how to say “to search really carefully” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לחפש-בנרות-1.mp3″ /]לְחַפֵּשׂ בַּנֵּרוֹת

Earlier this week we saw a Hebrew expression invoking an entire Biblical experience to say really, really dark – חֹשֶׁךְ מִצְרַיִם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לחפש-בנרות-2.mp3″ /].

Here’s another vivid term, this time for to search meticulously – לְחַפֵּשׂ בַּנֵּרוֹת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לחפש-בנרות-1.mp3″ /], literally to search by candlelight or with (the) candles.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לחפש-בנרות-3.mp3″ /]כְּדֵי לִמְצוֹא מִסְעָדָה פְּתוּחָה בְּשַׁבָּת בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם צָרִיךְ לְחַפֵּשׂ בַּנֵּרוֹת.

In order to find an open restaurant on Shabbat in Jerusalem, (one) needs to search by candlelight.

This expression hails from Biblical verse Zephaniah 1:12, which tells of a time when Jerusalem in all its spiritual and ethical grandeur was scarcely found:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לחפש-בנרות-4.mp3″ /]וְהָיָה בָּעֵת הַהִיא אֲחַפֵּשׂ אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַם בַּנֵּרוֹת וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַקֹּפְאִים עַל שִׁמְרֵיהֶם הָאֹמְרִים בִּלְבָבָם לֹא יֵיטִיב ה’ וְלֹא יָרֵעַ.

And it will come to pass at that time, that I will search for Jerusalem by candlelight, and I shall punish the people who are well-situated (frozen) in their complacency, saying in their hearts that G-d will neither benefit (them) nor cause harm.