how to say “working together” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /]עוֹבְדִים בְּצַוְתָּא

The generic and literal expression for working together is עובדים ביחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /], as in:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /]אנחנו עובדים ביחד כבר עשר שנים.

We’ve been working together already for ten years.

A more colorful expression is עובדים בצוותא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /], where צוותא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /], an Aramaic word, means togetherness.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /]חוקרים וחיילים עובדים בצוותא למען טובת הכלל.

Researchers and soldiers are working together for the greater good.

You may have noticed that צוותא seems related the Hebrew מצווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /] – commandment (mitzvah). It turns out they come from the same Semitic root. But what do togetherness and commanding have in common? Perhaps it’s that when people come together as a team, they have authority and can therefore command others.

The word צוות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/עובדים-בצוותא-#.m4a” /] – team – comes from צוותא.