how to say “freeze” in Hebrew
The Biblical Hebrew root ק.פ.א (k.p.a) is the concept of congealment or thickening, but the root has evolved to the point where today it means frozenness.
Thus a מַקְפִּיא (mahk-PEE) is the Modern Hebrew word for freezer – the place where one places ice cream. To freeze something is לְהַקְפִּיא (le-hahk-PEE). To say, I’m freezing!, you’d say, אֲנִי קוֹפֵא מִקּוֹר (ah-NEE koh-FEH mee-KOHR) if you’re a male, and אֲנִי קוֹפֵאת מִקּוֹר (ah-NEE koh-FEHT mee-KOHR) if you’re a female. Literally, that’s I’m freezing from cold.
The act of freezing something – such as settlement building in Israel’s disputed territories – is הַקְפָּאָה.
Whether or not you agree with the הקפאה policy, you may be spending Shabbat in a state of virtual הקפאה – that is, from labor or your day-to-day routine. I will be. If you are, enjoy!
And check out our classes… they start on Sunday, right after the weekly הקפאה (click the image below).
