לטפס Another Hebrew word of movement is לְטַפֵּס (le-tah-PESS), to climb. I neglected to take pictures of the actual hike on the Gilboa – I forgot I was going to write about climbing. Instead, suffice it to say that טִפַּסְנוּ עַל הַהָר (tee-PAHS-noo al hah-HAHR). And if you’re a parent with…
לדלג Many Jewish communities around the world have the custom to recite Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) over the Shabbat of Passover. It’s the passion-filled love poem of a young man and woman, considered to be an allegory (see the Wikipedia article for more on this). One of the many breathtaking…
לטייל If you’ve spent leisurely time in Israel, you’ve certainly become acquainted with the word טִיּוּל (tee-YOOL) – a leisurely trip. You likely associate it with hiking… which is what Israelis often do in their time off (hence the title of this blog entry), and since טיול doesn’t have the most accurate translation into…
לנסוע After my six days in Beit Alpha in the north of Israel (i.e. a two-hour ride from the center), I got on a bus out of the absorption center en route to Beit She’an, then a bus from Beit She’an to Jerusalem, and now I’m riding a third bus to family in Kfar…
להתהלך You might know that “to walk” in Hebrew is לָלֶכֶת (lah-LEH-khet) – you certainly know this if you’ve taken any course with Ulpan La-Inyan. It’s a special thing to do to travel in Israel, especially during Passover and Sukkot, when the whole country is out traveling. It’s almost a Mitzvah. It’s even written in…
למהר In some places, such as New York, London and Tel Aviv, things move super-fast. People are in a rush – הֵם מְמַהֲרִים (hem me-mah-hah-REEM) – literally, they are rushing or they rush. In other places, such as the absorption center where I’m spending Passover (Beit Alpha) and Ethiopia, time seems to stand still. People have…
לברוח Another colorful word that has to do with movement is לִבְרוֹח (leev-ROH-akh), to escape. The Jewish people (Israelites) in Egypt escaped with their bread not having enough time to rise. So too, I’ve escaped the hustle and bustle of the city to spend Passover with these guys in Beit Alpha: Salamlak…
לפסוע The Hebrew word for the Passover holiday is פֶּסַח (PEH-sakh); the word itself means passing over or skipping over, so that G-d skips over the homes of the Israelites on His way to smite the Egyptian firstborn. The Pascal sacrifice is named after this event, this movement by G-d. Hebrew verbs most typically have a…
קרבה The Hebrew root ק.ר.ב (k.r.b.) carries the core meaning of closeness. Coming up this week is the holiday Passover, which is named after the Pascal Sacrifice, קָרְבַּן הַפֶּסַח (kohr-BAHN ha-PEH-sakh). The word קרבן means, fundamentally, that which is brought close – in the Biblical case, something offered up to G-d on the altar. …
עצם The עֶצֶם (EH-tsem) means bone, but it also means essence. The 70s and 80s rock group that brought us the popular Bar-Mitzvah dance song, “Yo Ya,” also have a song called “פֹּה קָבוּר הַכֶּלֶב” (poh kah-VOOR hah-KEH-lev) – “This is Where the Dog is Buried.” I bring you this song because …
שירות, עבדות Over thousands of years, word meanings can change within a language. Actually, even over a generation they can (I challenge you to come up with two examples right now of English words whose meanings have changed over the last generation – write them in the “comments” section below). In today’s language,…