how to say “devoted” in Hebrew
For the first day of חֲנֻכָּה (khah-noo-KAH) – Hanukkah, I thought I’d inaugurate one of the themes of the holiday: devotion to a cause. The Maccabees were devoted – מְסוּרִים (me-soo-REEM) – to the cause of defending the right of Jews to practice their religion. Thanks to their מְסִירוּת (me-see-ROOT) – devotion– the Jewish people are here today.
If a woman is devoted to a cause, she is מְסוּרָה (me-soo-RAH). If a man is devoted, he is מָסוּר (mah-SOOR).
The root of these words is מ.ס.ר (m.s.r), one of the roots for the concept of giving. מסירות is giving oneself over, as in the phrase, מְסִירוּת נֶפֶש (me-see-ROOT NEH-fesh) – giving over oneself, or, less literally, making self-sacrifice.
