how to say “long like the exile” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-1.m4a” /]כּאֹרֶךְ הַגָּלוּת
Some Hebrew expressions are direct translations from other tongues, but this one is uniquely Jewish and Israeli.
To say that something (a bank statement, for example) is very long and tiring, Israelis might say ארוך כאורך הגלות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-2.m4a” /] – literally, long like the length of the exile. Since the exile of the Jews from the Land of Israel was 2000 years long, כאורך הגלות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-1.m4a” /] is quite a powerful statement.
The expression in context:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-3.m4a” /]המסמך הזה הוא ארוך כאורך הגלות!
This document is long like the (length of the) exile!
The expression broken down:
אורך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-4.m4a” /] – length
כאורך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-5.m4a” /] – like the length of
הגלות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כאורך-הגלות-6.m4a” /] – the exile
