how to say “to make someone happy” in Hebrew
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לְשַׂמֵּחַ
My professor of Bible and Aramaic at Yeshiva University, Dr. Moshe Bernstein, taught me that 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant declared that it’s worth studying Hebrew for ten years just to read תְּהִלִּים ק”ד – Psalm 104. Jews all over the world read that psalm today and yesterday in honor of רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ , the “head” of the (Jewish) month.
Today’s dose comes from that spellbinding poem.
For example:
ֹשָׂמַחְתִּי לִרְאוֹת אֹתו.
I was happy to see him.
But then there’s to make someone else happy. That’s לְשַׂמֵּחַ , an active-intensive פִּעֵל verb.
An example from תהילים ק”ד:
וְיַיִן יְשַׂמַּח לְבַב אֱנוֹשׁ
and wine gladdens the heart of man
Another example:
מִצְוָה לְשַׂמֵּחַ חָתָן וְכַלָּה.
It’s a mitzvah to make a bride and groom happy.
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