[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תעוזה-1.m4a” /]תְּעוּזָה, הֱעָזָה By its nature, the act of doing something requiring courage may come across as positive or less so: It could be called an act of daring or an act of audacity, which itself could be positive or negative. The Hebrew words for each draw upon the same root – ע.ו.ז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תעוזה-2.m4a” /]:…
מְלַאי Yesterday, I introduced the word חִסּוּל (khee-SOOL), in honor of the חיסול of Osama Bin Laden. Several readers wrote to me noting that לְחַסֵּל (leh-khah-SEL) means not only to finish something (or someone) off, but is also commonly used to mean liquidation, particularly in the phrase חיסול הַמְּלַאי (khee-SOOL hah-meh-LAH-ee) – liquidation…
having trouble seeing the print? שִׁפּוּטִי The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world is called מִשְׁפָּטִים (meesh-pah-TEEM), literally, ordinances or rules. The root of this word is שׁ.פ.ט (sh.p.t), meaning judgment. To judge, in both the legalistic sense and in the interpersonal sense, is לִשְׁפּוֹט (leesh-POHT), while a שׁוֹפֵט (shoh-FET) is…
having trouble seeing the print? תְּמוּנָה אַחַת… Class Starts April 7 In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv DISCOUNT DEADLINE MARCH 24! Sometimes a picture says it all, or least most of it (those studying the דַּף יוֹמִי – the daily page (of Talmud) – certainly know what I’m talking about). In Hebrew, we say: תְּמוּנָה אַחַת שָׁוָה אֶלֶף מִלִּים. One picture is worth (literally,…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/במרתון-1.m4a” /]אֲנִי רָץ בְּמָרָתוֹן On March 18, I’ll be taking a 10-kilometer run in Jerusalem. I’m privileged to be running with my friend Gabe Pransky who founded AACI’s Shira Pransky Project, an initiative that makes the Israeli healthcare system accessible to the English-speaking population in Israel. For many, this initiative is a lifeline. I’ve accepted the challenge of raising…