From Bonfires to Rotary Phones: Gathering "מסביב למדורה" to Explore the Hebrew Circle

In our spherical world, many words are anchored to the circle—that simple geometric shape symbolizing perfection and cyclicity. Some words describe physical objects that were originally round, while others are abstract verbs and concepts related to circular motion and its offshoots: repetition, wandering, and the unfolding of events.

From Geometry to Industry

The word Igul (עִגּוּל - circle) is familiar to us from Rabbinic literature, joining the Biblical adjective Agol (עָגֹל - round) and the Biblical noun Ma’agal (מַעְגָּל - circle/cycle). In mathematics, a distinction is made: Ma’agal refers to the perimeter (the circumference), while Igul refers to the area enclosed by that line. In Aramaic, the root A-G-L expanded into A-R-G-L, giving birth to the modern Hebrew verb Irgel (עִרְגֵּל)—the process of rolling metal sheets into cylinders.

The Moon, Merchants, and Prisons

The word Sahar (סַהַר) fundamentally signifies a circle, later becoming a specific term for the moon (crescent). Two types of jewelry, the Agil (עָגִיל - earring) and the Saharon (סַהֲרוֹן - crescent pendant), are named for their roundness. It is also possible that the Beit HaSohar (בֵּית הַסֹּהַר - prison) was originally a circular building or courtyard. Some linguists link the root S-H-R to S-Ch-R, which relates to rotational movement—as seen in the word Scharchoret (סְחַרְחֹרֶת - dizziness). The Socher (סוֹחֵר - merchant) also belongs to this family, as his way is to travel around, "circling" back to offer his wares.

Postmen and Bonfires: מסביב למדורה

Another professional who travels from place to place is the Davar (דַּוָּר - postman). Some link this to the root D-W-R, found in the word Dur (דּוּר), which also concerns circles. This root exists in Arabic (Dawr), meaning "to turn" or "to roll." However, it’s also likely that the word Doar (mail) in Rabbinic Hebrew stems from a Persian word originally meaning "judge."

Interestingly, the word Medura (מְדוּרָה - bonfire) is directly connected to this circular root: a pile of burning wood arranged in a circle. Especially tonight, on Lag BaOmer, we find ourselves sitting מסביב למדורה (around the bonfire), continuing a linguistic tradition as old as the flames themselves.

The Evolution of the Dial

Lachug (לָחוּג) means "to create a circle" or "to move in a cycle," and the versatile word Chug (חוּג - circle/department/circuit) is fundamentally a "circle." In the Book of Isaiah, we find the Mechugah (מְחוּגָה - compass/divider), a tool for drawing circles, which later led to the Machog (מָחוֹג - clock hand). On old telephones, numbers were arranged in a circle called a Chugah (rotary dial). From this, the verb Chigeg (חִיֵּג - to dial) was born—a term we still use today, long after the physical rotary dial has vanished.

Cakes and "עוגה עוגה"

A sibling to the verb Chag is Ag (עָג). Regarding Choni the Circle-Maker, who famously drew a circle to demand rain, the Mishnah says: "He drew a circle (Ag Ugah) and stood inside it." In the famous Hebrew children's song by Aharon Ashman, children are called to spin in a circle: "Uga, uga, uga, bama'agal nachoga" (Circle, circle, circle, in a circle we will dance). Even the word Ugah (עוּגָה - cake), which appears in the Bible, is likely named for its traditionally round shape.

Dance and the Cycle of Time

Another word for circular movement is Machol (מָחוֹל - dance), and those who spin in dance are Mecholalim. When we say something repeats Chozer Chalila (חוֹזר חלילה - over and over), we mean it repeats in a cycle (Chalila).

Rotational movement is also expressed by the verb Hikif (הִקִּיף - to surround). From this, we get the word Tekufa (תְּקוּפָה), which originally meant a "circuit" or "cycle," eventually evolving to mean a "season" or a "period in history." In literary Hebrew, the verb Nakaf (נָקַף) is used similarly, as in the expression "Nakfu Shanim" (years have passed/circled by).

Cause, Effect, and the "Rolling" of History

The movement of a circle is often used to denote a logical chain of causality—one thing "dragging" another. Sibev (סִבֵּב - to spin/turn) also means "to cause." A Siba (סִבָּה) is a "cause," and Medieval philosophical literature speaks extensively of the pair Siba and Mesuvav (Cause and Effect). Today, Nesibot (נסיבות - circumstances) are the conditions forming the background of an event.

Finally, the verbs Gilgel (גִּלְגֵּל - to roll) and Hitgalgel (הִתְגַּלְגֵּל - to unfold/roll out) describe not just physical rolling, but the unfolding of events. As the Midrash says regarding the story of Joseph: "A person should never treat one son differently... for because of the coat of many colors that Jacob made for Joseph, the matter rolled on (nitgalgel) and our ancestors descended into Egypt."

Many words revolve around the circle and rotation, and many meanings "roll out" from them. But, to keep you from getting dizzy while you're celebrating מסביב למדורה, we’ll stop here.