חָלוּץ Can’t read Hebrew yet? Modern Hebrew finds its roots in Biblical, though as time has progressed, words have taken on meanings that depart from their original usage, to varying degrees. The essential meaning found in the root, however, tends to remain the same. One such example is the word חָלוּץ In Biblical…
סֻלָּם Can’t read Hebrew yet? If the Modern-Hebrew word for escalation is הַסְלָמָה , its root is ס.ל.מ (s.l.m), forming a very ancient word, סֻלָּם – ladder. I say ancient because the word appears already in Genesis, in Jacob’s dream: וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה… and behold, a ladder placed on the earth,…
הַזּוּלָת Can’t read Hebrew yet? זוּלָה in Biblical Hebrew means removing from or except for, always used in the construct state – where the letter ה (h) at the end becomes a ת (t), or a ת with a suffix – as in: זוּלָתִי כָּלֵב בֶּן יְפֻנֶּה, הוּא יִרְאֶנָּה… except for Caleb…
עַזָּה Can’t read Hebrew yet? Click for the Video
מָגֵן אֱנוֹשִׁי Can’t read Hebrew yet? One of the most deplorable tactics of war, used readily by the terrorists launching rockets from Gaza, is the human shield. in Hebrew, a human shield is מָגֵן אֱנוֹשִׁי : the word מגן means shield, and אנושי means human in the adjective sense. For example: הַמָּגֵן הָאֱנוֹשִׁי בְּעַזָּה…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? Review, practice and test yourself on this week’s doses of Hebrew! Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
מַנְהִיגוּת Can’t read Hebrew yet? In the Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world, Moses is informed that he won’t be leading the People of Israel into the promised land. His response, defining his role as the leader, gets me every year: יִפְקֹד ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵי…
דְּרוֹמִית לְ… Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Modern-Hebrew way of expressing north of…, south of… etc. takes the word for north, south, etc, adds a suffix to the end of the word and adds a to prefix to the next word. For example, דָּרוֹם meaning south becomes …ְדְּרוֹמִית ל meaning south of, as…
מוֹקֵד חֵרוּם Can’t read Hebrew yet? מֶרְכָּז is the better-known word for center. Its root is ר.כ.ז (r.k.z) meaning concentration: a מרכז is a place where people or things gather inside of it, such as: מֶרְכַּז הָעִיר the city center and מֶרְכַּז רְפוּאִי medical center Its synonym, מוֹקֵד ,…
הַחֲדָשׁוֹת Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word חָדָשׁ means new. It’s an adjective, which means that it takes on the gender of word it modifies, for example: קָנִיתִי בְּגָדִים חֲדָשִׁים. I bought new clothes. (בגדים is masculine) and זֹאת מַגֶּבֶת חֲדָשָׁה. This is a new towel….
בְּעַיִן יָפָה Can’t read Hebrew yet? The proper term for generosity is נְדִיבוּת, but the most commonly-used term that describes giving generously suggests that when a person feels generous, they see and appreciate the beauty in the world: to give generously is לָתֵת בְּעַיִן יָפָה– literally, to give with a beautiful eye. For example: אֲנַחְנוּ…