מצווה When an Israeli teen gets a letter from the military to show up, s/he receives a צַו גִּיּוּס (tsahv g-ee-YOOS) – literally, this is an order of recruitment. A mitzvah (in Hebrew it’s מִצְוָה – meets-VAH), in the purest sense of the word, is a commandment. See the connection between the words צו and…
If there’s ever a day on the Jewish calendar to show brotherly love, it’s Purim. One of the expressions of this love is giving gifts of food to one another. The Hebrew term for this practice is מִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת (mee-SHLOW-ah mah-NOHT), or literally, delivery of (food) portions. Play today’s dose of Hebrew below!…
הוֹלֵם הוֹלֵם (hoh-LEHM) means appropriate in the same ways as the English word. There’s בִּגּוּד הוֹלֵם (bee-GOOD hoh-LEM) – appropriate attire, both in the social sense and in response to the weather. And there’s הִתְנַהֲגוּת הוֹלֶמֶת (heet-nah-hah-GOOT hoh-LEH-met) – appropriate behavior. And, of course, there’s מַשְׂכּוֹרֶת הוֹלֶמֶת לְפִי הָעֲבוֹדָה (mahs-KOH-ret hoh-LEH-met le-FEE hah-ah-voh-DAH)…