how to say “ladies and gentlemen” in Hebrew
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The Hebrew way of saying ladies and gentlemen, in Hebrew, is גְּבִירוֹתָי וְרַבּוֹתָי (gheh-vee-roh-TAH-ee veh-rah-boh-TAH-ee). While a גְּבִירָה is a lady of stature (gheh-vee-RAH) – related to the word גְּבוּרָה meaning boldness (gheh-voo-RAH), among many other common words – רַב (rahv) means… well, rabbi.
Sounds strange, don’t you think, especially when the speech is being given to a group of people who are not rabbis?
We must thus look at the essential meaning of the word for rabbi – רב. Perusing the pre-Rabbinic Bible, we find that the word itself meant great or many before it came to refer to a person who is great, or a spiritual leader – a rabbi.
Calling upon the essential element of greatness in the word רב, Modern Hebrew takes the liberty of showing respect to an audience of ladies and gentlemen using גבירותי ורבותי – my ladies and my great/honorable men.
If the audience is just men, the speaker is likely to say, מוֹרָי וְרַבּוֹתָי (moh-RAH-ee veh-rah-boh-TAH-ee) – my teachers and my honorable men.
