how to say “wheel” in Hebrew
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Jerusalem, evenings . Tel Aviv, afternoons
Last week in the middle of introducing a song, I decided to upgrade my weekly radio show, “Israeli Music – Decoded,” from merely cultural introductions and translation of Hebrew songs to a proper Hebrew lesson, using some of the methods Ulpan La-Inyan employs to get people speaking Hebrew with confidence and accuracy.
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| אברהם טל Avraham Tal |
In about an hour I’ll be hosting my show again – you’re welcome to join me. Just go to RustyMike.com sometime between noon and 1pm Israel time.
This week I’ll be teaching a series of songs, but I’ll be especially featuring my new favorite, which was a massive hit a couple of years ago: Avraham Tal’s מְחֻזָּקִים לְעוֹלָם (meh-khoo-zah-KEEM leh-oh-LAHM) – Strengthened Forever. It’s about the fortitude acquired by going through life courageously… and having fun in the process.
One of the key words in the song is גַּלְגַּל (gahl-GAHL), meaning wheel. It means wheel in the mundane usage as that allowing a car or bicycle to move, as well as in the mystical sense, such as גַּלְגַּל הַמַּזָּל (gahl-GAHL hah-mah-ZAHL) – the wheel of fortune.
גלגל appears in Biblical Hebrew, in Ezekiel’s vision of the chariot. It is related to the verb used to describe Jacob’s rolling the stone from the mouth of the well – וַיָּגֶל אֶת הָאֶבֶן מֵעַל פִּי הַבְּאֵר (vah-YAH-ghel et hah-EH-ven meh-AHL pee hah-beh-EHR).
