Hamen-Tashen: Symbolizing Haman’s Hat or Ears?
Question
Hi Rabbi,
I have an Israeli friend, and we had an argument over the Hamentashen. I said that the Hamentashen symbolize Haman’s hat with the three corners. She said it symbolizes Haman’s ears. She believes this because she speaks Hebrew, and apparently the translation is “ears”. Please settle this Jewish scholarly debate. What does the Talmud say on this?
Also, who would have the greater authority on Jewish theology, a Bronx NY Jew, an Israeli Jew, an Orthodox Jew, or a Chassidic Jew?
Thank you for your support!
Answers
Actually you are both correct! In Israel, hamentaschen are called “oznei Haman,” which literally means Haman’s ears! Why? I don’t really know. The following is taken from Wikipedia about the etymology of the word hamentaschen:
Hamantash is also spelled hamentasch, homentash, homentasch, homentaschan, or even humentash. The name hamantash is commonly viewed as a reference to Haman, the villain of Purim, as described in the Book of Esther. The pastries are supposed to symbolize the defeated enemy of the Jewish People. The word tash means “pouch” or “pocket” in Yiddish, and thus may refer to Haman’s pockets, symbolizing the money that Haman offered to Ahasuerus in exchange for permission to destroy the Jews. In Hebrew, tash means “weaken,” and the hamantash may celebrate the weakening of Haman and the hope that God will weaken all of the enemies of the Jews. Another possible source of the name is a folk etymology: the Yiddish word מאָן־טאַשן (montashn), for a traditional delicacy, literally meaning “poppy seed pouch,” was transformed to hamantashen, likely by association with Haman or inclusion of the Hebrew article ha- (ה). In Israel, hamantashen are called “oznei Haman” (Hebrew: אוזני המן), Hebrew for “Haman’s ears,” in reference to their defeated enemy’s ears, although “Haman’s ears” also refers to a Sephardic Purim pastry that is twisted or rolled and fried.
The reason for the three-sided shape is uncertain. There is an old legend that Haman wore a three-cornered hat. Alternatively, the Midrash says that when Haman recognized the merit of the Three Patriarchs, his strength immediately weakened. Archaeologist Simcha Jacobovici has shown the resemblance of hamantashen to dice from the ancient Babylonian Royal Game of Ur, thus suggesting that the pastries are meant to symbolize the pyramidal shape of the dice cast by Haman in determining the day of destruction for the Jews. A simpler explanation is that the shape derives from traditional Jewish baking techniques in Central Europe for folding dough so as to form a pouch around a filling, also common for making dumplings.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team