1823 GILLIES Aristotle's Rhet. I. v. 180 "If the stamina are not sound, disease will soon ensue"), and finally the modern sense "Vigour of bodily constitution; power of sustaining fatigue or privation, of recovery from illness, and of resistance to debilitating influences; staying power" (1726 SWIFT Let. Sheridan 27 July Wks. 1841 II. 588/1, "I indeed think her stamina could not last much longer when I saw she could take no nourishment").

Male/Female 5th Avenue Observation

I find it a fascinating peculiarity that women will turn their heads to see a handsome man walking on the street accompanied by another woman but not if that same man is alone. Check it and see for yourself. (I think it even applies to a man accompanied with a child or two but I haven't tried it enough to know for sure).

This being in direct contrast to male behavior i.e. turning their heads at pretty women on the street universally, alone or accompanied. I think there's a fundamental insight here.

ונ"ל לפרשו מענין התייחסות זו"נ לת"ת ומלכות... כל מין הולך אחר מינו... ויש להתיישב בדבר עוד.... ולכל הפחות קל להבין התייחסות הזכר להת"ת שבזוגו

in your eyes.... the light the heat ....I am complete... I see the doorway to a thousand churches..... the resolution of all the fruitless searches...... I see the light and the heat..... oh, I want to be that complete...... I want to touch the light the heat I see in your eyes -- Peter Gabriel

Etymology: Corn and גורן

Was reading a book ("This is not a Weasel") about differences between the word "corn" and (what we americans call corn) which is really "maize". Google the word "corn" further and you'll see it is used really more so in reference to grains.
Which then just got me wondering... corn... grain... goren... גרן.... coincidence?, I think not

Nice Quotes

“With the power of conviction, there is no sacrifice.” -- Pat Benatar
ויהיו בעיניו כימים אחדים באהבתו אותה


"Everyone is dished out their plate and everyone has to eat it!" -- Unknown but related to Yerushalmi Pe'ah 3b
אמר ר' מנא יאות אילין טחונייא אמרין כל בר נש ובר נש זכותיה גו קופתיה

Bechorot Thoughts

בכורות נח. -- תניא אמר בן עזאי הואיל והללו אומרים כך והללו אומרים כך האלולין מתעשרין לעצמן וליחזי טעמיה דמאן מסתבר וכי תימא לא מצי קאי אטעמייהו והתניא בן עזאי אומר כל חכמי ישראל דומין עלי כקליפת השום חוץ מן הקרח הזה א"ר יוחנן מפי השמועה אמרוה מפי חגי זכריה ומלאכי

You see from this Gemara that a Talmid Chacham is expected whenever he can to make a definitive choice for himself in regards to issues of machloket haDinim. Should he feel he has fully comprehended the depths and arguments of the two sides מצי קאי אטעמייהו he has every right and should make a choice as to which side sounds more cogent to him. A "yotzei kol haDeot" being then a b'dieved.

First Try and Then I'll Tell You...

I think it's an amazing Sifrei:

כי אם אל המקום אשר יבחר ה' א-להיכם מכל שבטיכם (דרוש) על פי נביא.
יכול תמתין עד שיאמר לך נביא, ת"ל לשכנו תדרשו ובאת שמה , דרוש ומצא ואח"כ יאמר לך נביא.
וכן אתה מוצא בדוד (תהלים קלב) זכור ה' לדוד את כל ענותו אשר נשבע לה' נדר לאביר יעקב אם אבא באהל ביתי אם אתן שנת לעיני עד אמצא מקום לה' משכנות לאביר יעקב
מנין שלא (תעשה) [עשה] אלא ע"פ נביא, שנא' (ש"ב כד) ויבא גד אל דוד ביום ההוא ויאמר לו עלה הקם לה' מזבח בגורן ארונה היבוסי ואומר ויחל שלמה לבנות את בית ה' בירושלים בהר המוריה אשר נראה לדוד אביהו

Just an amazing exchange: Search out what you think is the right choice, without direction, without any Divine communication, and after you think you've found it then Hashem will give you confirmation through prophecy. Fascinating.

You additionally see btw that it's a given to the Sifrei that the only way to know "what Hashem chooses" המקום אשר יבחר ה' א-להיכם is by way of Nevua. Nothing else, no matter how compelling an argument, will suffice.

Bechor--Ma'aser Beheima Connections בכור ומעשר בהמה

A very clear linkage created:

• identical avodat dam -- מתנת אחת
• same mesechta
• (most intriguing i feel) -- see Bechorot 55b- 56b -- amazing. TWO places the Torah writes a halacha of מעשר בהמה in the parsha of בכור to be learned via אם אינו ענין תנהו ענין

So while it certainly requires a fuller understanding... perhaps a beginning I thought.. the tenth ( עשר ) makka was מכת בכורות