זמרים Perhaps you’re heard the word מִזְמוֹר (meez-MOHR) – this refers to a poem that appears in the book of Psalms. The Modern Hebrew word for singer takes the three-letter root of מזמור, creating זָמָּר (zah-MAHR – a male) and זַמֶּרֶת (zah-MEH-ret – a female). הזמר, שלמה ארצי (the singer, Shlomo Artzi) …
אנוכיות If you know a bit of Hebrew, you’re familiar with the word אֲנִי (ah-NEE – I). A synonym for אני is אָנֹכִי (ah-noh-KHEE). It’s used in more formal contexts, when someone really want to draw attention to who’s talking (the royal me). Therefore, a Modern-Hebrew invention is the word אֲנוֹכִיוּת (ah-noh-khee-YOOT) – or…
סיור Today I went with several Ulpan La-Inyan students and alumni to the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. It was a Hebrew immersion activity. I’ve never been so moved at a museum before. I recommend it to everyone. Here’s a picture of me and Mona, an Ulpan La-Inyan alum (and star…
ט The ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is טֵת (tet). If you’re unfamiliar with the Hebrew alphabet, you can remember the sound this letter makes by its similarity to the way a teapot looks: Well, they sort of look alike. Anyhow, ט is one of three Hebrew letters that…
מזג אוויר Sometimes the weather seems to have a mind of its own – like in Jerusalem today, where it was well over 80 degrees Fahrenheit midday, but about 55 now… Crazy. It’s almost as if the weather has a temperament. Perhaps that’s why it’s called מֶזֶג אָוִיר (MEH-zeg ah-VEER) in Hebrew…
תור The word, תּוֹר (tohr) has various meanings in Hebrew. One of these meanings is a line or a queue. For example, חִכִּיתִי בַּתּוֹר חֲמֵש שָׁעוֹת (hee-KEE-tee bah-TOHR hah-MESH shah-OHT) means I waited in line for five hours. Another usage of this same meaning is תור meaning a place in line, or an appointment….
מפגש There are several words in Hebrew for a meeting. One is יְשִׁיבָה (yeh-shee-VAH), which comes from the root י.ש.ב. (y.sh.b), sitting. This refers to a formal meeting, usually among colleagues. For example, when the Israeli cabinet convenes, it’s called יְשִׁיבַת הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה (yeh-shee-VAT hah-mem-shah-LAH) – the meeting of the government. Another term…
רשת One of my favorite Ehud Banai songs is בְּלוּז כְּנַעֲנִי (blooz knah-ah-NEE) – Caananite Blues. Ehud wrote the song in memory of his friend Meir Ariel, another musician who died tragically in 1999. One of the key words in the song is רֶשֶׁת (REH-shet), which means net. It’s also a term…
סופר, משורר, מחבר, כתב Writers are people who help people do mental workouts. Such workouts are great for people aging – they keep the mind fresh and contribute to a more positive outloook on life. In short, intellectual stimulation promotes wellbeing. Check out this article from Forbes.com. Like English, Hebrew has different words for…
רענן Perhaps you’ve heard of the cozy Israeli town, Raanana (רַעֲנָנָה). Perhaps you live there. I did once – I have very fond memories of the place. The word רעננה means fresh when referring to something feminine, such as a city. רַעֲנָן (rah-ah-NAHN) is the masculine form. I’m a bit of a zombie right now…
זהירות Driving conscientiously, defensively and carefully prevents car accidents (I think money should be spent developing an automated personal transport system – that would really save lives). As an Israeli parts from his friend who has a drive ahead of him, he is likely to say to him, סַע בִּזְהִירוּת (sa biz-hee-ROOT), or…