how to say “to be arrogant” in Hebrew
כִּי כָל הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִים וּבְתוֹכָם הַשֵּׁם* וּמַדּוּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂאוּ עַל קְהַל הַשֵּׁם – for all the community, they are all holy and G-d dwells among them, and why do you rise up over the community of G-d?
(kee khohl hah-eh-DAH koo-LAHM keh-doh-SHEEM oo-veh-toh-KHAHM hah-SHEM, oo-mah-DOO-ah teet-nah-seh-OO ahl keh-HAHL hah-SHEM)
* I use השם instead of the tetragrammaton so as not to profane it.
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| This Renaissance rendition of the קורח story is a bit anachronistic with the Champs-Élysées in the background. |
קורח is, in effect, accusing משה ואהרון of behaving arrogantly. The traditional interpretations of this passage show that קורח himself is possessed and driven by envy… so he’s the one who is מִתְנַשֵּׂא – behaving arrogantly (mee-nah-SEH), rather than משה ואהרון.
And that’s the primary meaning of להתנשא as used today – to behave arrogantly.
An antidote I’ve found that works for me to overcome jealousy and the desire to behave arrogantly is to listen to and sing this song.
The root of להתנשא is נ.ש.א (n.s.a), the concept of lifting. להתנשא is an intensive-reflexive התפעל (heet-pah-EL) verb.
שבת שלום וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom and a pleasant weekend!
