חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מואר-1.m4a” /]מוּאָר Ernest Hemingway wrote a short story called “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” The story itself I don’t remember at all, but the title for some reason stayed with me. Something lighted or lit in Hebrew is מואר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מואר-1.m4a” /], a passive form of the active-causative verb להאיר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מואר-2.m4a” /] – to light up or to shine. This word להאיר also forms the…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-1.m4a” /]מִמּוּן If you’re familiar with Christian literature, the word Mammon may ring a bell, as it represents greed. The word came to Hebrew via Aramaic and makes appearances in the Mishnah, where it substitutes Biblical-Hebrew כסף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-2.m4a” /] – literally silver but also money – and is spelled ממון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-3.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-4.m4a”…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/רעש-רקע-#.m4a” /]רַעַשׁ רֶקַע The Hebrew word for noise is רעש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/רעש-רקע-#.m4a” /]. In Biblical Hebrew, רעש also refers to an earthquake, probably because it makes a lot of noise. In Modern Hebrew, earthquake is רעידת אדמה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/רעש-רקע-#.m4a” /]. A background is רקע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/רעש-רקע-#.m4a” /] (related to the biblical רקיע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/רעש-רקע-#.m4a” /] – firmament, a sort of cosmic…
לנמנם Suppose you’re a high-school student sitting in class (or an employee who’s just come off the weekend), and you’re dozing off. Suppose your teacher (or your boss) were to ask you, “are you sleeping?!” You might answer, לֹא, אֲנִי רַק מְנַמְנֵמ/ת (loh, ah-nee rahk me-nahm-NEHM/ET – “et” for a female) – no, I’m just…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /]קְבוּצָה In Biblical Hebrew, קבוצה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /] referred to a group of objects gathered together: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /]“קְבֻצַת כֶּסֶף וּנְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל וְעוֹפֶרֶת…” (יחזקאל כ”ב, כ’) “A grouping of silver and bronze and iron and lead…” (Ezekiel 22:20) But in Modern Hebrew, קבוצה usually refers to a group of people: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /]הקבוצה הזאת נפגשת פעם בשבועיים. This…