יום You probably know that יוֹם (yohm) means day. You also probably know that the Book of Genesis (סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית – SEH-fehr beh-reh-SHEET) presents the story of creation in a six-day sequence – and that this contradicts modern science… at least on an initial reading. On top of that, the second chapter of…
ה If you know a bit of Hebrew, you probably know the Hebrew equivalent of the English definite article, the. It’s הַ (hah), and at times הָ (also “hah”, but pronounced a bit differently by some speakers) or הֶ (heh). What you may not have noticed is that almost always in the letter…
שינוי Aside from being the name of a short-lived left-of-center Israeli political party, the word שִׁנּוּי (shee-NOO-ee) means a change. Sometimes it takes a long time for a שינוי to appear. However, sometimes, שינוי takes place in an instant. Where in English you might say, it’s warm today, for a change, in…
אדישות Apathy can be dangerous, especially regarding things like the Holocaust and people like Gilad Shalit (גִּלְעַד שָׁלִיט). Apathy tends to go against the basic human need/function of love. The Hebrew word for apathy is אֲדִישׁוּת (ah-dee-SHOOT). You might describe a man as אָדִיש (ah-DEESH) or a woman as אֲדִישָׁה (ah-dee-SHAH). See if…
כאב In Level 1 of Ulpan La-Inyan we teach the verb, it hurts (זֶה כּוֹאֵב – zeh koh-EHV). The word for ache or pain is כְּאֵב (keh-EHV). Holocaust Day (today), or יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה (yohm hah-shoh-AH) in Hebrew (means literally, the day of the disaster or conflagration), is a יוֹם כְּאֵב לְאוּמִי (yohm keh-EHV le-oo-MEE) – a…
לשלוף One of my favorite Hebrew verbs is לִשְׁלוֹף (leesh-LOHF) – to draw, as in, to draw a sword. That’s the meaning found in the Bible. But I can also pull a rabbit out of a hat… or a word from my memory – אֲנִי שׁוֹלֵף אֶת הַמִּלָּה מֵהַזִּכָּרוֹן (ah-NEE shoh-LEFF et hah-mee-LAH…
להירשם On the occasion of the upcoming session of Ulpan La-Inyan (in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv!!!!), today’s dose of Hebrew is לְהֵרָשֵׁם (le-heh-rah-SHEM) – to register. For example, you might say something like אֲנִי כָּל כַּךְ רוֹצֶה/רוֹצָה להירשם לַקּוּרְס שֶׁל אוּלְפָּן לָעִנְיָן! (ah-NEE kohl KAHKH roh-TSEH/roh-TSAH le-heh-rah-SHEM lah-KOORSS shel ool-PAH lah-een-YAHN) – I…
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…