how to say “funding” in Hebrew

[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” /]בהלכה, יש דיני ממונות, ודיני נפשות.

In the Halakhah (Jewish law), there is civil law (money laws) and capital law (laws of souls).

Modern Hebrew uses the Biblical כסף as the basic word for money. But the word ממון, especially its root מ.מ.נ (m.m.n), finds its place in higher-register words such as מימון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-1.m4a” /] – funding and לממן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-5.m4a” /] – to fund.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-6.m4a” /]הלוואי והיינו מקבלים מימון ממשלתי לקורסים שלנו.

If only we would get government funding for our courses.

But alas our classes are too small (no more than 12) for the government to fund us.