Author: Ami Steinberger

  לְסָרֵב  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word for to refuse is לְסָרֵב  listen and repeat, an active-intensive verb.   For example:   אָנוּ שׁוֹמְרִים לְעַצְמֵנוּ אֶת הַזְּכוּת לְסָרֵב שֵׁרוּת לְכָל אָדָם. We reserve (to ourselves) the right to refuse service to anyone.  listen    Likewise, refusal is סֵרוּב  listen and…

  לִתְמוֹךְ  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?   If you’ve lived in Israel, you may have called your Internet service provider or your phone company and heard the recording in the directory say something like:   לִתְמִיכָה טֶכְנִית, הַקִּישׁוּ שְׁתַּיִם. For technical support, press two.  listen    The word תמיכה  listen and repeat means support,…

  חַיּוּת  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The word vitality, the force of life, comes from the same root as viva as in Viva, Las Vegas! – Live, Las Vegas!   Likewise, the Hebrew word for vitality – חַיּוּת  listen and repeat – comes from the root ח.י.ה (kh.y.h) meaning life.   For…

  עֶגְלַת תִּינוֹק  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word עֲגָלָה  listen and repeat means carriage or wagon.    You’ll find it in the supermarket, with:   סְלִיחָה, זֹאת הָעֲגָלָה שֶׁלִּי. Excuse me, that’s my cart.  listen    You’ll also find it on the sidewalk, when strolling a baby along:   אַתָּה…

  לְהִתְכַּבֵּד  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     Providing guests with tasty refreshments is a way of honoring them. Thus the Hebrew expression for refreshments is כִּבּוּד  listen and repeat – literally, honoring.   For example:   שַׂמְתֶּם אֶת הַכִּבּוּד עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן? Have you (plural) put the refreshments on the table?  listen    When…

  תְּשׂוּמֶת לֵב  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     In English we talk about paying attention, directing our attention to something. Meaning the same, Hebrew invokes the metaphor of placing our heart on something – לָשִׂים לֵב  listen and repeat.   For example:   שַׂמְתִּי לֵב שֶׁהִיא מַגִּיעָה לְפֹה כָּל בֹּקֶר. I noticed…

  לְהַפְשִׁיל אֶת הַשַּׁרְווּלִים  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     When there’s work to do, we call it “rolling up our sleeves” to “get our hands dirty,” in English.   The Hebrew expression for rolling up (the) sleeves is לְהַפְשִׁיל אֶת הַשַּׁרְווּלִים listen and repeat, where להפשיל means to roll up or to roll back (source in Mishnaic Hebrew, probably from Aramaic) and שַׁרְווּל  listen…

  לִטְרוֹף  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     In Biblical times, Hebrew speakers used the active-simple verb לִטְרוֹף  listen and repeat – to devour – in its literal sense.   But since wild animals are not as common in our neighborhoods today, Modern-Hebrew speakers typically use לטרוף in reference to eating something with extraordinary…

  בְּכוֹרָה  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     You may know the Hebrew word for firstborn, בְּכוֹר  listen and repeat.   Modern Hebrew calls upon the word בכור to produce a word for the more contemporary concept of a debut – בְּכוֹרָה  listen and repeat.   For example:   הָיִנוּ בְּמוֹפַע הַבְּכוֹרָה שֶׁלָּהּ. We were at…