צוּק When I used to take groups of American religious-Zionist teens for four-day hikes in the Israeli desert, I didn’t do it alone. Not only did I have a staff of dedicated counselors with me and the support of the organization that made our trip possible (Bnei Akiva), but we also had as backup and…
נָדִיב The Hebrew root נ.ד.ב (n.d.v) is the concept of generosity. The name נָדָב (nah-DAHV) is a common one among Israeli boys and men. This week’s Torah portion, read by Jews around the world tomorrow morning, tells about the Children of Israel pooling their resources together to build the Tabernacle, “each man whose heart so…
Some people are fun. Some people are nice. And some people inspire others towards good just by being themselves. Such a person who inspires others thus is called, in Hebrew, an אָדָם עֶרְכִּי (ah-DAHM ehr-KEE) – literally, a person of value. Of course, every human being has value, and every human being is of quality….
At the end of today’s dose, you’ll find an opportunity to help people in Israel with mental disabilities. Mental retardation is a condition that affects individuals and families in every ethnic group and every nation on the planet, including Israel. The Hebrew word for retardation is פִּגּוּר (pee-GOOR), derived from the verb לְפַגֵּר…
Suppose you’re walking in the downtown district in your home town, and you pass by a smelly garbage bin that in Israel we call צְפַרְדְעִים (tse-fahr-de-EEM) – frogs. See why we call them frogs? You might wish to move away from the stench. In Hebrew, to move away from something is לְהִתְרַחֵק מִמַּשֶּׁהו (le-heet-rah-KHEK…
If you know some basic Hebrew (surely if you’ve taken Level 1 of our program), you know how to say he is walking – הוּא הוֹלֵך (hoo hoh-LEKH). To say he is wandering, you’d use הוּא מִתְהַלֵּך (hoo meet-hah-LEKH). This is a reflexive התפעל (heet-pah-EL) usage of the root ה.ל.כ. In Modern Hebrew, the…
I’ve got a copy of the classic guide to dating and love, Men are From Mars and Women are from Venus, sitting on my desk. But this copy can only be read by those who can read Hebrew (get started!). my borrowed copy The Hebrew title is גְּבָרִים מִמַּאֲדִים וְנָשִׁים מִנֹּגַה (ge-vah-REEM…
Suppose you’re standing in a line at the bank that seems abnormally slow. Within a few minutes the reason becomes apparent when someone behind the glass tells another customer, “there’s a glitch in the system.” In Hebrew, the teller would say, יֵשׁ תַּקָּלָה בַּמַּעֲרֶכֶת (yesh tah-kah-LAH bah-mah-ah-REH-khet).
At the end of today’s dose, you’ll find an opportunity to boost your fitness in order to help people in Israel with mental disabilities. Even if you just joined Ktzat Ivrit yesterday, you almost certainly know the Hebrew word for that which is fit to be eaten according to Jewish law –…
Over the past few months Wikileaks has been hovering ominously over the heads of various heads of state. Here’s how to say a leak in Hebrew: דְּלִיפָה (de-lee-FAH). It’s the noun form (gerund) of לִדְלוֹף (leed-LOHF) – to leak. This is a simple (פעל – קל) verb. דליפה can mean either a…
Back in June, I introduced the word for authority, as in the Palestinian Authority: רָשׁוּת (rah-SHOOT). So today’s entry isn’t entirely new, since you may already have the word רשות well integrated in your Hebrew vocabulary. Rather, today I’d like to introduce you to a specialized usage of this word, one that you’re…