Talk:Menachem HaMeiri

Why is he being called Meiri, instead of Hameiri or HaMeiri or the like?

As in the Hebrew Wiki, his name is Rabbi Menahem ben Shlomo HaMeiri (i.e., of the "HaMeiri" family). In the main traditions of Hebrew name usage, the name is better HaMeiri rather than "Meiri", and this should not be absent from the article, let alone the title. Perhaps it would even be preferable to use a helpful apostrophe: Ha'Me'iri or HaMe'iri. 66.28.54.254 (talk) 12:31, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I am not the original commenter, but I feel 15 years of silence was enough, so I went ahead and implemented the changes. I also request that the name of the article itself should be changed.* 174.251.64.183 (talk) 16:01, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

I've went ahead and implemented the change throughout the article. 'Meiri' isn't a last name, but an identifier, such as 'Canadian'. 'HaMeiri' is Hebrew for 'the Meiri', much as we might refer to our Canadian friend as 'the Canadian' but never as just 'Canadian'. It probably refers to his status as a descendant of someone named Meir. It is possible nobody even referred to him as such in his day. We only refer to him as such because that is how he refers to himself in his writings "Amar HaMeiri" (says the Meiri). Though some sources do quote people referring to him as Meiri alone, this arises from a misunderstanding of the name.

JoeJShmo (talk) 07:40, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm not disputing the change since it is certainly true, from what I can see, that "ha-Meiri" is the most common Hebrew rendition. However, I'll note that in English sources the name "Meiri" is quite common. For example, in Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd edition, vol 13, page 785), his long article is titled "Meiri, Menahem ben Solomon" and within the article both "Meiri" and "the Meiri" appear. In Google Scholar, "Meiri" slightly outnumbers "haMeiri" and "ha-Meiri" combined, and many of those authors appear quite qualified. I don't think that names obey the simple laws of logic that you apply to them; rather, someone's name is what they are called by regardless of logic. Zero^talk 07:57, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

I appreciate the response.You're probably correct that the common usage should be the determinant. However, although an internet search might imply he is referred to as Meiri, in fact the vast majority of people who make reference to the Meiri are Talmudic students who study his writings and opinions, and practically all of them refer to him as the Meiri, following how he refers to himself. Unfortunately I cannot possibly source this, though logic may tell you the same. JoeJShmo (talk) 18:45, 3 July 2024 (UTC)