how to say “stillness” in Hebrew
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Tonight I was walking in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem and noticed that Coffee Shop was closed. I continued on my way and passed another closed eatery, where outside where six paper bags were housing six burning candles – one for each million.
Tomorrow at 10am the people of Israel will stand still for a long moment at the sound of a siren. It will be a moment of stillness or a moment of silence – רֶגַע שֶׁל דְּמָמָה (REH-gah shel deh-mah-MAH).
דממה comes from the root ד.ו.מ (d.w.m) referring to stillness and silence. A common usage of this root in the military is the command, עֲמוֹד דּוֹם – stand (silently) at attention (ah-MOHD dohm).
Some synonyms of דממה are דּוּמִיָּה (doo-mee-YAH) – absolute silence, and שֶׁקֶט (SHEH-ket) – quiet.
