how to say “to omit” and “to let something drop” in Hebrew

לְהַשְׁמִיט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-1.mp3″ /]

In Judaism, just like every seventh day is a day of rest for Jews, every seventh year is a Sabbath for the Land of Israel, during which observant Jews refrain from regular agricultural activity. This year is called שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-2.mp3″ /].

The word שְׁמִיטָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-3.mp3″ /] comes from the root שׁ.מ.ט (sh.m.t) meaning letting go or letting fall.

So to omit or to allow something to drop is the active-causative verb לְהַשְׁמִיט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-1.mp3″ /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-4.mp3″ /]הִשְׁמַטְתִּי אֶת הַמִּלָּה כִּי הַמִּשְׁפָּט לֹא נִשְׁמַע טוֹב אִתָּהּ.

I omitted the word because the sentence doesn’t sound good with it.

In everyday speech, to say I dropped something, you’d use the expression נָפַל לִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-5.mp3″ /] – literally, it fell for me.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להשמיט-6.mp3″ /]אוֹי, נָפַל לִי הָאַרְנָק בָּאִצְטַדְיוֹן!

Oh, I dropped my (the) wallet at the stadium!