how to say “doing” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /]עֲשִׂיָּה

Yesterday we saw the word תעשייה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /] meaning industry, which comes from the root ע.ש.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /] meaning doing, action.

A simpler word coming from that root is עשייה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /] – doing itself or action, the gerund form of לעשות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /] – to do.

This word is powerful in its simplicity: עשייה carries with it a vitality that needs no further words to describe it. For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /]היא בן אדם של עשייה.

She is a person of action.

פעולה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עשייה-#.m4a” /] also means action, but in the more operative sense.