#520: Complainers, Sinners, and Mourners
וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ וַיִּ֣חַר אַפּ֔וֹ וַתִּבְעַר־בָּם֙ אֵ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתֹּ֖אכַל בִּקְצֵ֥ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃
The people took to complaining bitterly before יהוה . יהוה heard and was incensed: a fire of יהוה broke out against them, ravaging the outskirts of the camp.
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This week’s Torah portion uses an uncommon word, מִתְאֹנְנִים ( mitonenim), which means to complain or murmur. Ibn Ezra says the word מִתְאֹנְנִים ( mitonenim) comes from the Hebrew word אָוֶן ( aven, evil), thus yielding a definition of “evil doers.” Ramban disagrees with Ibn Ezra and says that the word simply means to complain, and he brings as proof the only other verse where the word appears, Lam. 3:39:
מַה־יִּתְאוֹנֵן֙ אָדָ֣ם חָ֔י גֶּ֖בֶר עַל־חֲטָאָֽו׃
It seems to me that Ramban is probably correct. But Bekhor Shor offers another possibility that may be correct and is certainly more interesting. He says that the word מִתְאֹנְנִים ( mitonenim) means grievers. Indeed, the word אוֹן ( on) is an archaic Hebrew word that means grief. (It means strength in modern Hebrew.)
In Jewish law, an אוֹנֵן ( onen) is someone who grieves the loss of a parent, sibling, or spouse before the…
