how do you say, in Hebrew, “to pull something out of a hat/ to draw a weapon?”
לשלוף
One of my favorite Hebrew verbs is לִשְׁלוֹף (leesh-LOHF) – to draw, as in, to draw a sword. That’s the meaning found in the Bible.
But I can also pull a rabbit out of a hat… or a word from my memory – אֲנִי שׁוֹלֵף אֶת הַמִּלָּה מֵהַזִּכָּרוֹן (ah-NEE shoh-LEFF et hah-mee-LAH meh-hah-zee-kah-ROHN).
Ulpan La-Inyan has students learn to pronounce new words… and then recall them – לִשְׁלוֹף אוֹתָם (leesh-LOHF oh-TAHM), just when they’re about to forget them. This allows the students to place these new pieces of Hebrew vocabulary firmly in their long-term memory.
This allows Ulpan La-Inyan students not only to speak Hebrew, but also to feel good about themselves when they do so. Kind of like Sarah (except Ulpan La-Inyan students don’t have to carry as many materials around with them):
