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Translation of ״זעיר אנפין״ as "The Impatient One"
In the Seder Oneg Shabbos Bentcher the translation for ״זעיר אנפין״ is "The Impatient One". What's the basis of this translation? Sources that support the reading would be appreciated.
1 answer
Firstly, this is a very common translation (see the Google Search results here, which include various Kabbalah websites).
As @msh210 alluded to in the comments above, "Z'eir Anpin" is the opposite of "Arich Anpin", an Aramaic translation of Erech Apaim, which means "slow to anger". Consider the following section of the Wikipedia article on the Kabbalistic notion of Arich Anpin:
The Aramaic term Arich Anpin derives from the Hebrew phrase Erech Apaim ("slow to anger" - literally "long nose"), one of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy enumerated in Exodus 34:6-7.[8] Arich ("long") implies the infinite extension of Divine Will in Creation, while "long nose" also implies "long breath" (the opposite of impatient "short breath"). Arich Anpin denotes the extension of infinite patience and mercy.
Thus, as the opposite of "Arich Anpin" (which denotes patience), "Z'eir Anpin" could be accurately translated as "impatient".
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