Uncategorized

  זֵר  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word for a bouquet is זֵר listen and repeat. It’s also the word for a wreath or a garland.   For example:   נָתַתִּי לָהּ זֵר פְּרָחִים. I gave her a bouquet of flowers.  listen    and, from an Israeli version of “Happy Birthday to You”:  …

  חֲטִיפִים  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     When we snack, we grab food. Thus the Modern Hebrew word for snack – חֲטִיף listen and repeat – means literally something grabbed.    For example:   צִמּוּקִים וּבוֹטְנִים הֵם חֲטִיפִים בְּרִיאִים. Raisins and peanuts are healthy snacks.  listen    חטיף comes from a more ancient word, the simple verb…

  תּוֹדָה מֵרֹאשׁ  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     One of the first words typically learned in Hebrew is תּוֹדָה listen and repeat – thank you or thanks.   Sometimes you might wish to thank someone in advance for a favor or a job you know they’ll do for you. The Hebrew expression is תּוֹדָה…

  נוֹשֵׂא  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew root נ.שׂ.א (n.s.a) means lifting up. Thus a topic or a subject – something raised for discussion – is a נוֹשֵׂא listen and repeat.   For example:   אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לְדַבֵּר אִתָּךְ עַל נוֹשֵׂא חָשׁוּב. I need to speak with you (a female) about an important…

  בְּטִפּוּל  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The American TV series In Treatment has an Israeli origin. What’s more, the name of the American show is a literal translation of the title of its Israeli prototype: בְּטִפּוּל listen and repeat.   לְטַפֵּל listen and repeat, an active-intensive verb, means to treat or take care of….

  כִּוּוּן  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The word direction in English might refer to the physical direction of east and west, but it also speaks of direction in the figurative sense.    So too in Hebrew, with the word כִּוּוּן listen and repeat. For example:   הוּא שִׁנָּה כִּוּוּן בַּחַיִּים. He changed (his) direction in life.  listen …

  מִשְׂרָד  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     Those who have made aliyah (immigration to Israel) and have had adventures in the bureaucratic jungle, certainly know the word for government ministry – מִשְׂרָד listen and repeat – as in:   מִשְׂרַד הָרִשּׁוּי The Ministry of Licensing  listen    מִשְׂרַד הָעֲלִיָּה וְהַקְּלִיטָה The Ministry of Immigration and Absorption…