how to say “pity” and “compassion” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /]רַחֲמִים, חֶמְלָה
If you’re familiar with Jewish prayer, you probably know the word רחמים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /] – mercy and לרחם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /] – to have mercy. A similar word you may know is חמלה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /] – compassion, while לחמול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /] is to show compassion.
While in religious contexts the original meaning of רחמים remains, today, people generally use רחמים and לרחם (a פיעל verb) for pity, with a negative connotation.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /]הוא מלא ברחמים עצמיים ולכן הוא לא עושה שום דבר בונה.
He’s full of self-pity and that’s why he doesn’t do anything constructive.
חמלה and לחמול (a פעל verb), on the other hand, are used today to mean compassion in the healing sense:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/חמלה-#.m4a” /]היא למדה לחמול על עצמה, ולכן היא אדם יותר שמח היום מאי פעם.
She learned to show compassion to herself, and that’s today why she’s a happier person than ever.