how to say “teacher” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-1.mp3″ /]מוֹרֶה, מוֹרָה
Today (Monday), one of the greatest Torah leaders of our generation passed away. He was known by the Jewish world as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, but among those following his specific brand of Judaism, he was known affectionately and reverently by the Aramaic word for our master or our teacher, מָרָן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-2.mp3″ /].
In Hebrew, מרן would be מוֹרֵנוּ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-3.mp3″ /], which is itself composed of the suffix נוּ-[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-4.mp3″ /] meaning our, and the masculine form of the word for teacher, מוֹרֶה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-5.mp3″ /].
מורה, like the word תּוֹרָה –Torah, comes from the root י.ר.ה (y.r.h) meaning instruction. A teacher is an instructor.
The feminine form of the word is מוֹרָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-6.mp3″ /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-7.mp3″ /]הַמּוֹרָה סֵרְבָה לְקַבֵּל תַּפּוּחַ מֵהַתַּלְמִיד.
The (female) teacher refused to accept an apple from the student.
and
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/media-files/moreh-8.mp3″ /]הַיּוֹם יְרוּשָׁלַיִם מִתְאַבֶּלֶת עַל הַמּוֹרֶה הַגָּדוֹל, הָרַב עוֹבַדְיָה יוֹסֵף.
Today Jerusalem mourns the great teacher, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
