The Meaning Of Hiddur

The word "hiddur" in Hebrew means to honor. והדרת פני זקן - Honor the elderly. ודל לא תהדר בריבו - Don't honor a poor man in a dispute. ולא תהדר פני גדול - Don't honor the rich [in a dispute].

In Aramaic it means to "return". In fact - the two meanings are connected. In Hebrew we mean that one should suddenly "turn back" and honor. One would be inclined to say "How can I fine this poor man" and jump backwards and not fine him so the pasuk says ודל לא תהדר בריבו. One might jump back in fear and honor the rich in a dispute where he is liable, so the pasuk says ולא תהדר פני גדול.

The gemara says that הידור - honor, means don't sit in his place, don't contradict his words etc. הידור would seem to have a proactive connotation and not a passive one ["don't"]. But now we understand that it really connotes passivity - "step back and don't...."

That is also the meaning of the drasha of the gemara [brachos 31] about davening: השתחוו לה' בהדרת קודש אל תקרי בהדרת אלא בחרדת - The word הדר is expounded to mean חרד - fearful. Now we understand why....

Pilei Pla-os!

[ע"פ הכתב והקבלה ויקרא י"ט]

A thought: How would הידור as beauty fit in with this [הידור מצוה, הוד והדר]?

לזכות הרב אליעזר זאב בן דבורה וכל בני ביתו לברכה והצלחה וכל טוב סלה!!!