how to say “to rescue” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-1.m4a” /]לְהַצִּיל

You may know the Hebrew word for lifeguard – מציל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-2.m4a” /] for a male and מצילה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-3.m4a” /] for a female. Literally, these mean no less than savior.

They derive from the active-causative הפעיל verb להציל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-1.m4a” /] – to rescue. The root of להציל is נ.צ.ל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-4.m4a” /] meaning deliverance.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-5.m4a” /]הצלתם אותי, אחרת הייתי מת פה.

You guys rescued me, otherwise I (a male) would be dead here.

להציל shares a root with the active-intensive פיעל verb לנצל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-6.m4a” /] – in Modern Hebrew, to take advantage of. In Biblical Hebrew, לנצל means to plunder – or to “rescue” someone else’s belongings by making them one’s own.

Likewise, ניצול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-7.m4a” /] is a (male) survivor (ניצולה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-8.m4a” /] for a female). This word derives from the נפעל verb להינצל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-9.m4a” /] – to be saved. A Holocaust survivor is either a ניצול שואה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-10.m4a” /] or a ניצולת שואה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-11.m4a” /].

YDDH taking Passover off

This is going to be the last Dose of Hebrew until after פסח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-12.m4a” /] – Passover.

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/להציל-13.m4a” /]חג שמח!

Ami