having trouble seeing the print? עִיר מֻשְׁלֶגֶת Don’t yet read Hebrew? Learn now, for free! As you may have heard – or perhaps you’ve been experiencing it yourself – Jerusalem has been covered in snow since Thursday. For this city unprepared, such a snowstorm means limited electricity, no school, jolly kids, no public transportation, thousands of people…
having trouble seeing the print? מוּמְיָה, חָנוּט, אִמָּא’לֶה The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world features that staple of ancient-Egyptian culture and a main character in horror films, the mummy. In the Torah’s case, the mummies happen to be יַעֲקֹבJacob, the forefather – and יוֹסֵף his son Joseph. The most widely-used Hebrew word for mummy is a transliteration of English…
having trouble seeing the print? קְרוֹבֵי מִשְׁפָּחָה סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית, the book of Genesis, is to a great extent about family. As Jews around the world are reading the final chapters of ספר בראשית this week, here’s a dose about various family members or relatives. The term for relatives in Hebrew is קְרוֹבֵי מִשְׁפָּחָה– literally, close ones…
having trouble seeing the print? פַּשְׁטִידַת הָרוֹעֶה This one’s for my sister, who loves this dish. In honor of the cold weather felt in many parts of the world this week, here’s an entry about a nice hot food item. Shepherd’s pie, originating in what is today the United Kingdom, translates to פַּשְׁטִידַת…
having trouble seeing the print? סוֹף הַדֶּרֶךְ When I hear the English expression, the end of the road, the first thing that comes to my mind is the song by Boyz II Men. In English, the end of the road connotes the end of a relationship or process, sometimes the end of a life. …
having trouble seeing the print? לְהַגִּישׁ, לְשָׁרֵת As often happens when crossing linguistic boundaries, the single English verb to serve has several translations in Hebrew, corresponding to several different meanings of the word in English. להגיש There’s to serve as in to give something to someone else, such as a meal – לְהַגִּישׁ אֲרוּחָהhis…
having trouble seeing the print? מְפֻרְסָם Discount Deadline TODAY for our Level 1 course REGISTER NOW! חֲנֻכָּה – Hanukkah – among other things, is about publicizing miracles by showcasing lights to the world. The Hebrew word for to publicize or to advertise is לְפַרְסֵם , a four-letter root first appearing in Mishnaic Hebrew, whose origin is unclear. לפרסם…
having trouble seeing the print? נָפַל לִי הָאֲסִימוֹן Discount Deadline TOMORROW for our Level 1 course REGISTER NOW! Back when people used payphones, and before even these required an electronic card to make a call, Israelis inserted a special token into payphones called an אֲסִימוֹן . When callers would…
having trouble seeing the print? עוֹף, תַּרְנְגוֹלֶת They tell a joke about an Israeli man married to an American woman, living in the States. He buys her a microwave as a surprise and tells her he’s going to put it to use right away by cooking a chicken in it. As he places the…
having trouble seeing the print? לָעוּף Arik Einstein, one of Israel’s most important and influential musicians, passed away last week. At a ceremony at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv before the funeral, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: הָיִיתָ הַגָּדוֹל מִכֻּלָּם, הַזַּמָּר הַלְּאֻמִּי. You were the greatest of them all, our (the) national singer. …
הוֹדָיָה This is a word that’s not used everyday. We’ve already done an entry on the word grateful, which you’ll find here. The Hebrew word for thanksgiving, as in English, is reserved for special occasions, such as that favorite American holiday itself. The word is הוֹדָיָה. It comes from the root ה.ד.ה (h.d.h) meaning…