A propos to nothing in particular, I was thinking recently about the names of the fingers (as one does). I hadn’t much thought of them since the English names seemed rather uninspired (first finger, second finger, etc.; or index finger, middle finger, ring finger, etc.). But as you might imagine, there’s more to it than that.
I’m going to take the fingers in turn, but from the point of view of Jewish culture, I will note that Hebrew also gives each finger a name, a convention which can be found in the Talmud (Berakhot 5b). Yiddish certainly can, but generally does not, use the Talmudic name for the fingers, except for the pinky.
Index finger: In English, we speak of the index finger, using a Latin-derived word signifying “pointing out” or “showing.” In Hebrew it is “etsba” (Yiddish, étsbe), the generic word for finger. (Sometimes in English one can also refer to that finger as the “trigger finger,” but Yiddish thankfully avoids that frame of reference.) Yiddish generally uses either “váyzfínger” (literally, showing finger) or “táytfínger” (literally, pointing finger).
Middle finger: In Hebrew, this finger is called the “amah” (Yiddish, ámo). This Hebrew word has the additional meaning “cubit,” because the span from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger was the length of a cubit. The English word “cubit,” by contrast, comes from Latin cubitum, which properly means “elbow” but was eventually metonymically extended to the whole forearm. Where Jews measure from the tip of the finger, the West measures from the elbow. Go know. The middle finger in Yiddish is “gróyser fínger” or “lánger fínger” (that is, big finger, or long finger). Unfortunately, not such imaginative words.
Ring finger: This is the finger with the most creative etymologies. In Hebrew it is “kemitsah” (Yiddish, kemítse). This refers to the action of taking the three middle fingers to form a scoop (a “komets” is a handful) to dip into the flour of the minchah offering in the Temple. The ring finger was the first into the flour, so it got the “kemitsah” designation. In English, this finger is called the “ring finger” (sometimes using the term “annulary finger” from Latin “anulus,” meaning ring) because according to ancient medicine there was the idea that an arterial branch connected this particular finger directly to the heart. Given this fast-track highway, it was believed that wearing gold on that finger could speed the curative properties of the metal through the body. According to that system, given that blood flow was strongest in that finger, it was the site of medical bloodletting and leech applications. Hence another English word for it: “leech finger.” Yiddish seems to have assumed that “medical” framework because it’s word for the ring finger is, unsurprisingly, “ríngfínger.”
Pinky: The origin of the English word is somewhat obscure. Basically the idea is something small. “Pinky eyed,” for example, can mean having small, blinking eyes. In Hebrew the word is “zeret” (Yiddish, zéres), where the word originated in the meaning “span.” That is, the span between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the pinky when they are spread apart is supposed to be the width of the high priest’s breastplate. In Yiddish one can say “kléyner fínger” (literally, little finger), but one can also just as well say “zéres.” Yiddish retains the etymological meaning as well and can be used for a “handsbreadth.” Another word for pinky is “mizinik,” a Slavic word simply emphasizing how little the finger is.
Finally, the thumb: The English word comes from a root indicating stout, thick, or strong, ultimately from the notion of swelling. The Hebrew word, “agudal” (Yiddish, agúdl), simply refers to its larger size. Yiddish echoes this sense: “gróber fínger” (literally, fat finger). This word happens to appear in one of my favorite Yiddish expressions, “dréyen mitn grobn fínger” (literally, “to twist the thumb”). The action involves holding out your closed fist with the thumb pointing upward, then pointing it downward and with a scooping motion bringing it back to the position it started in. This was a hand gesture that typically occurred in conjunction with certain kinds of Talmudic argumentation. So in one sense, “dréyen mitn grobn fínger” means exploring an argument by overturning various proposed solutions. But given the associations and connotations that accreted to such Talmudic activities, the phrase can also mean “to split hairs,” “to engage in casuistry,” or even “to quibble.”
Well, far be it for me to quibble. Let me just wish you a May “vos fun dem ken men lekn di fínger” — that you can delight in (literally, lick your fingers from). And as always, “léyent gezúnterhéyt” — read it in good health.