Minim

The word "Minim" in Hebrew is a very interesting word. Spelled Mem Yud Nun Yud Mem (I don't use Hebrew letters because I can't control how they appear), the word is a palindrome; i.e., the word is pronounced the same right to left and left to right.

Whenever I ask people how to translate Minim, everybody tells me "species". Indeed, that's correct, they are usually thinking of the "Arbah Minim", the Four Species of plants that we wave during Succos. However, it also means something else: heretic.

I always wondered why this word, this palindrome, had these two disparate meanings. One day, it came to me: perhaps Hashem intended this as a siman (sign) to the heretics, that they still have a connection to Hashem and the Jewish People, all they need to do is to turn around.