זְכֻיּוֹת Every human being has rights. זְכֻיּוֹת (zeh-khoo-YOHT) are what you’d call them in Hebrew. The singular is זְכוּת (zeh-KHOOT), coming from the root ז.כ.ה (z.k.h), meaning merit. Some related words are זַכַּאִי (zah-KAH-ee) – innocent or entitled; and לִזְכּוֹת (leez-KOHT) – to win (a prize or a case). Your chance to get talking in Hebrew starts…
אוֹבֶךְ Throughout the country this morning, there was a haze. the Tel Aviv boardwalk on a hazy day Now it’s raining. The Hebrew word for haze is אוֹבֶך (OH-vekh). Your chance to get talking in Hebrew starts on the 27th. Our state-of-the-art conversational Hebrew courses begin next Sunday, February 27 in Jerusalem, Efrat and Raanana. Register now!
לְהַמְחִישׁ This week I introduced some of my students to a song by Ehud Banai called עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב (EH-ghel hah-zah-HAHV) – The Golden Calf, as Jews around the world will be reading its account this Shabbat. I’ll probably play the song with explanation next Wednesday on my radio show. My students and I at…
מַגָּשׁ My Tuesday afternoon class inspired me to do this entry – thanks guys! The word for pie in Hebrew is פַּשְׁטִידָה (pahsh-tee-DAH) – borrowed from Italian of the middle ages, or פַּאי (pie) – borrowed from English. But when you’re ordering pizza in Israel, you’ll use a different word. You’d say, אֶפְשַׁר מַגָּשׁ בְּלִי…
מַעֲגָל There’s a circle, meaning the shape – עִגּוּל (ee-GOOL). But what I’m referring to is the type of circle people might sit around and tell stories, such as in this little cartoon: This is called, in Hebrew, a מַעֲגָל (mah-ah-GAHL). Likewise, a traffic circle is called a מעגל תְּנוּעָה (mah-ah-GAHL te-noo-AH). It’s also known as a כִּכָּר (kee-KAHR)….
דָּרוּךְ How you can help a family of orphans A phrase in this morning’s front-page article on Ynet translates, literally, “The world is following with tenseness the developments in the Middle East…” – הָעוֹלָם עוֹקֵב בִּדְרִיכוּת אֲחַר הַהִתְפַּתְּחוּיוֹת בַּמִּזְרַח הַתִּיכוֹן (hah-oh-LAHM oh-KEV bee-dree-KHOOT ah-KHAHR hah-heet-paht-khoo-YOHT bah-meez-RAHKH hah-tee-KHOHN). דריכות means tenseness or preparedness. To use the adjective form,…
הַסָּקָה, חִמּוּם The Hebrew word for heat or warmth (and fever) is חוֹם (khohm). To heat something is לְחַמֵּם (leh-khah-MEM), a פיעל (pee-EL) verb. The act of heating is חִמּוּם (khee-MOOM). For example, a תָּנוּר חימום (tah-NOOR khee-MOOM) is a space heater, or literally, a heating oven. But there’s another, more common word, that refers to heating as we know…
לְדַיֵּק Last night I went to my first Ethiopian Jewish wedding. I had a blast. I like a down-to-earth atmosphere; here all the formalities were overshadowed by probably about a thousand people – many teens and young adults – talking enthusiastically and dancing with such celebration that I felt like a native as I started…
יָלִיד If you already know some Hebrew, you certainly know the Hebrew word for boy – יֶלֶד (YEH-led) and the word for girl – יַלְדָּה (yahl-DAH). You may also know the word for born as in, He was born – נוֹלַד (noh-LAHD). To say someone is a native of a particular place, you’d use the word יָלִיד (yah-LEED) for a…
בִּלְתִּי צָפוּי Suppose you’re sitting on the sofa one stormy evening covered in a warm blanket, reading a book, when suddenly there’s an unexpected knock on the door. Expected or foreseen in Hebrew is צָפוּי (tsah-FOO-ee), from the root צ.פ.ה (ts.p.h), meaning watching. It’s the same root as in הָר הַצּוֹפִים (hahr hah-tsoh-FEEM) – Mount Scopus – the site…
נִסָּיוֹן You’re likely to come across this word not so much in everyday speech, but rather through the media, specifically by watching and listening to the news in Hebrew. To make an attempt, or to try (and not to try a new food – that’s to taste), in Hebrew, is לְנַסּוֹת (le-nah-SOHT). An attempt or a trial is…