having trouble seeing the print? אִשְׁפּוּז One of the key terms of the holiday of סֻכּוֹת, huts (or Tabernacles) (soo-KOHT), which began already in Israel*, is אֻשְׁפִּיזִין (oosh-pee-ZEEN). This Aramaic word refers to the spiritual guests that are said to visit Jewish families celebrating in their סוכות. It’s also the name of a funny, heartwarming glimpse into the…
having trouble seeing the print? שֶׁקֶט נַפְשִׁי How’s your Hebrew? Class starts October 30 around the country. This posting is for my friend Jon in the Antelope Valley… and for Gilad. I was filled with joy to hear of the impending deal that should free Gilad Shalit within a few days. Then my…
Registration deadline tomorrow (Tuesday) (Your daily dose of Hebrew follows.) Our friendly, state-of-the-art Fall 2011 courses are starting all over Israel on October 30. Check them out with video demonstrations! If you’re thinking of taking a course with us, make sure to register by tomorrow – Tuesday, October 11 – to save 200 shekels!
having trouble seeing the print? מִבְצַע, פְּעֻלָּה, נִתּוּחַ Don’t miss the deadline! Our fall classes start October 30. Save 200 shekels by THIS TUESDAY, October 11. Here’s an example of where translation without context can create misunderstanding. How do you say operation in Hebrew? That depends on what sort of operation you’re talking about. A military operation is a מִבְצַע (meev-TSAH), related to…
having trouble seeing the print? פִּתָּרוֹן יְצִירָתִי Don’t miss the deadline! Our fall classes start October 30. Save 200 shekels by THIS TUESDAY, October 11. Sometimes a situation in life calls for a creative solution. Suppose, for example, you’re building a סֻכָּה (soo-KAH) – sukkah – in your backyard, and you realize that one of the three required solid sides,…
having trouble seeing the print? לְהִתְחָרֵט Don’t miss the deadline! Our fall classes start October 30. Save 200 shekels by October 11. Suppose a young Israeli man meets a young Israeli woman and strikes up a lively conversation. After a while, the two exchange phone numbers and continue their talk, until the woman says, ?בֵּן כַּמָּה…
having trouble seeing the print? הָלַךְ לְעוֹלָמוֹ חָנָן פּוֹרַת (khah-NAHN poh-RAHT) – Hanan Porat – one of the heroes and leaders of the religious Zionist movement, passed away the other day after a long battle with cancer. The colloquial expression for passed away, in Hebrew, is נִפְטָר (neef-TAHR) for a male and נִפְטְרָה (neef-teh-RAH)…
having trouble seeing the print? כִּרְטוּס Adam from RustyMike Radio likes to poke fun at the Israeli tendency to turn any noun into a verb – as in the case of the internet-derived slang term, לְפַסְבֵּק (leh-fahs-BEK) – to Facebook someone. As banal as that example may be, it points out a morphological process more sophisticated than…
having trouble seeing the print? עִקְבִי Perhaps you know the Hebrew word for heel, as in the back of your foot: עֵקֶב (EH-kev). It’s the root of the name Jacob – יַעֲקֹב (yah-ah-KOHV), who, according to the Biblical story, was born holding onto the עקב of his twin brother, Esau – עֵשָׂו (eh-SAHV). To…
having trouble seeing the print? מְתִיקוּת LAST DAY for the special discount on Ulpan La-Inyan Fall courses! As a way of wishing you a wonderful new year, here is a non-exhaustive list of words that come from the Hebrew root for sweet, מ.ת.ק (m.t.k). The nouns are all declined in the masculine singular. מָתוֹק (mah-TOHK) – sweet לְהַמְתִּיק (leh-hahm-TEEK) –…
having trouble seeing the print? לִפְתּוֹחַ דַּף חָדָשׁ Two days left for the special discount on Ulpan La-Inyan Fall courses רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה (rohsh hah-shah-NAH) is a time for reflection over the past and for looking forward to a hopefully bright future. It’s also an opportunity to commit ourselves to a new or revised way…