how to say “spirituality” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/רוחניות-#.m4a” /]רוּחָנִיּוּת
It used to be that רוחניות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/רוחניות-#.m4a” /] – spirituality – was a word found in rabbinic literature only (well, up until about 150 years ago, all current Hebrew was found in rabbinic literature only). Today, Hebrew speakers of all theistic persuasions use the word, from rabbis in Jerusalem to secular Israeli tourists in the ashrams of India.
Here’s the word in context:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/רוחניות-#.m4a” /]אנשים היום מחפשים רוחניות במקומות מפתיעים.
People today seek spirituality in surprising places.
The word for spiritual is רוחני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/רוחניות-#.m4a” /] when referring to something grammatically masculine, and רוחנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/רוחניות-#.m4a” /] for something feminine.
These words come from רוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/רוחניות-#.m4a” /] meaning wind as well as spirit.
