הַשְׁכָּמָה Can’t read Hebrew yet? To wake up early is לְהַשְׁכִּים , an active-causative verb of the root שׁ.כ.מ (sh.k.m). Here’s a Biblical example: וַיַּּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת חֲמֹרוֹ… And Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey… (Genesis 22:3) Likewise, the act of getting…
בְּתֹם לֵב Can’t read Hebrew yet? Someone innocent in the sense that they don’t know of evil, is either תָּמִים (a male) or תְּמִימָה (a female) in Hebrew. Likewise, innocence is תְּמִימוּת , and a more poetic synonym of that is תֹּם (also used as a name for a boy). When we…
תִּשָּׁעֵן עָלַי Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for to lean is a verb that falls into the נִפְעָל form: לְהִשָּׁעֵן , of the root שׁ.ע.נ (sh.a.n). For example: הוּא נִשְׁעָן עַל הַקִּיר. He is leaning against (on) the wall. You may recognize the verb in this…
אֲנִי צוֹחֵק Can’t read Hebrew yet? In Hebrew, the word for to joke is the same as to laugh – the active-simple verb לִצְחוֹק . For example, a man might say: אֲנִי סְתָם צוֹחֵק. I’m just joking. A woman would mean the same thing saying, אֲני סְתָם צוֹחֶקֶת . …
מֶתַח Can’t read Hebrew yet? In Biblical Hebrew, the simple verb לִמְתּוֹח of the root מ.ת.ח (m.t.kh) means to spread out. Modern Hebrew also uses the word to mean to stretch, while a מְתִיחָה is a stretch, for example: הוּא עוֹשֶׂה עֶשֶׂר מְתִיחוֹת לִפְנֵי שֶׁהוּא נִכְנָס לַבְּרֵכָה. He does ten…
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!
גְּבֶרֶת Can’t read Hebrew yet? Two of the first words we teach in Ulpan La-Inyan are sir and ma’am – אֲדוֹנִי and גְּבֶרֶת , respectively. These mean literally, my master and lady. גברת refers to a lady or a woman of status, as in the title of the musical: גְּבִרְתִּי הַנַּאֲוָה My Fair Lady …
אֲחֻזָּה Can’t read Hebrew yet? The main street in Raanana is called אֲחֻזָּה (pronounced colloquially ). It means estate, and it comes from the root א.ח.ז (a.kh.z) meaning holding onto something. Sometimes a mansion is called an אחוזה , as in: זֶה לֹא בַּיִת – זֶה אֲחֻזָּה. That’s not a…
הָאָדָם הַקַּדְמוֹן Can’t read Hebrew yet? Some of you may recall the 1992 movie Encino Man. It’s about a frozen caveman who is dug up in a suburban backyard and helps two high school seniors become the most popular kids in school. I recently watched the movie again and relived part of…
לְהַרְאוֹת Can’t read Hebrew yet? Seeing is one of the simplest concepts to describe in language. Hebrew expresses it using a verb of the “simple” verb form: לִרְאוֹת , of the root ר.א.ה (r.a.h). To express causing someone to see something – showing it to them – Hebrew employs the causative verb form, yielding לְהַרְאוֹת ….
מַתָּנָה, שַׁי Can’t read Hebrew yet? Just like the English word gift comes from the verb give, colloquial Hebrew’s word for it is מַתָּנָה , coming from the verb לָתֵת – to give. For example: לֹא רַק יְלָדִים אוֹהֲבִים לְקַבֵּל מַתָּנוֹת. Not only children like receiving gifts. Another…