קִיר, חוֹמָה, כֹּתֶל Can’t read Hebrew yet? 1 קִיר קִיר is the everyday word. It refers to the wall you’re probably facing right now, if you’re indoors. It’s that which encloses and divides between rooms. For example: בַּחֶדֶר שֶׁנִּפְתַּח אֶל הֶחָצֵר יֵשׁ שְׁלֹשָׁה קִירוֹת וְדֶלֶת גְּדוֹלָה מִזְּכוּכִית. In the room that opens…
גַּן, גִּנָּה Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for garden goes way back to the opening passages of the Bible, so that the Garden of Eden is גַּן עֵדֶן – or, in the Biblical context, “a garden in Eden, in the east” – גַּן בְּעֵדֶן מִקֶּדֶם . גַּן in Modern…
סַמִּים Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Modern-Hebrew word for drugs is סַמִּים , while one drug is סַם . These refer to street drugs only – the word for medicine is תְּרוּפָה . For example: סַמִּים בְּדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל מְמַכְּרִים. (Street) drugs are usually addictive. The word has…
מָחֳרָתַיִם Can’t read Hebrew yet? If you’ve got some basic Hebrew, you know that the word for tomorrow is מָחָר . But you may not know that there’s a special word for the day after tomorrow: מָחֳרָתַיִם . For example: מָחֳרָתַיִם כְּבָר פּוּרִים! Two days from now is…
מִשְׁקוֹלוֹת Can’t read Hebrew yet? Modern Israel’s currency is the New Shekel – הַשֶּׂקֶל הֶחָדָשׁ , but the word שֶׁקֶל goes way back to Biblical times, when it referred to the value of a gold or silver coin based on its weight. The root שׁ.ק.ל (sh.k.l) means weight. It is the source of several words…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep. Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
דִּמְדּוּמִים, בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם Can’t read Hebrew yet? That curious time between sunset and nightfall – also technically between dawn and sunrise – is called twilight – between light. Such a time of day causes confusion – is it day or night? Is it light or dark? Can I trust my eyesight while…
מִלּוּי, סְתִימָה Can’t read Hebrew yet? With Purim coming up, some of you may already be thinking about those special holiday cookies, hamentaschen (Yiddish, literally, Haman’s pockets) – in Hebrew, אָזְנֵי הָמָן (literally, Haman’s ears) and the various fillings they come with. The Hebrew word for filling when speaking of cookies…
בּוֹ זְמַנִּית, בַּד בְּבַד Can’t read Hebrew yet? While Israelis sometimes say בְּאֹפֶן סִימוּלְטָנִי to express simultaneously or at the same time, they’re also likely to use the expression בּוֹ זְמַנִּית – literally, at that moment. Likewise, בּוֹ-זְמַנִּי means simultaneous. For example: הוּא מְסֻגָּל לְנַגֵּן בַּגִּיטָרָה וְלָשִׁיר בּוֹ-זְמַנִּית. He is…
מִצַּד שֵׁנִי, לְעֻמַּת זֹאת Can’t read Hebrew yet? On the one hand, the snow is pretty. But on the other hand, it’s cold and I prefer warmth. English uses the metaphor of hands to speak about the two sides of a dilemma. Hebrew uses sides: מִצַּד אֶחָד – on the…
תַּשְׁבֵּץ Can’t read Hebrew yet? The root שׁ.ב.צ (sh.b.ts) means checkered or plaited. Thus a slot on a calendar is called a מִשְׁבֶּצֶת and an informal way of saying to book an appointment is לְשַׁבֵּץ פְּגִישָׁה For example: שִׁבַּצְתִּי אֶת הַפְּגִישָׁה שֶׁלָּךְ עִם הַמְּנַהֵל לְתֵּשַׁע וָחֵצִי, זֶה בְּסֵדֶר? I booked your (a…