how to say “commander” in Hebrew
מְפַקֵּד
My cousin Yudi is the third Chabadnik to become a combat officer in the Israeli military. He is currently serving as a commander.
The Hebrew word for military commander is מְפַקֵּד
listen and repeat. Its root is פ.ק.ד (p.k.d), the concept of turning attention to something: someone who commands causes those under him or her to turn their attention to the task at hand.
listen and repeat. Its root is פ.ק.ד (p.k.d), the concept of turning attention to something: someone who commands causes those under him or her to turn their attention to the task at hand.Whereas American soldiers shout yes, sir! to their commanders, Israeli soldiers shout:
כֵּן, הַמְּפַקֵּד!
yes, commander!
…if the commander is a male, and
כֵּן, הַמְּפַקֶּדֶת!
…if she’s a female.
פ.ק.ד is also the root of the name of the Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world:
אֵלֶּה פְּקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן…
these are the numbers (of things worth paying attention to and counting) of the Tabernacle…
