how to say “the plain” in Hebrew

הַשְּׁפֵלָה Can’t read Hebrew yet?   The plain of Israel – the part that is lower than the mountains, higher than the sea, and is characterized primarily by soft rocks strewn about – is called הַשְּׁפֵלָה. The word comes from the root שׁ.פ.ל (sh.p.l) meaning low.    שׁ.פ.ל is also the root of the word שָׁפֵל meaning…

how to say “the United States” in Hebrew

how to say “the United States” in Hebrew

  אַרְצוֹת הַבְּרִית   Can’t read Hebrew yet?     Earlier this week we saw the Hebrew versions of a couple of “united” political bodies:   הָאוּמוֹת הַמְּאֻחָדוֹת (הָאוּ”ם) the United Nations (the UN)     and    הַמַּמְלָכָה הַמְּאֻחֶדֶת the United Kingdom     Both of these use the word מְאֻחָד   – unified.  …

how to say “the United Kingdom” in Hebrew

  הַמַּמְלָכָה הַמְּאֻחֶדֶת   Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The other day we saw that the United Nations, in Hebrew, is האומות המאחדות  . or, usually abbreviated to האו”ם  .   Here’s another “united” political body, except this one’s in the singular: הממלכה המאחדת   is the United Kingdom. But unlike in English where the phrase…

how to say “the United Nations” in Hebrew

  הָאוּ”ם   Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The only organization whose name has been appearing in the news as often as Hamas recently is the United Nations.    The Hebrew translation is הָאוּמוֹת הַמְּאֻחָדוֹת  , or in short, like “the UN,” הָאוּ”ם  .   Broken down:   האומות   – plural of האומה  ,…

how to say “an escape” in Hebrew

  מָנוֹס   Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world includes:   לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלַגֵּר וְלַתּוֹשָׁב בְּתוֹכָם, תִּהְיֶינָה שֵׁשׁ הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, לְמִקְלָט לָנוּס שָׁמָּה, כָּל מַכֵּה נֶפֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָה. For the Children of Israel, and for the sojourner and the resident among them, shall…

how to say “keep me posted” in Hebrew

  תְּעַדְכֵּן אׂתִי   Can’t read Hebrew yet?     In English, we use the term to update mostly when discussing the news and professionally-related topics.   In Hebrew, however, it’s used in lieu of the everyday expressions let me know and keep me posted. The word is לְעַדְכֵּן  , an active-intensive verb of the four-letter root ע.ד.כ.נ (a.d.k.n)….

how to say “ceasefire” in Hebrew

how to say “ceasefire” in Hebrew

  הַפְסָקַת אֵשׁ   Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word for a break is הַפְסָקָה  , an active-causative verb of the root פ.ס.ק (p.s.k) meaning pause.   For example:   הָעוֹבְדִים יָצְאוּ לְהַפְסָקַת צָהֳרַיִם. The employees went out for an afternoon break.     And אֵשׁ   is fire.   So a ceasefire, or a…