Author: Ami Steinberger

  having trouble seeing the print? אַחְרָיוּת Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program The Hebrew word for responsibility is אחריות, first appearing in Mishnaic literature. surviving victim of this morning’s direct hit from Gaza onto Jewish cities For example: בְּנֵי אָדָם חַיָּבִים לַקַּחַת אַחְרָיוּת עַל חַיֵּהֶם, וּמְדִינוֹת עַל עֶצֶם קִיּוּמָם. People must take responsibility for their lives,…

  having trouble seeing the print? מִנּוּן Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program In English, food is given in servings, while medicine is given in doses. The Hebrew word for serving is מָנָה, deriving from the word לִמְנוֹת, an active-simple פָּעַל verb meaning to count (a synonym of לִסְפּוֹר, also a פעל verb). For example: אֲבַקֵּשׁ מָנָה סָלָט….

  having trouble seeing the print? שְׁלוּלִית Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program It’s finally been raining here in Jerusalem. The other night, dodging puddles as I walked through the neighborhoods of south Jerusalem, I couldn’t help but smile as I was reminded of this great song, written by Mira Meir and performed by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, as well as…

  having trouble seeing the print? בִּיוֹלוֹגְיָה יַמִּית Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program   The Hebrew word for biology is בִּיוֹלוֹגְיָה. There is an actual term for the field, but hardly anyone uses it: חֵקֶר תַּהֲלִיכֵי הַחַיִּם – literally, the study of the processes of life. The Hebrew word for marine, when used to describe something such as…

  having trouble seeing the print? הַכֶּסֶף מְדַבֵּר Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program Some Hebrew expressions translate directly from the English. One such example is the concept that אַבְרָהָם  teaches in the Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world, in which he insists on paying for מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה – The Cave of…

  having trouble seeing the print? תַּחֲרוּת Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program The Modern-Hebrew word for competition and competitiveness is תַּחֲרוּת, whose (reflexive-intensive הִתְפַּעֵל) verb form – to compete – is לְהִתְחָרוֹת .   An example:   אוֹבָּמָה וְרוֹמְנִי הִתְחָרוּ בְּתַחֲרוּת צְמוּדָה. Obama and Romney competed in a tight competition. In Modern Hebrew, the words sound benign. But their…

  having trouble seeing the print? שָׂמֵחַ עַד הַגַּג Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program Barack Obama (along with his family) is now over-the-moon ecstatic with joy. A Hebrew expression that befits him now is שָׂמֵחַ עַד הַגַּג. It means, literally, happy to the roof. Bear in mind that joy in Hebrew is a verb (an active-simple…

  having trouble seeing the print? לְהַצְבִּיעַ Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program Yesterday we encountered the Hebrew word for elections – בְּחִירוֹת . But just as election and vote are two different words in English, בחירות has a counterpart as well. The active-causative הִפְעִיל verb, לְהַצְבִּיעַ, is related to the word for finger, אֶצְבַּע , the root of both being…

  having trouble seeing the print? בְּחִירוֹת Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program The Hebrew word for to choose is לִבְחוֹר , an active-simple פָּעַל verb of the root ב.ח.ר (b.kh.r). Thus a choice is a בְּחִירָה , and choices or elections are בְּחִירוֹת. For example: מָחָר יִתְקַיְּמוּ הַבְּחִירוֹת בְּאַרְצוֹת הַבְּרִית. Tomorrow the elections will take place in the United States.  …

  having trouble seeing the print? אֹרֵחַ Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program     video version!   The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world features several models of hosting, from Abraham’s open tent to the gripping story of Sodom and Gomorrah, in which angels disguised as passers-by herald the…