לח, לחות Tonight I celebrated my grandmother’s birthday with her, and my aunt and uncle in Tel Aviv. I was refreshed by the change in humidity from arid Jerusalem to a warmer, more damp air quality. Most people I know prefer the dryer weather. But I am reminded of a wonderful year I…
הלוויה Looks like “Hallelujah”, doesn’t it? Actually, the word printed above is הַלְוָיָה (hahl-vah-YAH), and it means funeral. In Yiddish it’s called a לְוָיָה (le-VAH-yah). Of course, this word comes from the same Hebrew root – ל.ו.ה (l.v.h.) – which carries the concept of escorting, but the Modern Hebrew usage is הלוויה….
שידור The word שִׁדּוּר (shee-DOOR) means a broadcast, like the kind done over TV or the radio. A שידור חָי (shee-DOOR KHAH-ee) is a live broadcast. לְשַׁדֵּר (le-shah-DEHR) means to broadcast. It follows the same grammatical structure as לְדַבֵּר (le-dah-BEHR) – notice that the two words have the same vowel points. And…
זהות If you’ve lived in Israel or have taken Level 2 of Ulpan La-Inyan, you’re familiar with the term for ID card – תְּעוּדַת זְהוּת (teh-oo-DAHT zeh-HOOT). The word זהות itself means identity. Its root is זֶה (zeh), which means this. Identity is “this-ness.” Today, perhaps more so than ever, it’s critical that…
מותש, גמור I’ve had one of those weeks that has at once flown by and seemed like an eternity. Know what I’m talking about? Lots of events, requiring me to be fully engaged in each… so the time flies really fast, but I also look back at last week and it seems as if…
משט I learned two words this past week in two languages. The first is flotilla. It must come from Spanish or something. The second is מַשָּׁט (mah-SHAHT). It comes from the root ש.ו.ט, which carries the core meaning of sailing or traveling by sea. Watch this video of a news report before the…
להתרענן If you’re having trouble seeing the vowels, enlarge the display on your monitor. Some of the readers of this blog live in Raanana – רַעֲנָנָה. I spent a year living there as well. That year, when I was 14 years old, I decided that I would make Israel my home – if…
אמת, אמיתי If you’re having trouble seeing the vowels, enlarge the display on your monitor. The Rabbis pointed out that the Hebrew word for truth – אֶמֶת (eh-MEHT) – begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, א, continues with one of the two middle letters, מ, and ends with the last letter, ת….
שלב, במה There’s the stage that people perform on, and the stage that is similar in meaning to rung, level, etc. The stage where plays and concerts take place is a בָּמָה (bah-MAH). Likewise, a director of a show, or a film for that matter, is a בַּמַּאִי (bah-MAH-ee). The plural is בָּמוֹת (bah-MOHT). …
לרדוף My house-mate Josh suggested this word. Josh grew up in the UK and now chases down terrorists – he’s a soldier in the IDF, preparing to be a commander. The Chapters of the Fathers (פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת – peer-KAY ah-VOHT) lists appropriate ages for various milestones in the life of the Jewish male: 9 for…
We’re opening up an evening Level 1 class (essential Hebrew conversation) at AACI Tel Aviv, starting June 6. That makes three classes in Tel Aviv (Levels 2 and 4 in the mornings), and five classes in Jerusalem. At our Ulpan, you won’t feel like this guy. Have you thought about signing up? What are you waiting…