EVEN HA-TO'IM

EVEN HA-TO'IM
EVEN HA-TO'IM (Heb. אֶבֶן הַטּוֹעִים or הַטֹּעַן), a stone in Jerusalem, It is mentioned once in the Mishnah (Ta'an. 3:8) in the story of onias (Ḥoni) the circle drawer. When asked to pray that the rains cease, he answered: "Go and see if the even hato'im has been washed away," indicating that just as it was impossible for it to be washed away so was it impossible to pray for the rain to cease. This picturesque reply is reminiscent of one in the Jerusalem Talmud showing that praying for the cessation of rain is unnecessary (Ta'an. 3:11, 67a). An anonymous Aramaic passage in the Jerusalem Talmud (Ta'anit 3:11, 66d) interprets the even ha-to'im as a place where "one who lost an item would receive it from there, and one who found an item would bring it to there." A similar tradition is reflected in a baraita found in the Babylonian Talmud (BM 28b) which mentions the even ha-to'an in connection with the return of lost property during the Second Temple period. People who had lost or found objects in Jerusalem and on the road to the capital met by the side of this stone: "The one stood and announced his find and the other submitted evidence of ownership and received it." According to these traditions, the name is to be interpreted as "the stone for those wandering," i.e., in search of someone or something. The reading even ha-to'an ("the claimant's stone") is faulty (Dik. Sof., ibid.), and any conclusions deriving from it are therefore invalid. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Krauss, Tal Arch, 362; Sepp, in: ZDPV, 2 (1879), 48–51. (Jacob Eliahu Ephrathi)

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

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  • even — even1 [ē′vən] adj. [ME < OE efne, efen, akin to Ger eben, Goth ibns < ? IE base * yem , hold together > MIr emon, twins] 1. flat; level; smooth [even country] 2. not irregular; not varying; uniform; constant [an even tempo] 3. calm;… …   English World dictionary

  • Even — E ven, a. [AS. efen. efn; akin to OS. eban, D. even, OHG. eban, G. efen, Icel. jafn, Dan. jevn, Sw. j[ a]mn, Goth. ibns. Cf. {Anent}, {Ebb}.] 1. Level, smooth, or equal in surface; not rough; free from irregularities; hence uniform in rate of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • even — Ⅰ. even [1] ► ADJECTIVE 1) flat and smooth; level. 2) equal in number, amount, or value. 3) having little variation in quality; regular. 4) equally balanced: the match was even. 5) (of a person s temper or disposition) placid; calm. 6) …   English terms dictionary

  • even — e‧ven [ˈiːvn] adjective 1. staying at the same level, rather than frequently changing from one level to the other: • Strong trade will encourage more even selling. 2. giving two sides, things, ideas etc equal or fair treatment: • We should try… …   Financial and business terms

  • even — even; even·er; even·ly; even·ness; even·tra·tion; even·tual; even·tu·al·i·ty; even·tu·al·ly; even·tu·ate; un·even; break·even; even·hand·ed·ly; even·hand·ed·ness; even·tu·a·tion; …   English syllables

  • even — is normally placed immediately before the word or phrase that it qualifies: Doctors must pursue costly and even dangerous investigations / She is talking even more loudly / He even enrolled in a business studies course. In some cases even… …   Modern English usage

  • even if — phrase used for emphasizing that although something may happen or may be true, another situation remains the same He’s determined to prove his innocence, even if he has to go to the highest court in the land. Thesaurus: words used to describe… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Even — E ven, adv. [AS. efne. See {Even}, a., and cf. {E en}.] 1. In an equal or precisely similar manner; equally; precisely; just; likewise; as well. Is it even so? Shak. [1913 Webster] Even so did these Gauls possess the coast. Spenser. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • even — [adj1] flat, uniform alike, balanced, consistent, constant, continual, continuous, direct, equal, flush, homogenous, horizontal, level, matching, metrical, parallel, planate, plane, plumb, proportional, regular, right, same, smooth, square,… …   New thesaurus

  • Even — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Anat Even (* 1960), israelische Regisseurin Bert Even (* 1925), deutscher Politiker, Präsident des Bundesverwaltungsamtes Jean Even (1910 1986), französischer Maler und Plakatmaler Johannes Even… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Even — E ven, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Evened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Evening}] 1. To make even or level; to level; to lay smooth. [1913 Webster] His temple Xerxes evened with the soil. Sir. W. Raleigh. [1913 Webster] It will even all inequalities Evelyn. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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